Counseling the Criminal Mind

Course overview

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. Course #21-33 | 2019 | 35 pages | 15 posttest questions