Cognitive Behavioral Skills Training Workshop
Reviews of studies that have been conducted on
treatment programs and offender outcomes over
the past 30 years have shown that treatment
programs that include Cognitive Behavioral
Training (CBT) reduce recidivism more reliably
over time than programs that do not include this
skill training. Inclusion of CBT skills is therefore
essential for any correctional system seriously
devoted to improving offender outcomes.
CBT is based on the premise that it is not our
experiences in themselves that determine our
feelings and behaviors, but how we think about
our experiences. When misinterpretations of life
experiences get positively reinforced in childhood,
faulty thinking patterns can develop. Because our
thinking patterns are familiar and therefore
comfortable, without realizing it, we often perform
habitual or "automatic" behaviors that lead to further
"confirmation" of our faulty thinking patterns, rather than correcting them. With offenders, faulty thinking patterns can lead to repeated criminogenic behaviors that offenders perceives as rewarding because they have not learned how to anticipate the negative consequences to themselves and others, even when they seem quite obvious to those who do not have faulty thinking in these ways.
CBT is a skills-driven, action-oriented way of teaching offenders new patterns of realistic consequential thinking, objective problem-solving, emotional regulation, and development of personal relapse-prevention strategies. Using social learning components, CBT applies a balanced combination of restructured thinking and behavior modification training to a variety of offender problems. Role-plays, mental rehearsals, skills practices and other learning-enabled methods are accompanied by positive feedback, coaching, and social reinforcement. Additional training strategies include contingency management, stress management, relaxation techniques, and homework assignments that increase offenders’ skills through practice.
CBT emphasis is on a specific problem behavior’s targeted results. For this reason, CBT sessions tend to be briefer and of a shorter duration. Progress is observed and measured, and client and counselor agree when success is achieved.
CBT Two-Day Workshop Structure
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Correctional staff are often unfamiliar with the concepts, language, and methods of CBT. During this first phase, they will learn about the CBT model and its rationale for restructuring offender thinking, attitudes/beliefs, emotions, and behavior.
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Developing Teaching, Coaching, and Contingency Management Skills
CBT requires attention to both specific content and delivery style. The content focuses on teaching offenders new ways of behaving through practical skill-building and helping them to correct ineffectual cognitive patterns. The style of delivery requires constant use of positive reinforcement and coaching to encourage application of new skills. It also requires minimization of facilitator or peer reinforcement for maladaptive thinking and behavior patterns. Because it is challenging to attend to content and style at once, this section will provide practitioners with instruction and practice in CBT delivery style before they learn the specific content techniques.
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Performing and Supporting CBT Interventions
This final module trains CBT content and techniques for helping offenders to practice social interaction and problem-solving skills. Some officer participants may not actually be delivering curriculum, so their focus in this section will be on supporting and reinforce new thinking and behavior patterns that offenders learn in treatment. Officers will need to understand the purpose of CBT interventions, the signs that offender behavior is improving, and what kinds of reinforcement or interventions should follow treatment in order for an offender to stay on a healthy pathway of successful change.
Who Should Attend?
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Front-line community corrections service professionals that help offenders work through problem behavior issues.
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Supervisors, managers and QA staff who will supervise front-line staff’s use of CBT interventions.
Should managers be unable to commit to a 2-day event, JSAT can provide a 1-day overview compressed into a balanced amount of didactic presentation and experiential how-to.
Setting Up a Training
Once you Contact Us to discuss the specifics of the training and set dates, our training coordinator will walk you through the entire process, making sure that you have all the information you need to provide for a smooth, effective training experience. The following information may be helpful as you decide how to proceed:
Training Location:
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J-SAT trainers will come to your agency. Should you not have sufficient space available in-house, we will work with you to rent a room close to your location.
Participant / Trainer Ratio:
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Due to the number of skills rehearsals with individual feedback, J-SAT recommends one facilitator for every 15 participants.
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