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Positive Solutions Associates (PSA), provides quality field generated and research supported Therapeutic Cognitive Response Model, designed to teach left brain decision making and cognition skills to criminal offenders through the use of a right brained, student centered delivery model. Programs are presently being used nationwide in the following settings, for male and female, juvenile and adult offenders: State Correctional systems, large and small county probation and parole systems, short and long term residential treatment facilities, day reporting centers, jails and detention facilities. Positive Solutions Associates provides therapeutic cognitive response model that is values-based, that utilizes successful research validated and educationally centered techniques and principals that are not common in other Cognitive Restructuring programs. The first is a pedagogical approach that is designed around the way the majority of criminal offenders learn. Research reveals that most offenders are right brained learners who are only comfortable when they can employ kinesthetic methods to master new concepts and skills. Programs used by Positive Solutions Associates are student centered and activity based, yet they are conducted in a goal driven structured enviroment that is transparent to the learner. They create an atmosphere of interest and discovery that fosters personal investment and individual growth. The second is that the program is based on the belief that the majority of offenders know the difference between right and wrong. Research over the last ten years has revealed that less than ten percent of all criminal offenders do not know the difference between right and wrong. Where many programs alienate offenders by assuming that they need to be taught the difference right and wrong before they can change their behavior, the approach utilized by PSA reaffirms that the offender has this basic knowledge and focuses it's energy on helping the offender to clarify this knowledge and use it to control behavior and direct their own actions for good. The third is that the program focuses on creating an atmosphere that fosters intrinsic change not extrinsic compliance. A person will only change their behavior when they realize that what they are doing is not getting them the reward that they ultimately desire. Slogans, admissions of wrong doing and testimonials do little to insure that seemingly temporary behavioral changes will be lasting in nature. A program that doesn't teach skills in a progressive step by step nature and allow time for practice, failure and growth cannot sustain in that individual a prospect of long term impact. PSA programs are designed to foster gradual and sustained long term intrinsic growth through conceptual layering and repetitive practice. The fourth is a program that champions and clarifies individual values rather than seeks to challenge existing values in the individual. Close scrutiny of the values of the offenders reveals that in most cases their values' systems are not much different from those of the non-incarcerated population. When properly tutored, many offenders can see that the behavior that lead to their offense was not consistent with what they really believe. Rather than seeking to change the values of an offender, the PSA approach is to help the offender identify what is most important to them personally and then help them to gain the skills neccessary to insure that their positive values become the driver of their behaviors. When a person is working to fulfill the drives of their own person values in a positive fashion, they can become self-motivated and driven to succeed in a way that was never thought possible. In short, the PSA approach is to
harness the offending individual's own preferences, values and learning
style to create a self-driven enviroment of personal development and growth.
It is active and participatory rather than passive. It requires personal
investment and exploration of ideas, concepts and theories, not regurgitation
of slogans and facts. It is peer driven not lecture based. Our educational
approach combines the research that has proven successful in reaching this
particular population. It relies on its ability to harness the collective
reasoning and experience of the group to give direction and solve problems.
It is fun, active, and engaging. It employs techniques that have been proven
to be successful in educating non mainstream learners. IT
SIMPLY WORKS!
NEW!National Overview of the Effectiveness of Cognition Programs on Increasing Educational Outcomes and Reducing Recidivism (download adobe acrobat reader) The value or effectiveness of any Cognitive Program should not be measured, as it often is, by the cost (or lack there of) of the program. Like any other product, a program that does not work is worthless, even if can be obtained for "free." Many corrections staff have also discovered that "free curricula" really isn't free because of the associated costs of training and oversight. These training costs do not even take into account the costs in human terms, to both staff and clients, when it is discovered that they have invested vast amounts of time and energy into a program that doesn't work. How then does one determine whether a Cognitive Program works or not? This question needs to be answered on many different levels in order to be comprehensive. First, the program must fit well into the array of other programs that are presently being offered by the institution or field service agency. Second,the program must be acceptable to the staff that is responsible for it's administration. Thirdly, the program must meet the learning style needs of the target population. Fourth, it must help the target population meet the educational objectives for which it has been adopted. Fifth, it must help the target population meet the behavioral objectives for which it was adopted. Sixth, the program must be rewarding for everyone involved. And Seventh, the program must be able to be measured in terms of it's success against expectations as they relate to both the effective and affective domains. For these reasons, the curriculum utilized by Positive Solutions Associates is unique. It has assessment tools that can be utilized by any agency that is using the program or is investigating the possible use of the programs. Positive Solutions Associates can provide references that are willing to share with other agencies how well the curriculum has meet their programmatic needs. In addition to these affective domain assessments of the program's value, the quantitative or effective domain value of the program is measured by the use of a nationally validated outcome measurement tool. This outcome measurement tool (s), have been normed to a population of over 100,000. The "OQ-45"(Adult) and the "YOQ-2"(Youth) are administered and independantly evaluated by pyschologist, Kristoffer B. Kristensen, Ph.D. The OQ-45 and YOQ-2, contains dimensions that are substantially and directly relevant to all correctional programs. The OQ-45 measures three important dimensions of an individual's life: 1) subjective discomfort (intrapsychic functioning), 2) interpersonal relationships and 3) social role performance. These areas of functioning suggest a continuum from how the person feels inside, how they are getting along with significant others, and how they are doing in important life tasks such as work and school. The YOQ-2 is divided into six subscales: 1) Intra-personal Distress, 2) Somatic, 3) Interpersonal Distress, 4) Critical items, 5) Social Problems, and 6) Behavioral Dysfunction. Intra-Personal Distress focuses on emotional distress as seen through a child's presentation and defined by such traits as anxiety, depression, hopelessness, fearfulness, and self-harm. Somatic addresses issues such as stomachaches, nausea, headaches and bowel difficulties that the child may be exhibiting. Interpersonal Relations is designed to tap relevant relationships with parents, peers, and adults. Critical Items identifies special needs of children and adolescents who may need mental health services. Social Problems assesses behavioral problems that are social in nature such as sexual problems, running away from home, substance abuse and truancy. Behavioral Dysfunction discovers behaviors that are consistent with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyeractivity Disorder) and focuses on attention span, impulsivity and the child's (in)ability to concentrate and handle frustration. The OQ-45 and the YOQ-2 are outcomes based and are not
designed to be diagnostic. These tests measure
relative intrinsic change over time (i.e. pre- and post-training).
They differ substantially from measurement tools in that they have well
established reliability and validity. They also
directly measure specific social, personal, and behavioral goals
of correctional programs. An agency that combines the quantitative, outcome
testing of these tests with the subjective, personal results of client
and employee surveys truly has the ability to assess the effectiveness
of a program at all seven of the previously mentioned levels. A program
that can prove it's validity in such a fashion has great value in longevity
as well as productivity.
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