Skill building is a primary treatment method that strives to teach alternative skills and behavior to youth engaging in problem behavior. Youth are taught alternative behaviors that are to be used instead of the problem behaviors, which lead to the alternative behavior being reinforced. This process requires the youth to identify problem behaviors and their triggers, including vulnerabilities as well as certain settings and events. Youth identify, script, and practice responses to their triggers. Staff become aware of client triggers and their response scenarios in order to prompt the youth when needed. For example, when a youth is responding to a trigger in a negative or non-practiced way, the staff will then prompt the youth to remember their script and their practiced responses. Skill building includes several components:

• Staff modeling what is expected of youth

• Teach youth about vulnerability and trigger recognition

• Practice the skill rehearsal or role playing intervention strategies 

• Make role playing more difficult to approximate real life situations 

• Reinforcing desired behavior and celebrating success 

• Extinction of negative behaviors.