4-DAY  INTENSIVE  INTERVENTION  PROGRAMS    

for Atypical Shoplifters, other Atypical Theft Offenders, and Compulsive Shoppers

A ONE-ON-ONE EXPERIENCE WITH DR. CUPCHIK PERSONALLY.

THE 4-DAY INTENSIVE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS CONDUCTED BY DR. CUPCHIK 

Over two decades ago psychologist Dr. Will Cupchik and psychiatrist Dr. Don Atcheson, at the time when both clinicians were on the staff of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto, Ontario, introduced the term 'Atypical Theft Offender' into the professional literature. This term was used to refer to those usually honest and ethical individuals who find that they are sometimes inclined to shoplift or commit other kinds of theft. These frequently hard-working (and sometimes genuinely religious) persons are virtually always at a loss to understand, explain, or (perhaps even more importantly) stop their atypical theft behavior. Unfortunately, as long as such indiviuals  are not clinically assessed and treated correctly they often remain at serious risk of re-offending. Dr. Cupchik's clinical investigations over the past narly three decades indicate strongly that the label of 'kleptomania' is very often -- and almost always wrongly -- applied to these theft offenders, not only by many clinicians (psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers), but by defense and prosecuting attorneys, as well as the courts and laypersons.  

Dr. Cupchik was principal the author of the ground-breaking article entitled "Shoplifting: An Occasional Crime Of The Moral Majority", published in 1983 in the professional journal, the Bulletin of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Dr. Cupchik still personally conducts the unique one-on-one 4-Day  Intensive Intervention Program that he initially developed and has continuously refined over the past many years.

Four-day 'Intensives' are intended to assist participants to:

(1) uncover the reasons behind their inappropriate theft behavior (which is very frequently at odds with the more usual moral, ethical and responsible ways in which they conduct their lives) , and 

(2) assist these 'Atypical Theft Offenders' to curtail their often career-sabotaging, relationship-stressing and reputation- or even freedom-destroying  behavior .

In his book, WHY HONEST PEOPLE SHOPLIFT OR COMMIT OTHER ACTS OF THEFT: The Assessment And Treatment Of 'Atypical Theft Offenders', Dr. Cupchik describes many of the approaches that he has developed and often employs during the  Intensive Intervention Program. Some 31 sample cases are described in the  book, providing the reader with a wide variety of examples of atypical theft behavior. All attendees to the Program and any 'significant others' accompanying them are strongly encouraged to read the book prior to actually arriving for their Intensives. Currently, all Intensives take place at Dr. Cupchik's office located at 250 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite G-3, Toronto, Ontario, a convenient ten minute drive from a variety of major downtown hotels. 

Most Intensives begin on Sunday morning at 10:00 am and end on Wednesday in the early afternoon. This scheduling allows participants to arrive on a Saturday (thereby taking advantage of lower airfare rates) and, in many cases, to return to  their homes by Wednesday evenings. However, in order to accommodate different attendees' schedules, working situations, and religious activities, Intensives may be scheduled to begin on any day of the week (including Saturday) if arranged sufficiently far enough in advance. 

 All attendees receive, at no additional cost, a (usually 2-3 page) letter summarizing areas that were addressed during the four day Intensive as well as a list of specific recommendations for further treatment/therapeutic work (if deemed desirable) that the attendee may wish to pursue with his or her own, local therapist. In some instances attendees also request a subsequent formal Psychological Report to assist the court in determining more suitable disposition of the case. 

PLEASE NOTE: THE PROFESSIONAL FEE FOR THIS 4-DAY PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY $4495.--U.S., AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE UP TO THE DATE THAT A PARTICULAR INTENSIVE IS SCHEDULED.

Visitors to this site may be interested in noting that Dr. Cupchik is currently listed as a ' Professional Resource' on the SierraTucson.com website. So far, attendees of Dr. Cupchik's Intensive program have come from over twenty states in the USA.

PLEASE NOTE: SINCE VISITORS TO THIS SITE MAY INITIALLY ARRIVE AT ANY ONE OF THE  WEB PAGES CURRENTLY ON THE SITE,   ALL THE SAME BASIC INFORMATION THAT IS LIKELY TO BE OF INTRODUCTORY INTEREST TO MOST VISITORS TO THIS WEB SITE APPEARS AT THE TOP OF EACH WEB PAGE . AS A RESULT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF REPETITION OF INFORMATION OCCURS. SIMPLY SCROLL PAST ANY MATERIAL THAT YOU  HAVE ALREADY ENCOUNTERED.

Psychologist Dr. Will Cupchik has been a member of the American Psychological Association for over twenty-seven years. 

 To read a book review of the original edition of this book by the Criminal Lawyers Association, please go to www.criminallawyers.ca/newslett/19-1/bury.htm .

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

Dr. Cupchik has been a full member of the American Psychological Association as well as the Canadian Psychological Association and Ontario Psychological Association for over twenty-seven years. 

Dr. Cupchik has appeared as an expert witness on theft behavior in courts in Ontario, and his court-directed Psychological Reports and Intervention Program Summaries for individuals whom he has assessed and treated in the Intensive Intervention Programs for Atypical Theft Offenders have been presented to the courts by lawyers in several states in the United States. 

This web site is intended to be of particular use to the following persons:

'Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology'

 Dr. Will Cupchik has been granted a 'Certificate of Professional  Qualification in Psychology' (CPQ) by the Association of State and  Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB). 

 ASPPB member states and provinces accepting the CPQ include: the  states of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorada, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington State, Wisconsin, and  Wyoming...

... as well as... 

 the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland,  Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. 

For the latest, up-to-date information about ASPPB or the CPQ you may wish to get on the ASPPB.org web site.]                        

Feedback from some previous (anonymous) Intensive participants: 

 "It has been over four years since I took the Intensive Intervention Program. I would like you to know that I have not shoplifted since, and I am feeling better about myself than I  ever have before. I am doing really well in my working and personal aspects of my life, and have already achieved most all of the positive goals I had set for myself during this period. Dr. Cupchik helped me to realize why I might have been shoplifting, and helped point out stressful situations might tempt me to engage in the behavior again. This watchfulness has helped me avoid such situations, or when they were unavoidable, to handle them differently . I also realize that in order to continue to not steal I  need to deal  with the issues that will emerge in my life by facing them directly, and using the tools I gained during our work together. As a result, while there have been stressful situations that I have had to deal with since our working together, I have not even been tempted to steal."

" The Intensive, which I did with two other members of my family present, has enabled us all to reveal the truths that we had not talked about in decades.  The experience led  me/allowed me/ made me, examine those dark moments in my life in a more fully  connected way ... and to appreciate the roles of the major losses that I had experienced in childhood in my theft behavior... and to more openly share ...my reality with my mother and  sister who had accompanied me and also took part in the Intensive..  Naming it an "Intensive" is very apt. The experience has already led to an incredible improvement in our family dynamics." 

"Dr. Will. Having attended your Intensive program last year to deal with my  compulsive spending, accompanied by my wife and 2 two year old daughter, I wanted to give you an update on my progress.  I have not been involved in any compulsive spending since the Intensive. I  have found other, much more productive ways of dealing with my feelings about myself and the situations I have been facing.  I  have also been dealing with my problems with intimacy much better, and have increasingly made my family my priority. I have also defined and redirected my career in a much more focused way.  The Intensive was very helpful in coming to terms with my compulsive shopping, and underlying issues, and the exercises you offered have really helped. My wife and and I both felt we gained a lot of insight in many ways from the time and effort. Thank you." 

"There is not one specific formula for what Dr. Cupchik does that fits all. It is a very  intensive program. But I can not say he will do this and then this and then that. Many of his techniques are described in the book and on his website. Which ones he uses with individual patients I assume would vary. He works mostly with people who steal due to some sense of loss. If anger sets you into a stealing mode, he can probably help you. If you have recently or a long time ago experienced some great loss, he can probably help you. Most of all it is about digging deep within you to discover or better understand what the demon (my term) is that makes you react this way. I found him to be exceptional at his therapeutic approach, and the experience was very beneficial to me and my family. Perhaps the most life altering effect for me was validation and acceptance at a very fundamental level. Something that is difficult to find if it was not instilled in you early in life. 

For those who ...are quite comfortable with --and fully desire and intend to-- continue to steal, and if you have no sense of remorse or shame about your stealing, then you are probably primarily what he calls a Typical Theft Offender, and his program is definitely not be the one for you.

Thank you for your wonderful program. The work begins. Our son has told me that he has begun to "unload" his place. My husband will be down to Texas within the month for overseeing if necessary. My son told me that his psychiatrist read your report and that you had absolutely nailed him! Our son's phone conversations seem more adult already and my husband and I are incorporating your directives as much as possible. We suffer no illusions that life will be easy for our son but know that he must do the work to be held accountable regardless of diagnoses. We would absolutely recommend your program and will speak about it with our son's former psychiatrist in New York City.  

THE INTENSIVE INTERVENTION PROGRAM IS A ONE-ON-ONE  EXPERIENCE  

NOTE: THIS PROGRAM IS NOT PART OF SOME GROUP ACTIVITY; IT IS A ONE-ON-ONE EXPERIENCE CONDUCTED PERSONALLY BY DR. CUPCHIK. CONSEQUENTLY, ALL THE TIME SPENT DURING YOUR INTENSIVE FOCUSES DIRECTLY ON YOUR OWN SITUATION.

THE PROGRAM IS HELD AT A TIME ARRANGED DIRECTLY BETWEEN THE ATTENDEE AND DR. CUPCHIK, WHEN IT WILL BE CONVENIENT TO THEM BOTH, AND TO ANY 'SIGNIFICANT OTHER(S)' (I.E., PARTNERS OR SPOUSES, FAMILY MEMBERS) WHO WILL BE ACCOMPANYING THE PARTICIPANT. 

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, WHENEVER POSSIBLE, THAT 'SIGNIFICANT OTHERS' ACCOMPANY THE CLIENT AND TAKE PART IN THE INTENSIVE'S SESSIONS AS REQUIRED. HOWEVER, FOR PERSONS WHO MAY WISH TO ATTEND INTENSIVES BY THEMSELVES, THIS OPTION IS AVAILABLE TO SELECTED ATTENDEES, ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.

 MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS

The four-day Intensive involves 19 clinical sessions in all:

The  Intensive programs are focused on both assessment and treatment of the participant.  Most programs begin at 10:00am on Sunday, unless otherwise arranged.

 WHAT  KINDS OF INTERVENTIONS ARE  INVOLVED IN THE INTENSIVE INTERVENTION PROGRAM?  During the course of the Intensive program, the theft offender (the official 'client') and every other participant (spouse, friend, adult child, or parent) is seen at least once on  his/her own and, depending upon the material that is uncovered and the nature of the therapeutic work that is deemed desirable to assist the theft offender, sessions involving one or more of the other participants working together with the 'client',  may take place. It should be noted that, in effect and in fact, some of the sessions may involve 'couples',  family, adult-child & parent, siblings, and/or group therapeutic work. 

Dr. Cupchik is also the developer of Reintrojection Therapy and many other original assessment and therapeutic tools that are of great value in working with atypical theft offenders, including some that allow for the examination and altering of the attendee's most important interpersonal relationships. He initiated the very first therapy program for Atypical Theft Offenders in 1980 while working on the forensic service of the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry. 

It is Dr. Cupchik's clinical opinion, based on over three decades of work in the field, that truly effective work with individuals who have problems with compulsive stealing and/or other types of Atypical Theft Behavior involves the use of a variety of dedicated approaches modified to suit the needs of the attendee; anything less may merely offer some temporary 'band-aid' effectiveness. A very high level of therapeutic expertise required to deal with the sorts of issues that are usually behind atypical theft behavior.  

 four days with nineteen (19) clinical sessions total, each 45 minutes long. 

RELATIONSHIP WORK: Dr. Cupchik's doctoral dissertation explored interpersonal relationships. He  has developed a number of unique approaches to working with unresolved relationship issues, including The Cupchik Relationship Questionnaire,  the Cupchik Relationship Imagery Exercise,  and Reintrojection Therapy. These assessment and therapeutic tools are frequently employed during Intensives. 

THE THREE CATEGORIES OF THEFT OFFENDERS

        One of the primary functions of the Atypical Theft Offender Intervention Program is to ascertain which of the above categories the theft offender belongs, as this has direct implications for the nature and prognosis of any clinical intervention, as well as for the appropriate disposition of the case in the legal system.  

         Both Atypical and Mixed-Type Theft Offenders may benefit from the Intensive Intervention Program if -and to the extent that- the participants are genuinely interested in ceasing their theft behavior (as opposed to simply attempting to impress the local legal or judicial authorities with the idea that they 'took' a program).