Episode 43 of The Becoming Centered Podcast is the second episode in the Processing Pathway series.  This episode introduces a 4-question outline for formal cognitive processing.  Basically, the four parts include helping the child or youth to take responsibility for the behaviors that resulted in their being separated from their peers; identify at least some of the feelings that drove the probelm-behaviors; identify how those behaviors might have impacted peers and staff around them; and identify a possible plan for how to handle things better in the future. 

One size doesn’t fit all, and there are several factors covered that will change how much detail and how much time a counselor should devote to processing with a client.  There are also some general goals of processing presented to the listener, that also apply for informal cognitive processing (that doesn’t use a written form and likely only covers some of the outline of formal processing).

Perhaps the most over-arching goal of cognitive processing is to help kids become more thoughtful human beings (who think before simply reacting to their own emotional states).  There are several supporting goals of processing that are covered in this episode that can also be found in handouts available at https://www.bearclanllc.com/podcasts/the-processing-pathway/.