Substance abuse treatment, counselors and therapists deal with the beliefs and values of clients throughout their careers. Why is this so important?

“There will be no long-term behavior changes unless core beliefs and values are changed first”, according to Wanberg and Milkman.”

Paraphrasing Beck, “Permission-granting limiting beliefs about alcohol and other drug use and criminal thinking and conduct must be addressed as soon as possible,” according to Judith S. Beck. This is a specific topic and skill set for practitioners.

We all have belief clutches. These are beliefs we clutch to even in the face of death. Clients, criminal offenders and addicts hold dear to these to rationalize their criminal addict behavior.

Attorneys also have belief clutches. So do therapists and counselors.

Criminal and addict beliefs are critical. So are the beliefs of attorneys.

Due process depends on the beliefs and values of society, judges and attorneys.

To paraphrase Miller and Rollnick, “Beliefs of the counselor…are as important as beliefs of the clients.”

Belief change skills are taught in my CEU and CLE classes. Clients can benefit from these classes as well.

These topics are discussed in Drug Court Treatment: The Verdict. Amazon.com

I offer confidential Zoom meetings to discuss issues important to you. Call me now, 808 385 4550.

We all need to feel okay and accepted. Parenting plays the major part in this process.

“You’re no good.” “You’ll never amount to anything.” “You don’t deserve…, X.” You fill in the blank.

This could be an example of traumatized parents acting out on and traumatizing their children because that’s all they know. This type of verbal and emotional abuse is unvalidating.

If you bought all that junk from parents or peers, you will, find help here getting “unstuck.”

Call me now at 808 385 4550. Take the class for counselors and you can get a head start on the change process.

The cognitive process is the same for all of us. Offenders and criminal justice and addictions professionals too. We all have a similar operating system.

CBT map image from Drug Court Treatment: The Verdict, p.15, Amazon.com explains how the process works in detail.

The CLE and CEU classes, above, describe this in detail.

Do you have grounds for appeal as a mandated drug court treatment client?

“Substance abuse treatment focuses on negative beliefs about self and facilitating or permission-granting beliefs about substance abuse” said Judy Beck, a Cognitive Theory expert.

For the drug court substance abuse treatment programs, I would add ‘permission-granting beliefs about AOD/alcohol and other drugs abuse and criminal thinking and conduct/CTC.

As most drug courts have been abstinence based, this would include limiting beliefs and values about any use of any mind-altering substance while in treatment.

If specific belief change work was not done for and with the client, it could be grounds for appeal. One might question if it is also malpractice.

NADCP, The National Association of Drug Court Professionals, addresses medically assisted treatment, MAT, and provides webinar training at the time of this writing that could be useful to the reader. NADCP has great online courses.

A CBT map image (p.15) explains the whole process. It is from Drug Court Treatment: The Verdict, Amazon.com

Attorneys, jurists and clinicians should be aware of the CBT process illustrated by that image. The image is shown, described and illustrated in the CLE classes for judges, attorneys and therapists’ CEU classes. Click on classes, above, to get started now.

Do you need help with alcohol or other drug problems? Call me now at 808 385 4550. It confidential.

Help with substance abuse treatment and criminal thinking and conduct is addressed at length in this program. The goals of drug courts are to reduce recidivism and lower the cost of treatment and crime.

Why do so many clients fail in mandated programs? Does this create grounds for appeal?

Do you need CLEs? If so, you now have a choice:

1. a Zoom meeting with me for your law firm.

2. A bar association group Zoom meeting.

3.A private one-on-one Zoom meeting with me.

The choice is yours. Pick one. You may simply choose to do the class online at your own pace.

Not your ordinary CLE. Participants will understand why clients and offenders fail in mandated treatment. Has the drug court treatment promise been broken? If so, how has it been broken? Is it as simple as E&O?

The Sine qua non, of SUD treatment. There will be no long-term behavior changes if this is not done first. You will learn what that is in my CLE class.

You will understand why Substance Use Disorder, SUD is more common among the legal profession than general public.

It’s simple. The same things that hold back mandated clients limit all of us. You will be able to recognize these issues. Help with drugs, alcohol and addiction is available here, with me, for you as well.

More important, you will understand how these all work and be able to change them working together.

Making it rain. To be extraordinary is to be free of restraints of the past. See how to get past issues that limit professional excellence. We already have the strengths and resources to resolve our issues according to Carl Rogers.

Here’s how to make it rain in the criminal justice and addictions (Drug Court) field, click on classes.

Or,You can call me now at 808 385 4550 if you have questions or would like to schedule a Zoom meeting for yourself or your firm. California State Bar Association Approved Provider #19867

” In the legal context, a rainmaker can be a lawyer who brings many clients to a law firm. In other words, a rainmaker is a lawyer who generates a large amount of business for a law firm usually through wide contacts within the business community” according to uslegal.com. Click on classes on the home page for rain maker ideas and MCLE.

It is good to be a rainmaker. Here’s how to make it rain in the criminal justice and addictions (Drug Court) field, click on classes. Learn why drug court and other mandated clients fail in the program. This could be good grounds for appeals and good verdicts to come.

Alcohol, drug and other addictions treatment ideas are included in this program. Substance Use Disorder treatment should have specific goals for behavior change. Errors and omissions: mistakes are common or there would not be insurance to cover the risks involved.

You can call me at 808 385 4550 if you have questions or would like to schedule a Zoom meeting for yourself or your firm. A flat rate is available for your firm to cover all professionals who need CLE.

“Judges’ and Attorneys’ Drug Court Desk Reference” has been approved for MCLE in California. It’s listed as Provider #19867, Program #159959. Keeping the Drug Court Promise is sacrosanct. It gives Hope to offenders and perhaps underserved participants. Effective drug courts can offer improved public safety for their communities too.

Additionally, successful drug court programs help keep non-violent offenders at home with their families rather than in prison. They can earn money to support families rather than cost states up to $81,000.00 per year for incarceration.

Public Defenders, the Defense Bar, probation and parole as well as all drug court professionals can benefit from this MCLE program. It will serve the entire mandated criminal justice system. Go to standokmanus.com, Click on classes to buy your copy now.

Law Firms can buy this for every attorney on staff needing MCLE. You can call me for a preferred rate based on quantity needed. Ph: 808 385 4550.

The “No A; therefore No B Defense” could win many good verdicts and appeals. Find out how with this MCLE program.

January 26, 2021Stan DokmanusUpdates

If there’s a wrong; you fight it. If you don’t you become a part of it. That ain’t so hard to understand, is it?” The Virginian.

We’ve seen and heard for decades that the War of Drugs has failed. This is not true. First, it’s a misnomer. It should be the War on Criminal Thinking and Conduct (CTC) involving Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD).

The AOD/CTC Cycle can be broken. However, if you always do what you have always done and all that insanity, you will keep getting the same results; over-crowded, racially skewed prisons and populations.

People scream about over-population of prisons and racial injustice regarding arrests, convictions and incarcerations. They should. These are the facts.

President Biden announced that he has instructed DOJ not to renew prison for profit contracts. This could be a first step. At least for this administration.

But that is not the way to reduce the real problem: crime. It is not the way to reduce addiction either. See If A Then B explanation below.

Diversion courts – drugs courts have been working on these problems for years. There are many drug court models. There are many people too in the drug court kitchen working on this recipe.

You know what happens to recipes as they are passed on to friends and relatives. If you skip basic ingredients and cooking time you know what will happen. That’s awful! Yuck! What happened?

When the recipe is passed on a few too many times the basic ingredients get deleted or forgotten. Momma’s Pork and Peas in L.A. are way different than Momma’s Pork and Peas in Phoenix, Chicago, New York, or, D.C.

A recipe is, if you use this and do that you get this. It’s the same with addiction, crime, legal representation, drug court, incarceration, prison, re-entry, relapse and recidivism.

A great recipe or approach to addiction, crime, drug court, treatment and prison reform is: If A, then B. It’s that simple.

If A, Then B. No A, therefore, No B. It’s a great defense strategy for public defenders and defense attorneys.

The therefore No B defense strategy information is available by clicking the ‘classes’ button: Judge’s and Attorney’s Drug Court Desk Reference. Some supervisors make it mandatory reading for staff.

These same facts and strategies apply to you if you are looking for help with alcohol or other drug problems. Why not buy it now?

34 NAADAC Approved CEU, $145.00. Provider# 192679. Employment Application for Agency Trainer-Coach.

Content/Purpose: Counselors, Drug Court Clinicians, Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and other professionals will understand and be able explain how to help clients see, hear and feel the Cognitive Behavior Theory (CBT) solutions more clearly, using augmented reality skills and resources clients already have (VAK) to change beliefs, values, attitudes and behavior. Clinicians will understand how this can be used for self-care too. Click on classes. standokmanus.com.

Self-defeating, out dated trial strategies can be costly in several ways. That leaves little in the way of pros. Because due process, time and money are involved, sticking to “Old You” strategies are costly. 

What would be the disadvantages of switching to updated best practices, that are really evidence based if it helped win more cases and appeals? Informed public defenders and defense attorneys will appreciate these new and useful ideas. 

Change is inevitable in every field. When you picture winning more cases, the real advantages to your clients and you, the choice will be easy. 

Stan is a Certified Criminal Justice and Addictions Professional with 14 years-experience working with drug court, mandated participants, attorneys, judges, drug court case managers, counselors and therapists. He knows the pros and shares the cons: why drug court clients fail during or after treatment. Employing him as an Expert Witness will benefit your clients and you. You can call him now at 808 385 4550, Maui, HST.

JUDGE’S and ATTORNEY’S DRUG COURT DESK REFERENCE:
CBT INFORMED CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND ADDICTIONS COUNSELING
With Rapport, Communication and Transformational CBT Work© See Classes above.