Programming

Daily recreation, daily group counseling, individual counseling as needed, and a fully accredited school program taught by Special Education Certified teachers from the Berrien County Regional Education Services Agency.

Rational Behavior Training (RBT)

Our programming now includes Rational Behavior Training (RBT) for the youth we serve. RBT is a Cognitive Behavioral program with a focus on making youth aware of their thoughts and actions. The implementation of RBT into the facility has resulted in many positive gains and overall success. In fact, in 2008, the Berrien County Juvenile Center received the National Juvenile Detention Association’s “Award of Excellence” as the “Premier Juvenile Detention Program in the Country.”

RBT Study Groups

Rational Behavior Training consists of different focused study groups which are facilitated by the Youth Specialist staff.  RBT consists of:

  • Anger is My Friend – a look at understanding the emotion of anger and ways to handle it safely.
  • Restorative Justice – Understanding how our actions affect others and how to restore relationships in family, school and more.
  • Moral Decision Making – Learning the different levels of moral behavior in positive, goal-oriented decision making.
  • Risk Management – Understanding the temptations and hazards in risk-taking.
  • RBT 1 -  Introduction to the concepts of Rational Behavior Training. Understanding core beliefs and behaviors with tools to assist in decision making.
  • RBT 2 – Advanced application of concepts in RBT 1. Residents learn to explore their thinking using Rational Self Analysis (RSA).
  • 8 Basic Social Skills – The social basics to teach youth the most appropriate way to interact with others.

Evidence-based program:

Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST) is a research-validated substance abuse prevention program proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors.  This comprehensive and exciting program provides adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations.