Cognitive Restructuring
(What we think: CONTENT)
Distortion Model: Assumes that offenders hold beliefs, attitudes, and recordings (automatic thoughts) that lead them to offend.
Offenders are taught to identify, evaluate, and modify these thoughts.
All Quick Skills units contain elements of this pedagogy, however the primary unit is:
Thinking Traps Unit
Cognitive Skills Development
(How we think: PROCESS)
Deficit Model: Assumes that offenders never learned appropriate “thinking skills”.
Offenders are taught systematic ways to approach problem solving, coping, and interpersonal communication.
All Quick Skills units contain elements of this pedagogy, however the primary unit is:
Problem Solving Unit
The above two paradigms inform the skill acquisition modality of each Quick Skills unit.
Structured Skill Building
(How we acquire new skills)
Both deficit and distortion models: Assumes the offender has either not learned effective behavior or has learned dysfunctional behavior.
Offenders are taught skills by:
Modeling (Explanation)
Role Play (Group Practice)
Feedback (Group Discussion)
Transfer (Explicit Transfer or Homework)
This pedagogy is found in all Quick Skills units.
The combination of Structured Skill Acquisition and Cognitive Restructuring/Development are brought to bear on the target of all aspects of our units:
Client Behavior
