UC San Diego

Quitlines providing telephone counseling for smoking cessation derive from behavioral research and theory, have been shown to be effective, and have been adopted and then institutionalized at both the state and national levels. Although psychologists have made seminal contributions to quitline development and evaluation, this accomplishment largely has gone unnoticed by the practice and research communities in clinical, counseling and health psychology. This article summarizes the development, content, structure, empirical status, and current reach of cessation quitlines. We note the rich research opportunities afforded by quitlines, describe some recent approaches to improving their effectiveness, and suggest that understandinghowquitlines work could also improve their effectiveness. The implications for practitioners and the potential application of telephone counseling to other disorders are also considered.