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START NOW

NCJ Number
306176
Author(s)
Susan Sampl ; Robert L. Trestman; Walter J. Krauss ; Julie Wright
Date Published
2015
Length
179 pages
Annotation

This facilitator manual is version 2.4, published in November 2015, for the START NOW Skills program, and was developed as part of a relatively cost-effective manual-guided intervention for offenders with behavioral and emotional disorders.

Abstract

This document is meant to serve as a general guide, and is part of a manual-guided intervention, the START NOW Skills program. This program is an integrative evidence-informed model of treatment that seeks to meet a need for lower cost Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) programs in correctional facilities. The START NOW Skills program was developed based on a version of DBT adapted for correctional settings; its purpose is to teach incarcerated individuals a range of coping skills. START NOW uses group therapy as the primary treatment approach to increase the cost-efficiency of the program, and to allow offenders to provide support and feedback to each other, along with other approaches, such as: cognitive behavior therapy (CBT); motivational interviewing (MI); cognitive-modifications of the clinical approach; DBT; and trauma-sensitive care. The manual notes gender differences among incarcerated individuals, and provides a summary of specific gender-related research findings in each of the four units; it also provides, in the introductory section, details on START NOW program design and parameters, along with a list of materials needed and certification criteria for facilitators and supervisors.