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Contractor describes Thinking Matters cognitive‑behavior program at county jail
Summary
A contractor described Thinking Matters, a cognitive‑behavioral therapy program provided in the Muskegon County Jail, including five skills the program teaches and referral pathways for inmates.
A contractor described a jail-based cognitive‑behavioral therapy program called Thinking Matters during a Feb. 18 presentation to the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners.
Veil (pronounced "Vail") Austin, identified in the record as the program’s sole proprietor, said Thinking Matters teaches five core skills to incarcerated participants: being objective, identifying thoughts/feelings/beliefs/attitudes, finding meaning in statements and actions, recognizing behavioral patterns, and identifying risk thoughts and replacing them with safer alternatives. Austin said participants produce a 20‑situation list for analysis, fill out thinking reports to identify pre‑behavior thoughts and feelings, and learn to reframe risky beliefs.
Austin said inmates can be referred to the program by sentencing, citation, or probation, and that the program has a training pathway for staff if it expands beyond the presenter as a single instructor. Commissioners and staff asked about sign‑up procedures and whether program staff had completed training; Austin said she is the primary instructor at Muskegon County Jail and that staff would complete the program’s training if they participated.
The presentation was informational; no county action or contract award was announced in the meeting record.
