What Dr. Conte offers for Corrections:
Dr. Conte opens every Yield Theory training in corrections by asking: “How many of you are trained with firearms?” And usually every hand goes up, so he follows that up with, “That’s great, because being trained with firearms is necessary. Now let me ask you this: In a typical 30 year career in corrections, how many times do you think you are likely to use a firearm in prison?” And the answers are usually “zero.” Still, Dr. Conte says, “You absolutely should be trained to protect yourself in every way possible. Then he asks trainees, ‘How often will you communicate in prison?‘” to which people reply, “All day, every day.” And then Dr. Conte says, “If you know that you master what you practice, and you understand that you will communicate all day every day in corrections, then you understand the reason why it’s so important to train in communication?”
Handling manipulation. If people cannot use physical strength to get out of a situation that they want out of, the next go-to for them is psychological. It makes sense why many incarcerated individuals work on attempting to manipulate staff (and remember, understanding something does not equal agreeing with it or condoning it). The point is that if corrections staff will regularly encounter people who historically have practiced manipulation, then it follows that training on how to handle manipulation is key. Yield Theory teaches staff members how to listen, validate and explore options with others without needing to be attached to the outcome.
- Yield Theory communication trainings for staff
- Initial 3 day training with staff (can be adapted to a 2 day training when necessary) centered on the 3 core actions and 7 fundamental components, as well as underlying methodologies, and hands-on exercises and practice. Staff get immediate takeaways that they can start implementing the moment they leave the training. Dr. Conte works very hard to make difficult subjects easy to understand, but just as “knowing” how to do push-ups and actually doing them are two entirely different things, so too, is knowing the most effective way to communicate and actually doing it. There is a vast difference, for example, between people knowing their ego is getting in the way, and them actually working to set it aside. That is why Yield Theory trainings emphasize practice, reflection and constant growth.
- Yield Theory Leadership trainings
- Trainings vary from 3 hour introductory trainings to 1 full day of Yield Theory Leadership, centered on how to meet others where they are, how to effectively give/receive feedback, and how to handle conflict directly without eliciting defensiveness and resistance. Often anchored in Dr. Conte’s story of the Fool on the Mountain, Yield Theory leadership trainings teach leaders how to genuinely meet others where they are and lead them from there.
- Yield Theory Cognitive-Behavioral personal growth for the incarcerated population
- Dr. Conte has spent 25 years writing, revising and improving personal growth programs that offer hands-on insight and practical exercises. These programs can stand alone, but having Dr. Conte come into your correctional facility is a unique opportunity for watching someone practice what he teaches. Dr. Conte offers 1-5 day interactions where he comes to the institution doing everything from holding town hall meetings to going from unit to unit doing 45 min – 2 hour talks and trainings in all units of a prison; (these comprehensive Yield Theory system days include working with different staff groups, from COs to leaders, to medical personnel to custodial staff to education). The focus of the in-person interactions is for Dr. Conte teach and demonstrate how Yield Theory communication can enhance the way people communicate, handle conflict resolution, and strive to be the best possible version of themselves. These interactions are tailored specifically to the needs of individual organizations.
- Yield Theory Cognitive-Behavioral personal growth programs are delivered in a variety of ways, some offered through tablets, and some available through various books and workbooks. Information about the programs below:
What kinds of Yield Theory personal growth programs are there?
Because Yield Theory centers on meeting people where they are, all Yield Theory programs incorporate hands-on, pragmatic material that is easily adaptable to people regardless of their background or familiarity with the subject ahead of time. Currently, there are several complete Yield Theory Personal Growth programs. Yield Theory Personal Growth programs can be completed through books or videos and on either an individual basis or through in-person groups.
The following programs are currently offered through books and/or video series.
- Anger Management: A Program That Changes Lives is a comprehensive and complete emotional management course with over 100 original exercises and video introductions to each exercise. This course can be completed through videos individually, or through in-person groups. Because this course was developed for real-world situations with individuals with diverse backgrounds who were convicted of violent crimes (this is the highly-successful program that Dr. Conte utilized in his well-known South Lake Tahoe center for people convicted of violent crimes), the applicability and relatability is widespread and can be adapted to different programs/scenarios. As with all of Dr. Conte’s personal growth programs, this comprehensive program centers on understanding ourselves, understanding that we master what we practice, learning why we do the things we do, how to “align our expectations with reality,” and how to strive constantly to become the best versions of ourselves.
- 21 Day Program – Imagine if everyone who is incarcerated had the opportunity to truly understand just how many different ways there are that they could spend their time. Now, with this 21 Day Program, you don’t have to imagine it, because this program is dedicated to exactly that. The 21 Day Program is a personal growth program that can be offered to every new commit to set them on a path that can make their entire sentence about personal growth. This program emphasizes over and over how every obstacle can be viewed as an opportunity to learn, how every piece of feedback others offer is a chance to gain insight, and how our daily habits significantly contribute to the legacy we will leave. And this program is not just for the newly incarcerated; it’s for anyone who’s ready to begin serious personal growth, because it helps people take complete responsibility for their words and actions, and it helps people focus on controlling the only person on the planet over whom they actually have control: Themselves.
- Zen Parent, Zen Child – This comprehensive parenting program centers on the reality that children learn more by what they see than they do from what we tell them. The emphasis is on exuding the type of patience and self-control that we hope to impart to our children. Dr. Conte’s parenting is rooted in his “Four Cs,” which are 1. Choices, 2. Consequences, 3. Consistency, and 4. Compassion. In addition to the enormous amount of comprehensive application, including understanding how to apply the Buddhist concept of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path to parenting, this course shares ways for those who are away from their children to genuinely connect with them. Through storytelling, including over an hour of Dr. Conte’s own teaching through tales as examples (something he’s world-renown for doing), he also shows viewers how they can connect with their children through stories, as well as impart valuable life lessons as effective storytellers themselves. (Parenting certifications will be available accompanying the full course.)
- Personal Growth in Alternative Housing – Whether individuals are housed in solitary cells for specific rehabilitation programs or for disciplinary actions, every day of incarceration is an opportunity to look inward and grow. We all know that “extended time outs” are neither a deterrent nor effective form of rehabilitation, and we all equally inherently understand that when it “if nothing changes, nothing changes;” that is why this Yield Theory cognitive-behavioral personal growth program is specifically designed to meet even the most resistant, angry or struggling individuals exactly where they are (often in units classified as “restricted housing units” or colloquially known as “the hole”) and offer them insight into how to control their inner worlds, as well as how to practice the type of daily habits that can lead to profound changes.
The following programs are offered as workbooks that can be done individually or in a group setting:
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- Successful Parole: Handling Conflict in the Real World is a 12-week, hands-on and pragmatic Yield Theory cognitive-behavioral personal growth course designed for individuals who are preparing for parole or newly paroled. The emphasis is on how people see our actions, not our intentions, on how to apply cognitive-behavioral strategies in the most pragmatic way possible, and how to take control of our inner worlds, regardless of what’s going on around us. Above all, this program teaches the difference between our “cartoon world” of “shoulds” and the real world of the way things actually are, and most importantly, how to align our expectations with reality and prepare for the world as it is, rather than stay trapped in the cartoon world of the way we think it “should be” already.
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- Mastering What You Practice is a Yield Theory workbook with 50 cognitive-behavioral personal growth exercises designed increase insight and awareness. The focus of this program is encapsulated in the title, as knowing is never enough, and to change behaviors we have to practice what we say we “know.” We master what we practice, and that holds true for anything we practice, including negative behaviors and poor habits. The more mindful we can become of what leads to what – whether in our thoughts, communication or action – the better chance we have to live conscious lives.
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- Additional books (incarcerated individuals from all over the country have written to Dr. Conte to share ways the following books not only helped them personally, but also how they have turned these books into makeshift personal growth groups):
- Walking Through Anger – The definitive guide to understanding how you can apply Yield Theory to handle any conflict you encounter
- Life lessons – An inspirational book filled with 1-2 page original stories that each contain insightful lessons to spark personal growth
- Teaching Stories – A “part II” to Life Lessons, this book is also filled with 1-2 page stories with lessons
BRINGING DR. CONTE IN: Options for working with Dr. Conte in corrections:
- Dr. Conte can come in and do Town Hall meetings with your staff and Town Hall meetings with your incarcerated population. Since Yield Theory is centered in meeting people where they are, Town Hall meetings are a good place to find out about institutions from the perspective of the people who are in them.
- One-day (to multiple-day) visits involving keynotes and/or hands-on talks to specific groups in their locations/units
- Yield Theory communication trainings to staff
- Yield Theory leadership trainings
- Yield Theory Personal Growth Programs for the incarcerated population
- Insight / supervision for clinical staff to enhance the materials they have, as well as support for how they implement their services
- Hands-on interactions in difficult or crisis situations, role modeling ways Yield Theory can deliver effective results
CONTACT: christiancontephd@gmail.com
