-- Education & Treatment Alternatives, Inc. (ETA) is celebrating 28 years of helping schools, behavioral health providers, juvenile justice programs, and community organizations implement evidence-based social-emotional learning programs designed to create lasting behavioral change. The partners in ETA began training in 1998 and incorporated in 2002. Since then, the organization has trained thousands of professionals while continuing to expand the reach of the Prepare Curriculum for children, adolescents, and adults.
ETA was established to ensure that organizations implementing Aggression Replacement Training® receive more than a one-time workshop. The organization provides comprehensive training, coaching, consultation, fidelity monitoring, and long-term implementation support so agencies can sustain results over time. Its services are used across schools, residential treatment programs, probation departments, community organizations, and private practices.
The organization's work builds upon the legacy of Dr. Arnold P. Goldstein, the psychologist who developed Aggression Replacement Training® with Dr. Barry Glick and Dr. John Gibbs. Before his passing in 2002, Goldstein asked longtime collaborators Mark Amendola and Dr. Robert Oliver to continue the research, training, and evolution of the model. Together, they expanded that vision through the United States Center for Aggression Replacement Training (USCART), ensuring the approach continued to evolve alongside advances in neuroscience and cognitive behavioral research.
Over nearly three decades, ETA has facilitated more than 1,000 trainings and prepared over 25,000 practitioners across all 50 U.S. states as well as Canada, Australia, Sweden, Poland, and Saipan. Since 2004, the organization has also collaborated on one of the country's largest implementations of Aggression Replacement Training through the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions, involving dozens of public and nonprofit agencies, including numerous probation departments.
Today, ETA's Prepare Curriculum has grown beyond its original framework. The curriculum now includes cognitive behavioral interventions for learners from PreK through Grade 12 as well as adults, allowing organizations to teach social-emotional competencies across every stage of development. The curriculum integrates practical instruction in prosocial skills, anger regulation, moral reasoning, character education, empathy, and problem-solving while emphasizing consistent implementation and measurable outcomes.
Unlike many training programs that conclude after initial instruction, ETA places significant emphasis on long-term sustainability. Agencies receive implementation planning, coaching, fidelity assessment tools, ongoing consultation, Agency Trainer development, and periodic recertification opportunities designed to maintain adherence to the evidence-based model. This structured approach helps organizations preserve program quality while adapting to staff turnover and changing organizational needs.
"Our mission has always been larger than simply delivering training," said Amendola. "We want organizations to build lasting capacity so professionals can confidently deliver evidence-based cognitive behavioral interventions with fidelity. Seeing the Prepare Curriculum expand to serve learners from PreK through adulthood reflects our commitment to helping agencies create meaningful and sustainable change."
Amendola and Dr. Oliver have worked in clinical services, education, and behavioral health for more than four decades and were personally mentored by Dr. Goldstein throughout the development of Aggression Replacement Training®. They have continued to refine the Prepare Curriculum while helping practitioners translate research into practical interventions that can be successfully implemented in real-world settings.
As ETA celebrates 28 years of training and consultation, the organization continues to invest in expanding access through online learning, live virtual instruction, in-person training, and ongoing consultation. With increasing attention on youth mental health, school climate, and social-emotional development, ETA believes that equipping educators, clinicians, probation professionals, and community organizations with sustainable evidence-based practices remains essential to supporting positive behavioral outcomes for individuals and communities alike.
Contact Info:
Name: Mark Amendola
Email: Send Email
Organization: Education & Treatment Alternatives
Website: https://uscart.org/
Release ID: 89199865
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