WorkNet LifeStiles® Self-Change Program
The LifeStiles® Self-Change Program is a 24-class series that provides clients with the tools to master their thinking so they can make better decisions when they reenter the community. The program focuses on areas such as criminal thinking errors, pro-social skills, problem solving, and planning for a crime free life.
Cognitive behavioral interventions are based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that have proven effective to address behavioral change with offenders. The underlying premise of CBT is that by changing your thoughts, you are able to affect how you feel. Our LifeStiles® Self-Change Program, specifically designed for offenders, teaches our clients how to identify thinking errors, develop problem solving skills, and integrate pro-social skills into their daily behavior and habits.
The foundation of the LifeStiles® curriculum draws on a variety of resources focused on cognitive behavioral interventions, change management, and new habit development based on brain studies. We use a modified version of the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs model specific to the offender population as a foundation and integrate the model throughout the Change program.
How We Use Inmate Personal Stories
Inmates enrolled in our classes write down their personal stories as a therapeutic release and for use by WorkNet as a teaching tool. Inmates read the stories, identify the central character’s criminal thinking errors, and discuss other choices the character could have made to produce a more positive outcome.
Through various role plays, our clients integrate new models of thinking, new behaviors, and have resources to help them adapt for their transition back to the community.
To enhance the power of story, our CARE Project's Resident Artist, Mo Kalaikai, draws interpretive illustrations to provide a visual component for each story.