Being a Pro: Promoting Prosocial Development in Youths
Please note: This on-demand webinar is not eligible for continuing education (CE) credit due to its informal, conversational format. Certificates of completion are also not available for on-demand viewing.
This webinar is for professionals, including those working with juvenile probation youths, who are interested in understanding and implementing the Being a Pro treatment model, which is designed to help youths stop reacting impulsively and make prosocial choices.
There are many factors contributing to why youths break the law, but there is significant evidence that one contributing factor is deficits in prosocial reasoning (McMurran & McGuire, 2005).
How do we help youths stop reacting impulsively and, instead, think through their options and make prosocial choices that are good for others but also make life better for themselves?
The Being a Pro treatment model is the result of Dr. Ralph’s 35 years of clinical experience working intensively with juvenile probation youths. After studying the use of Aggression Replacement Training, an effective but lengthy, 30-session prosocial treatment method at a Stockton, California residential treatment center for youths, Dr. Ralph designed an equally effective treatment approach that is only 10 modules in length, easier to implement, can be done in one-to-one sessions or groups, and is based on current developmental and neuropsychological theory.
In this webinar, Dr. Ralph discusses the evidence behind the Being a Pro model, the outcomes studies supporting the effectiveness of the approach, and how to use the materials he has developed for treatment professionals to successfully use the approach — including the Being a Pro Teen Workbook and free supplemental materials: the Counselor Manual, Research and Theory Manual, Pre- and Post-Tests for assessing outcomes, and a training video — all available through Safer Society Press.
Who's Presenting
Norbert Ralph, PhD, MPH
Dr. Ralph is a clinical psychologist, psychiatric epidemiologist, and neuropsychologist. He previously served as Director of Behavioral Pediatrics at UC Davis, where he provided neuropsychological assessment and treatment for youth with ADHD. He also served as a volunteer Associate Clinical Professor in Family Practice at UC Davis and was formerly a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.
For 15 years, Dr. Ralph served as Alienist Panel Coordinator for the City and County of San Francisco. In that role, he coordinated psychological testing for the juvenile court. Upon leaving that position, he received the Public Health Hero Award from San Francisco in recognition of his years of service, advocacy for youth, direct clinical service at Juvenile Hall during the pandemic, innovation and use of evidence-based methods, and technological innovations.
Dr. Ralph is the author of more than 50 articles, book chapters, books, and blogs. He is also a 2026 faculty member for the Judicial Council of California, and a member of the HUB youth advisory group based in South Africa. He is a Fellow of the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA). He serves as Co-Chair of the ATSA Juvenile Committee and as the Adolescent Representative on the California Sex Offender Management Board, where he contributed to the 2022 Youth Guidelines.