The authors of this article maintain that ethnic and gender disparities exist in the provisioning of substance abuse treatments and in substance abuse research noting that understanding the most effective ways to treat individuals who are dependent on marijuana is still an emerging field. Focusing on adapting manuals for use with diverse substance abuse patient populations, the authors suggests ways to accommodate the brief marijuana dependence counseling (BMDC) protocol to meet the needs of a diverse substance abuse population. Addressing motivational enhancement, psychosocial problem solving, and skills building, the article details the clinical interventions used with MTP program participants. The authors argue that the treatments developed for delivery by the MTP reflect a compromise between the needs of the scientific community to have clearly defined measurable treatments for substance abusers and the realities of a diverse treatment community which demands flexibility, appreciation of the multi-determined nature of client problems, and individualized approaches. The authors argue that the MTP is flexible enough to encourage accommodations both across and within sessions in order to address diverse clients’ individual needs in terms of substance abuse treatments. Tables, references