The TCU Cognitive Skills Series: TCU-CSS     

Description/benefits

To address cognitive deficits that are known to impede success, we developed a series - consisting of 10 specialized booklets - to provide training and “de-bugging” of these thinking and problem-solving deficits.

 1.  Thought Team:  Part I

When an individual looks to other people for input about important decisions and problem solving, outcomes can be better than when the task is done individually (especially for individuals who do these tasks poorly).  This booklet provides a strategy for getting quality viewpoints on any issue from a team of people who are visualized rather than physically present.  The reader assembles a “thought” team and then practices getting input from that team.

 2.  Problem Solving

Having a general strategy for dealing with problems can make solving specific problems easier.  The approach here is to provide activities that will show the reader a systematic way to: 

  1. analyze the cause of a problem and prevent it in the future and/or 

  2. analyze the consequences of a problem and find ways to minimize or reduce the negative effects of something that has already happened.

 3.  The Science of Memory Part I: Memory Tricks

The reader will discover that memory usually can be made much more effective by using certain techniques and strategies.  Opportunities are provided to try these methods.

 4.  The Science of Memory Part2:  Practical Suggestions

In Part I the reader discovered that memory usually can be made much more effective by using certain techniques and strategies.  Practical suggestions are made about the use of these and other methods.

 5.  Planning and Goal Setting

Activities in this booklet direct the reader to see that major, long-term  goals in life actually involve a sequence of steps, or short-term goals.  A  strategy is outlined for systematically planning these short-term goals and practice is provided.

 6.  Understanding the World

This booklet shows how beliefs (“Five Bad Assumptions”) can cause comprehension failures.  Both misunderstanding and not understanding are heightened by these beliefs (e.g., “I can always figure it out by myself”). Strategies are provided for sidestepping these beliefs and enhancing understanding.

 7.  Taking Control of Your Life

Effective personal self-management strategies can be developed via attention to four problematic, but very human, behaviors: procrastination, habits, urges, and impulses (PHUI).  The reader can gain some insight into these issues as well as some practice with strategies for dealing with them.  

8. Decision Making

Making good decisions can be a matter of learning to systematically list the best alternatives and then to assess the costs and benefits of each alternative.  This booklet provides guidance and practice in doing this.

9. Mood

The message of this booklet is that an individual can learn to prevent bad moods, and minimize the damage of a bad mood that wasn’t prevented.   The reader gets a chance to analyze and plan for aspects of his or her own mood problems around critical mood states: (1) anger and aggression, (2) sadness and depression, (3) fear and anxiety, and (4) happiness.

10. Thought Team: Part II

The reader will use his or her already assembled "thought" team to deal with a series of vignettes -- tough situations that might readily occur in the life of a substance abuser.

Research Principles    

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-CSS, part of the Cognitive Enhancements for Treatment of Probationers (CETOP) project, has revealed that residents who receive the TCU-CSS (compared to residents who only receive standard treatment components) are rated as:

  1. “Working the program” to a greater extent,
  2. More likely to remain clean and sober after treatment,
  3. More engaged and focused in treatment,
  4. Having more respect for community members and as being more cooperative, and
  5. Having less negative mood states (i.e., depression, aggression).

(For more details about the above findings, see Czuchry & Dansereau, 2001)

These findings were especially evident midway through treatment. 

Implementation/uses    

The booklets that make up the TCU-CSS can be used separately or combined, and with little or no modification can be implemented in a variety of settings (e.g., treatment, educational, business).  An important benefit of these materials is that they put learning and responsibility into the hands of the consumer (whether a client, student, or business person).  As such, they can reduce personal biases consciously or unconsciously elicited by trainers or by treatment or educational providers. 

Limitations    

One limitation of the TCU-CSS is that, taken collectively, it may be somewhat overwhelming to individuals with poor reading skills or for whom English is a second language.  Although relatively cost effective, there is also the potential practical problem of producing enough copies for all potential consumers.  Further, incentives may need to be built into the program in order to get consumers to actively participate. For example, in our program residents could earn up to $7.00 dollars for active and conscientious participation.  However, a simple remedy may be to give individuals the choice to select which booklets are most personally relevant.

Links     

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.”

Another version of thought teams is found on the Thinkerer site. See Your Head Teams.  The Thinkerer site offers suggestions about memory:    Your cue to remember, and a version of materials for planning and goal setting: Topics: Motivation and Goals 

 

Email     

For any questions you may have concerning this section of our Web Site, please contact M.Czuchry@tcu.edu.    *Please note: the booklet titles link to downloadable pdfs. Acrobat Reader is necessary to view these files.

References  

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.