Facilitation Skills for Cognitive Behavioral Programs in Corrections

Perhaps no other intervention has attracted more attention across the criminal justice system than cognitivebehavioral therapy (CBT). First widely used in the latter half of the 20th century, as large numbers of peoplewith mental illness were deinstitutionalized and treated in community settings, CBT has since found its wayinto nearly every aspect of the justice system, often supplementing, or displacing other programs andinterventions. CBT assumes that most people can become conscious of their own thoughts and behaviorsand then make positive changes to them. A person's thoughts are often the result of experience, and behavioris often influenced and prompted by these thoughts. In addition, thoughts may sometimes become distortedand fail to reflect reality accurately. Practitioners today use CBT to reduce recidivism among adults andjuveniles, help victims deal with the aftermath of crimes, and address substance abuse, depression, violence,and other problematic behavior. CBT programs help individuals in corrections improve their social skills,means-ends problem solving, critical reasoning, moral reasoning, cognitive style, self-control, impulsemanagement, and self-efficacy. Effective facilitators are crucial to assisting to make these improvementsand reductions. The ideal skills for group facilitators include empathy, knowledge of facilitation/teachingtechniques, understanding group processes and interpersonal interactions, the ability to control a group ofjustice-involved adults and at-risk youth, and the ability to challenge individuals through non-coercivemeans. Almost without exception, studies of cognitive behavioral programs point to proper training as a keyfactor in achieving desired program outcomes. Training is the starting point for successful facilitators.