Anonymous Submission, Community Corrections Agency 

My community corrections agency supervises individuals involved in the justice system. We utilize the Carey Group products as intervention tools to reduce recidivism, change individuals' thinking, and enhance skill-building techniques. I usually start my clients with Your Guide to Success to help introduce them to their thoughts and behavior patterns and assist them in choosing which areas of their life they want to work on. These tools give my clients the accountability and autonomy to take control of their harmful thoughts and behaviors. 

One of my clients shared that they were able to take a break from their impulsive tendencies, pause, and really look in the mirror at the last few years of their life. They asked if there were tools to work on specific areas of their life they want to see changes, and I was able to pull out specific tools they related to and found applicable to their life. I saw a profound change in their ability to accept accountability and help from others. They were open to treatment, therapy, and cognitive interventions in group settings. They owned their change journey and it all started with the Carey Guides.

As a professional, it takes the pressure off being unable to relate to your client’s situation by giving us a starting point for change conversations. The open-ended questions and conversation points are formed to make the client more willing to respond. The user-friendly Tools on Devices (TOD) opens up our ability to connect with our clients when we are unable to meet in person. TOD gives the clients time to think on their own and practice their skills outside of our meetings. My clients are quick to remind me and request more worksheets when we finish a tool together. I’m all for loading up my toolbox with interventions that fit a wide range of clients’ needs and abilities!

Evins Regional Center, Texas

The Carey Guide, Emotional Regulation, is one of my favorites to review with the youth.  There was one incident where I was working with a youth on Tool #3, Decreasing Emotional Strength, when the youth identified an experience that made him very angry. He stated that when his mental health professional (MHP) canceled multiple sessions, he found himself becoming irrationally upset. He said that from that anger, he developed feelings that led him not to want to speak to her anymore. At first, he reacted calmly, and even though he was upset, he just said okay when she canceled. He said he would try to explain to himself that he understands she has other things that she needs to take care of. 

He said that when he becomes angry, he does try to tell himself that this is “not that deep” and tries to talk himself down before he acts out. He did list things such as exercise, deep breathing, and talking down as ways to deescalate the situation.  He said that moving forward, he knows taking a deep breath and talking himself down are the best things to do before things get out of hand, and they will work best for him.  As he documented other incidents/experiences and feelings, I noticed a pattern.  I found it interesting and breakthrough to realize that every time he found himself getting angry, it was when he felt betrayed. He noted that he finds it upsetting when people say something to him and do not keep their word. I discussed with him how others possibly in the past had broken their word with him before, and now that he has found some support, he feels easily let down when things do not always go as planned.

I encouraged the youth to do a redo with the MHP so he could calmly explain to her how he felt, and she could also explain what happened from her perspective. He agreed to meet with her, and they both did a redo for the misunderstanding. He could see that she did not have ill intent. 

It is important that when we are utilizing these tools, we notice how these youth do have patterns. We can use these as opportunities to restore their broken relationships and identify hidden feelings overall. Broken relationships play a huge role in these youths' lives and how they see the world. They often say the world has let them down, and they need to see that not everyone wants to see them fail, and not everyone wants to break their word on purpose. This tool helped the youth identify hidden feelings and continue with his much-needed MHP treatment.

This is one great experience out of the many I have had helping youth think about their parents, failed relationships, and growth as parents themselves.

Missouri Department of Corrections

Many clients have gone through the set of Driver Workbooks, but I recall one in particular that seemed to be really impacted by them. We went through and completed the six worksheets one by one. We then went through them and circled the answer on each paper that was most influential to the instance of trouble. We circled #4 on the first, second, and third; this pattern continued for all six worksheets. The client had a stunned moment of silence, and it was like I saw a click happen when they realized they really did have one single driver, their thoughts and beliefs, that influenced their times of trouble from a young child all the way up to recent times. 

It was a very powerful moment for the client as they became aware of this trend in their life. It was also powerful for me to see this click occur right before my eyes. If I hadn't bought in and presented the worksheets as a useful tool to discover the pattern, this moment may have never happened. I will continue to hold on to this situation as a motivator to continue to buy into the work we do and the tools we use. Thank you, Carey Group, for your contribution to this, as this moment would have never happened without access to tools like the Driver Workbook.

Fourth District Juvenile Court, Utah

I am a probation officer for Utah's Fourth District Juvenile Court. Our mission, vision, and values focus on reducing risk, behavior change, and community safety. The Carey Guides have been a part of my organization for several years. Recently, all probation officers received licenses to Tools on Devices (TOD) with access to the Carey Guides and Brief Intervention ToolS (BITS). 

The Carey Guides have changed how my department focuses on behavior change and skill building. The population I work with most is youth who offend sexually. Guides such as Problem Solving and Emotional Regulation connect well with their therapeutic interventions, reinforcing skills and supplementing dosage. 

One of my youth offended on a sibling. In response, one parent moved out of the home with this youth while the other remained with the other siblings. Over the past eight months, this youth has attended therapy and has been completing a tool or BITS per week or practicing skills learned. Both the youth and parents engage with the guides and skills taught. Because the guides reinforce skills learned in therapy and allow the youth to learn general life skills, he has shared with his assigned judge how skill building (Carey Guides) with probation has been as impactful as working with his therapist. This is only one example of how Carey Guides has positively impacted this population of youth.

Missouri Department of Corrections, Probation and Parole

The Carey Guide tools I have used relate to not only the client's driver but also their needs.  Being in a specialized caseload requires more contact requirements that, without using these Carey Guide tools, would make the visits difficult. The Carey Guide tool I am currently working on with my clients is “Identifying Meaningful Rewards,” which can be found in the Rewards and Sanctions Carey Guide. So far, I have completed quite a few with my clients, and the overall response seems positive. This assignment allows the clients to think outside the box and think of things that are meaningful to them.  We do have to address the wrongs made during supervision, but we also want to recognize the good our clients are doing and reward them with meaningful rewards that motivate them. 

The other assignments my clients are assigned are ones that I instruct them to work on independently. I will address any questions along the way, and we will follow up and discuss progress during appointments. I choose to do it this way because it allows them to focus on their driver or their needs. Carey Guides are good to use to help them reflect on what led them to this point in their lives; they allow them to think of alternatives to situations and help them realize the outcome does not always have to result in a reprimand.

I have a client who worked on Your Guide to Success and the tool "My Life Up Until Now." The feedback I received from him on this assignment really spoke about how he recognized his mistakes, how he was not taking accountability, and how he was not making the right choices. It allowed him to see that he can still have the life he wants and make better choices moving forward. He reports that this assignment and the one we are working on motivate him. 

The Carey Guides may seem time-consuming, but they are just more things that we, as probation and parole officers, have to do. However, I feel that these tools, if used correctly, can actually help our clients. They give them "structure" in a way and keep them accountable, especially if you review them with your client and praise them for their efforts. If they receive that recognition, they will want to keep receiving it. 

Anonymous Submission, Juvenile Justice Agency

Children are our future, and what we teach them today will help them grow tomorrow.  As a juvenile justice agency, we work with at-risk youth to teach skills and provide resources to help youth build their future into success.  Our agency utilizes the YASI assessment to help work with families to cultivate change. 

We have seen success with the YASI; however, we were still struggling in some areas of cultivating change with youth when the youth felt stuck and needed to figure out what direction to turn to.  We were introduced to the BITS worksheets by an agency that uses them with the adult population.  We were excited to bring BITS to juvenile justice.  

BITS are utilized to help youth become unstuck, identify the area that needs to be addressed, determine the cause of the problem, and explore personal options to help with the area of concern. The BITS help the youth get their minds working and think in ways they may not have had to do before. We enjoy how the BITS are short and simple while helping the youth explore areas within themselves.  

The BITS can be utilized with our existing tools, such as YASI and motivational interviewing, and they support our goal of increasing family voice.  The BITS help youth identify problems, determine what is affecting their decisions, and explore their options and outcomes.  BITS help juvenile court counselors rethink their approach to youth and move forward in conversations with youth that they may otherwise be stuck.  

The BITS have helped improve court counselors' knowledge of cultivating change by changing the tone from directive to engaging the youth in identifying areas of change on their own and with staff. Cary Group has decreased some stress in the organization, and as the BITS continue to be utilized, they will help reduce recidivism among our youth populations.

Texas Juvenile Justice Department

I have been using the Carey Group Tools Platform for about six months, and I'm absolutely impressed. The website layout makes the materials needed easy to find, and the overall design of each Carey Guide keeps the youth on my caseload fully engaged in the lesson plans. This tool is amazing. It makes difficult conversations easy to address and introduces simplicity to complex topics.