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Abstract: 

Cognitive behavioral therapy is arguably the most effective approach to helping individuals overcome harmful behaviors and habits and make positive changes in their lives and outlooks. It is especially well-suited for use in rehabilitating criminal offenders seeking to reorient their lives and reenter society as productive citizens. Written by two of the country’s leading practitioners in Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) programming, this article addresses the challenges to and basic principles of implementing CBT with adult offenders. It surveys some of the foundational CBT programs including STICS, EPICS, STARR, and BITS; shows how clinicians and programs can develop their own implementation models based on the key principles underlying evidence-based programs that are often not available outside the institutions they were developed by; and guides readers through the essential steps in building a successful CBT program, including selecting a project team, selecting participants for the program, and selecting which elements of practice to use in developing and implementing a new CBT program.

Keywords: Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT); Criminogenic Risks and Needs; Strategic Training Initiative in Supervision (STICS); Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS); Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR)

Affiliations:  1: G&G Consultants, LLC; 2: Hennepin County (Minn.) Department of Corrections.