Personal Power Series A Counseling/ Self-Help Tool
Using the analogy of a road trip, these four manuals present a step-by-step process through which individuals can evaluate self-concept and habits, control of mood and anger, relaxation techniques, and planning and goal-setting. An introductory sheet provides an overview of the manuals for self-directed homework. The emphasis is on life as a journey, a process of learning as you live, with the intent of finding strategies that will facilitate a successful trip down the road of life. The intent is to motivate individuals to engage in treatment and to introduce the idea of using cognitive techniques to attain life goals and live more successfully. [These manuals are available for download using Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking on the title. The 4 manuals represent an extension of the Cognitive Skills Series described elsewhere on this web.]
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This is
a beginning look at the individual’s personal management
strategies.
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New management strategies come into focus.
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A Relax and Focus Technique (RAFT) can help with ongoing care of general
personal maintenance.
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Get on with it.
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Cognitive deficits can impede success in substance abuse treatment and appear to be very prevalent within the criminal justice system (e.g., Fals-Stewart, Shanahan, & Brown, 1995). The importance of including a cognitive skills component in treatment has been noted and empirically supported (e.g., Heppner & Krauskopf, 1987; Platt & Husband, 1993; Ross & Fabiano, 1985; Ross, Fabiano, & Ewles, 1988). Although some treatment programs include a cognitive skills component to address such things as decision-making, means-end analysis, planning, and problem solving, we felt a more general system that could be readily integrated into various treatment settings was important. Additionally, we wanted to address other areas such as memory, self-regulation, and mood that are often neglected.
Our research on the effectiveness of the TCU-CSM, part of the Cognitive Enhancements for Treatment of Probationers (CETOP) project, has revealed that residents who receive the TCU-CSM (compared to residents who only receive standard treatment components) are rated as:
(For more details about the above findings, see Czuchry & Dansereau, 2001)
These findings were especially evident midway through treatment.
These manuals have been given in the first month of residential substance abuse treatment to stimulate motivation for treatment. We provided them in the fourth month of a 6-month program as a means of bolstering or reactivating treatment motivation. The manuals are presented with a Personal Power Manuals introduction page to help individuals understand the purpose of the activity and an assignment sheet showing a target date for completion and return (to a counselor). Individuals find that, in addition to reading the manuals, they are asked to participate, i.e., to write in ideas and responses to queries throughout each of the 4 booklets.
We have presented this activity to groups of individuals with a wide range of intellectual abilities. A small percentage have complained that the concepts are too challenging; a slightly larger percentage go through the series very quickly and sometimes with little thought because the manuals are, for most individuals, easy to read and comprehend. Although individuals are to do their own work, they are encouraged to seek assistance from peers as needed. We have found that gentle questions from a counselor or peer about some of the concepts in the manuals are frequently helpful in motivating the “fast finishers” to take a second look.
The booklets incorporate techniques described more
fully in other parts of the website (e.g., node-link mapping and Thought
Team). Other websites that may
be of interest regarding cognitive skills training include the following:
1. http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca This site presents a paper, “Focusing on Successful Reintegration: Cognitive Skills Training for Offenders,” that describes a Canadian program and its effectiveness.
2. http://www.ggco.com/ This site provides interesting motivational information about personal change and has books and videos available. Because it is a business, however, the secrets of the process of change are not revealed.
3. http://www.mhcva.on.ca/mhcpen12.htm This site provides interesting information for concepts and examples related to social cognition and thinking errors or cognitive “bug’s.”
Please note that we do not have these manuals currently available for inspection on the web (or for order from our group). We hope to have these scanned and up within the next few months.
Czuchry & Dansereau, (2003). Cognitive skills training: Impact on drug abuse counseling and readiness for treatment. American Journal of Drug & Alcohol Abuse, 29(1), 1-18.
Fals-Stewart, W., Shanahan, T., Brown, L. (1995). Treating alcoholism and substance abuse: A neuropsychiatric perspective. Psychotherapy in Private Practice, 14(1), 1-21.
Heppner, P. Paul, & Krauskopf, C. J. (1987). An information-processing approach to personal problem solving. Counseling Psychologist, 15(3), 371-447.
Platt, J. J., & Husband, S. D. (1993). An overview of problem-solving and social skills approaches in substance abuse treatment. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 30(2), 276-283.
Ross, R. R., & Fabiano, E. A. (1985). Time to think: A cognitive model of delinquency prevention and offender rehabilitation. Johnson City, TN: Institute of Social Sciences and Arts.
Ross, R. R., Fabiano, E. A., & Ewles, C. D. (1988). Reasoning and rehabilitation. International Journal of Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 32(1), 29-35.
