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Abstract
The Good Lives Model (GLM) is a strengths-based rehabilitation theory that augments the risk, need, and responsivity principles of effective correctional intervention through its focus on assisting clients to develop and implement meaningful life plans that are incompatible with future offending. During the decade of its existence, the GLM has seen advances in its underlying theory and application, as well as in its popularity, although empirical support for its application in practice remains in its infancy. This article briefly reviews the evolution of the application of the GLM, describes new and more accessible terminology for key GLM constructs, and offers ideas for situating traditional treatment programme components within the GLM framework. This brief article is intended to provide a summary of recent developments from existing texts on the application of the GLM.
Introduction
The Good Lives Model (GLM; Ward & Gannon, 2006; Ward & Stewart, 2003) has become increasingly popular in sexual offending treatment programmes (McGrath, Cumming, Burchard, Zeoli, & Ellerby, 2010) and is in use in diverse jurisdictions around the world. The GLM is a strengths-based approach to offender rehabilitation that augments the risk, need, and responsivity principles of effective correctional intervention (RNR; Andrews & Bonta, 2010) through its focus on assisting clients to develop and implement meaningful life plans that are incompatible with offending. Preliminary research suggests that the GLM can enhance client engagement in treatment and reduce dropouts from programmes (e.g., Simons, McCullar, & Tyler, 2006), a factor well-known to be associated with higher recidivism rates (Hanson, et al., 2002; Olver, Stockdale, & Wormith, 2011). This article reviews the evolution of the application of the GLM since its introduction, describes recently developed accessible terminology for key constructs, and offers suggestions for applying the GLM in traditional treatment programmes.
In brief, a central assumption of the GLM is that offending results from problems in the way an individual seeks to attain primary human goods, which reflect certain states of mind, outcomes, and experiences that are important for all humans to have in their lives. Examples include happiness, relationships/friendships, and experiencing mastery in work and leisure activities. Identifying the primary goods that are most important to clients, and those that are implicated in the offence process, constitutes a fundamental component of assessment...