Did you ever ask your parents why you needed to do something and get the response, “Because I said so!”? While that may have given you the motivation to complete the task, the result is that you likely learned very little, if anything, from the task and perhaps even resented your parents in the process. Unfortunately, this is the exact process often used with impaired drivers in jurisdictions across the country. Legislative mandates, uninformed sentencing, and cookie-cutter programming and supervision might make us feel like we’re responding to the problem of impaired driving when, in reality, are likely to have less impact on behavior change than we think. To truly change behavior, we must understand and respond to human behavior consistent with decades of research and achieve the desired outcome. This requires understanding who the impaired driver is, what risks and needs they present, and setting up programming that carries the best chance of lasting behavior change. This session will examine the difference between compliance and behavior change, effective practices in responding to behavior, and setting up programming based on the individual’s risk and need. Note: Though this session is geared toward impaired driving, the underlying principles of behavior change apply across all treatment courts.
