Study: ‘Values-Based’ Therapy Program Effectively Reduces Criminal Behavior
Exposure to the Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior program, or ACTV, resulted in participants having about half the rate of violent and non-violent charges, according to an Iowa State University study.
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A new study from Iowa State University found men convicted of domestic violence were charged with significantly fewer violent and nonviolent charges one year after completing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a cognitive-behavioral approach based on a unified model of human development, behavior change and psychological growth, reports News Medical. ACT-based programs are a trauma-informed approach to help people identify their values, the relationships and meaningful parts of their lives, and then build skills to stretch their “psychological flexibility” – the ability to behave in a way that aligns with those values, regardless of the thoughts or feelings that may arise.
The Iowa program, Achieving Change Through Values-Based Behavior program, or ACTV (pronounced active), resulted in participants having about half the rate of the violent and non-violent charges, like robbery and drug-related offenses, a year after completion of 24 court-mandated sessions. Fewer than 13 percent of the participants were charged again with domestic assault in the year following the intervention.
