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Facilitation Skills for Cognitive Behavioral Programs in Corrections

Department of Justice

Perhaps no other intervention has attracted more attention across the criminal justice system than cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). First widely used in the latter half of the 20th century, as large numbers of people with mental illness were deinstitutionalized and treated in community settings, CBT has since found its way into nearly every aspect of the justice system, often supplementing, or displacing other programs and interventions. CBT assumes that most people can become conscious of their own thoughts and behaviors and then make positive changes to them. A person's thoughts are often the result of experience, and behavior is often influenced and prompted by these thoughts. In addition, thoughts may sometimes become distorted and fail to reflect reality accurately. Practitioners today use CBT to reduce recidivism among adults and juveniles, 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, impulse management, and self-efficacy. Effective facilitators are crucial to assisting to make these improvements and reductions. The ideal skills for group facilitators include empathy, knowledge of facilitation/teaching techniques, understanding group processes and interpersonal interactions, the ability to control a group of justice-involved adults and at-risk youth, and the ability to challenge individuals through non-coercive means. Almost without exception, studies of cognitive behavioral programs point to proper training as a key factor in achieving desired program outcomes. Training is the starting point for successful facilitators.

Only one (1) application will be accepted from a submitting organization. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact fundopps@duke.edu as early as possible.

Deadline: Oct. 15, 2024