The switch to a digital addiction treatment protocol: Findings from North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Summary

North Dakota's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (ND DOCR)’s findings show how implementing Atlas with the CBT-based Strategies for Change curriculum is helping modernize substance use treatment in corrections through personalized digital programming, stronger participant engagement and actionable insights for facilitators.

 

For more than 15 years, the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (ND DOCR) relied on a prescriptive substance use curriculum to support treatment across its facilities. But as treatment needs evolved and technology opened new possibilities, ND DOCR saw an opportunity to rethink how curriculum could be delivered. Six months ago, ND DOCR made the switch to the Atlas platform and implemented the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-focused Strategies for Change substance use curriculum.

The pilot is already showing promise. At the 2026 American Correctional Association Conference, Melanie Flynn, LMAC, Behavioral Health Program Manager, North Dakota DOCR, Candace Rittenbach, Core Correctional Practices Lead, North Dakota DOCR and Cathy Thompson, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Former National Chief of Drug Treatment Programs, Federal Bureau of Prisons presented their findings and insights.

 

Why ND DOCR made the switch

ND DOCR wanted a treatment approach that could better support its participants while creating consistency across its behavioral health programming. Frontline counselors handpicked the curriculum themselves with four goals in mind:

1. Recognize and reframe criminal and irrational thinking

2. Substance use treatment: triggers, addiction, recovery maintenance

3. Relationship building and communication skills

4. Gain skills for living a healthy, prosocial lifestyle without substances

The Strategies for Change curriculum also introduced a different way of learning. Instead of asking participants to work through long sections of material, Atlas delivers content in small, consumable bites — an image or video, a short piece of text and then a personalized Interactive Journaling® prompt. The content is written at approximately a fifth-grade reading level, and a text-to-speech feature supports participants who benefit from hearing the material.

 

What participants are seeing

Early feedback from participants has been particularly positive.

• Residents have highlighted the convenience of bite-sized digital content and the ability to personalize their learning through journaling.

• Supplemental Atlas content, including parenting skills, reentry prep, the podcast and video libraries, has also been well received.

• Atlas' automated positive feedback has also made an impression. Participants have reportedly copied the encouraging feedback they receive after completing journals so they can read it again later.

“I am really liking group because I am learning a lot about myself, substance use, health and other issues. I am excited to go onward and finish this group. I am very happy about being in this program.” -Program participant

What facilitators are seeing

For facilitators, Atlas provides a clearer window into participants’ thoughts, needs, strengths and goals.

• Facilitators can generate thematic summaries of Journal responses, helping identify common group themes such as trauma, hesitancy or confusion about a particular CBT concept.

• Generated insights can then inform session plans, activities and follow-up.

• Individual progress summaries can also be reviewed with participants and incorporated into clinical documentation. In one example, a facilitator printed a participant's summary, reviewed it with them and confirmed its accuracy before using it.
• The platform's red- and yellow-flag system adds another layer of support. Red flags can identify references to self-harm, harm to others or substance use that require staff attention. Yellow flags can prompt facilitators to follow up on unusually brief or low-effort responses. In this case study, the system has already surfaced multiple serious concerns that might otherwise have been missed. Staff was able to intervene and prevent dangerous situations from occurring.

“In my years of conducting treatment for the DOCR, I am noticing Strategies for Change is less about worksheets and is more about helping the clients to be aware of how their substance use has impacted their lives and what they could change to be involved in recovery. I look forward to every session I teach, and the ladies present with disappointment when a group ends.” -Staff facilitator

Early results and what's next

Six months into the pilot, ND DOCR is seeing encouraging signs. Pre- and post-treatment CBTSQ scores show large improvements. Additionally, more engagement with the platform is associated with stronger behavioral intervention scores.

Individual stories that illustrate the potential of the model have already emerged. One resident in administrative segregation, a gang member with a history of homicidal ideation, logged hundreds of hours on the platform and is now proactively seeking support from staff.

ND DOCR is continuing to evaluate the transition through CBTSQ scores, ASAM measures, client satisfaction surveys, and qualitative focus groups.

The biggest takeaway may be that digital transformation isn't just about putting a curriculum on a tablet. For ND DOCR, it has meant creating a more responsive treatment experience — one where participants can engage at their own pace, counselors can better understand individual needs and treatment teams can use real-time insights to make each session more relevant.

Looking ahead, ND DOCR plans to track recidivism over three or more years to better understand the long-term impact of the new approach. An upcoming university research partnership will also look at how self-directed engagement with the Atlas platform connects to treatment outcomes.

The pilot is still underway, but early feedback is demonstrating that when technology, evidence-based content and thoughtful change management come together, everyone, from participants to facilitators, can benefit and grow.

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