About Outcome Alternatives

 

 

In 1983 "THEFT TALK"™ Counseling Service Inc. was founded as an Oregon nonprofit corporation. Over time that agency expanded to not only provide theft offender counseling but also a parenting class (PACT), an anger management class (Temper Talk®), a mass transit class (Transit Class) and a Minor in Possession of Alcohol class (The Alcohol Class). Because the name "THEFT TALK"™ does not "fit" with these other classes we renamed our agency in 2013 to Outcome Alternatives™.

Over the years, "THEFT TALK" Counseling Services (now Outcome Alternateives™) has received national recognition in magazines such as Seventeen, The Lookout, The Business Journal, Consumer Reports' Zillions Magazine, The New Yorker and Counseling Today. HBO and MSNBC have  featured our services.  US News and World Report have done a story on "THEFT Talk".

The underlying concepts of "THEFT TALK"™ Counseling Service originated between 1975 and 1983. Two Juvenile Court Counselors, Steve Houseworth and Patrick Murphy, felt ineffective as they worked within the juvenile justice system and set out to improve their skills. Originally while dealing with juvenile offenders, these men, like the majority of correctional personnel, focused on the deed, stressed consequences and assumed the offender knew what was wrong with stealing. Later, out of personal interest and frustration at watching offenders recycle themselves, they decided to specialize in theft counseling.

As you can probably tell by now, the theory, philosophy and techniques of Outcome Alternatives™ are quite unique, specialized and effective. The primary intervention used is referred to as cognitive restructuring. We strive to only use an evidence based approach and to target criminogenic risk factors. Evidence base: Cognitive Restructuring and Risk Factors (the most potent): Focus on attitudes, values and beliefs.

From 1983 (as "THEFT TALK"™) through December 2019 (as Outcome Alternatives™) the agency sustained itself by receiving referrals from Courts in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties (Oregon). In 2020, following the Corona Virus 19 pandemic, our little nonprofit was unable to sustain itself after seven full months with (essentially) no Court referrals. The decision was made to close the nonprofit, Oregon based "THEFT TALK" Counseling Service Inc. (dba Outcome Alternatives™). That's the bad news. The good news is that THEFT TALK™ Counseling Services Inc. now have a nationwide version of itself ... Outcome Alternatives™, (a different company) which provides classes online. The new Outcome Alternatives™ took on all services offered by "THEFT TALK"™ Counseling Services Inc, and Theft TALK Online Services (TTOS.Us) and has assumed the domains ttos.us, thefttalk.org and outcomealternatives.com. Founded in 2013 Outcome Alternatives is its own program.

Again, welcome to the Outcome Alternatives web page. Please take the time to peruse all our pages, we think they will prove to be of interest to you.

 

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.

Walden, Henry David Thoreau

 

Last updated: December 28, 2023