Court-ordered clients — especially those in DUI and other justice-mandated programs — often arrive with low motivation and minimal expectation of personal growth. Some openly resist participation, others simply “check the box” for compliance, and a few arrive ready to engage.
The goal of short-term intervention programs isn’t to take someone all the way from the precontemplation stage of change to lifelong maintenance; it’s to help each individual move forward — to increase readiness to change — no matter where they begin.
Agencies like Broadway Counseling in Colorado and Redirect Counseling Services in Georgia are showing how digital tools like Atlas, The Change Companies’ platform for delivering Interactive Journaling®, can help court-mandated clients increase their readiness to change.
Broadway Counseling’s owner, Kathryn Uran, sees many clients who are court-ordered. “When they come in, I don’t know that they necessarily expect to learn anything or have any experience, and yet they end up having a positive experience,” she said. For her team, a key to creating this positive experience is to get clients reflecting early on — a goal that becomes much easier with tools like Atlas. “From what I’ve read of their journaling, it’s really pretty introspective… It asks them the right questions for them to think about. And they’re not hard questions, but they’re enough to spur some thought about their own situation.”
Prompts in Atlas, informed by motivational interviewing (MI), can help clients begin making connections between their behaviors, consequences and future goals — an important first step in moving from disengagement toward contemplation.
Once a client begins to open up, the next challenge is building momentum. Journaling prompts in Atlas and AI-driven facilitator summaries give staff a clear picture of what’s on each client’s mind. Counselors can then assign targeted content on relationships, coping skills, grief, anger management and other topics based on real-time needs.
Kathryn noted that without these insights, they wouldn’t have known which assignments might resonate most. This personal relevance increases the likelihood that a client will shift from abstractly thinking about change to actively preparing for it.
For court-mandated populations, accountability is as important as content. Redirect’s counselor Sherry Ward explained, “They will complete their Atlas journal assignment for the week. They may not be allowed into that group session if it’s not completed.”
This structure reinforces the idea that participation isn’t passive. Clients learn that showing up prepared — having engaged with their own thoughts in the Journal — is part of fulfilling their obligation. Over time, this consistency helps nudge clients toward more active engagement in the process.
Both Broadway and Redirect have found that group sessions are more productive when practice work, like assignments in Atlas, is completed between session time. Facilitators can use live sessions to deepen the discussion, challenge unhelpful thinking patterns and connect new insights to clients’ goals.
As Sherry put it, “The more they engage with the homework or the Atlas assignments, the more they can engage in group.” This dynamic environment encourages clients to verbalize and expand on their ideas — key behaviors in moving toward readiness for change.
Digital tools also address practical and financial barriers that can stall progress. Broadway eliminated a costly $100 DUI workbook in favor of Atlas, making participation more affordable.
Redirect replaced cumbersome paper-based mailing with instant digital access, eliminating delays that often derailed momentum.
These improvements mean clients can focus on engaging with the material — not chasing down resources.
In short-term, court-mandated programs, success isn’t measured solely by completion certificates. It’s measured by whether clients leave more open, more aware and more prepared to take constructive action than when they arrived. Digital tools like Atlas help make that possible by:
As Kathryn shared, “I think this is a much better program for them… Hopefully, they get more out of it with being able to journal. And what I’ve noticed is they journal a lot.”
When the goal is to move people from where they are to where they’re ready for more, even small shifts in mindset can be the most important outcome of all.