A Guide to Thinking for a Change (T4C) for Case Managers and Community Supervision Officers

This guide is for use by professionals working with clients/offenders involved in the Thinking for a Change (T4C) program. (This guide is not intended for those who are facilitating T4C groups.)

Change takes both time and positive reinforcement as offenders attempt to integrate new concepts into their daily life. Studies show that it can take up to 7 cycles of practice and relapse before new behaviors are integrated. Practice does not make perfect but practice is what is needed to make change permanent. Some of this practice takes place within the T4C group setting, but much of it must take place in between group sessions.

Corrections professionals can support offenders’ T4C learning by reinforcing prosocial skills when they are observed, and by encouraging their use when they are not. In order for professionals to do so they need to know what the offender is learning in T4C week by week. The guide contains 22 lessons to be delivered over 11 weeks (2 sessions a week, with each session lasting approximately 90 minutes) and is presented in sequence to correspond to the T4C learning modules. The lessons address criminal/delinquent behavior through cognitive self change, social skills development, and problem solving.