OVERVIEW

Counseling the Criminal Mind Course is organized by Professional Development Resources (PDR), Inc.

Course Description:
Counseling the Criminal Mind is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that examines the effects of mass incarceration and provides strategies for reducing criminal behavior.

When events such as mass shootings, acts of terrorism, and familicide occur, one question we might ask ourselves is: What goes through the mind of the perpetrator? In attempting to answer this question, this course will explore the many factors that lead to criminal behavior, including traumatic brain injury, genetic predisposition, sibling behavior, exposure to violent video games, excessive television viewing, alcohol abuse, and social cohesion.

We will then explore the psychological effects of the incarceration experience itself, factors that contribute to criminal behavior, and brain-related and environmental approaches to turn around criminal behavior. Lastly, we will present strategies that you can use in session with your clients to help them make effective changes, find a vocation, decrease feelings of shame while increasing feelings of empathy, and practice mindfulness and self-regulation – all aimed at helping clients turn from a life of crime into one of fulfillment, meaning, and productivity.

Learning Objectives:
• Describe how mass incarceration leads to a cycle of crime and what clinicians can do to break the cycle
• Identify five factors that may lead to criminal behavior
• List three biases that exist in the criminal justice system and two priorities for effective rehabilitation
• Explain the psychological, cognitive, and behavioral effects of incarceration
• Describe two interventions that help reduce the risk of criminal behavior
• List three strategies that clinicians can use in session with clients to help reduce criminal behavior