ABSTRACT
Much of the support for the notion that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works comes from meta-analyses of empirical studies of CBT effects on criminal behavior. The results of the Crime Lab’s reverse engineering of what “what-if” hypothesizes to be the key active ingredients is not quite the same as a CBT 2.0 program manual that could be pulled off the shelf for use by inexperienced or first-time local practitioners. CBT 2.0 builds on Restorative Justice and what it means for community. Relationships are the basis of community; community is built on relationships; and responsibility is the “glue” of community. Successful CBT programming needs to help youth come up with alternatives almost as quickly as the youth come up with their default and automatic responses. While CBT 2.0 helps youth behave less automatically and rely less on biased perspectives or cognitive distortions, additional behaviors can change through the “remap” of a youth’s automatic responses and certain triggers associated with high-stakes situations.
