The application of research on Executive Function Skills to human service programs is relatively recent. A number of organizations have developed models to help programs translate the research into practice and embed it in their programs.

This page highlights a number of models that are distinct from each other but are all aligned with the key concepts shared on this site.  We encourage you to review each of the models and identify the one that you believe will work best for your unique context.  Some of the models are proprietary, so implementation requires working with the organization that created them.  
GPDR/R
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​Goal, Plan, Do, Review and Revise (GPDR/R) is a comprehensive, adaptable framework that makes explicit the steps that lead to successful goal achievement.  It can be integrated into any program that works with participants to set and achieve goals.  It takes practical solutions developed by executive function experts for use primarily in schools and adapts them for use in employment and related human service programs focused on serving adults.  If practiced regularly and with fidelity, this framework will help parents build key executive function skills necessary for their success and make setting and achieving goals easier – and more effective.

In addition to directly building skills, GPDR/R is designed to facilitate the development of supportive relationships and reduce stress, both of which play an important role in the development and use of executive function skills. Read more in the GPDR/R Guide.
Family-Centered Coaching
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Family-Centered Coaching is a set of strategies, tools, and resources that help human service organizations reinvent how they engage with, and help, families that are experiencing poverty. Rooted in an understanding of the institutional forces that prevent families from moving forward, Family-Centered Coaching equips staff with the mindset, tools, and skills to work with families holistically towards financial wellness.

Alongside an open-source toolkit of resources, their three-day Family-Centered Coaching training provides the hands-on experience to practice the Six Steps to Family-Centered Coaching, translating current research and front-line methods in behavioral economics, trauma-informed care, participant-led design, and executive function skills into practical and relevant strategies and tools.
Goal4It!
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​Goal4 It!™ was created using the GPDR/R framework as an alternative to case management and service delivery practices that are compliance-oriented. Drawing on evidence from behavioral science, neuropsychology, and social science research, Goal4 It!™ is an intentional process for pursuing goals linked to a broader set of strategies for improving child and family outcomes: (1) reducing external sources of stress, (2) creating responsive and supportive relationships, and (3) building core (self-regulation) skills. Goal4 It!™ was designed specifically for public agencies and contracted service providers, but the developers have found that it can work in a variety of settings and with different populations.  There is a companion program, Goal4 It Pro, that is geared toward supervisors.   
Mobility Mentoring
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Mobility Mentoring is one of the first program models created using executive function principles and concepts.  It has four key elements:  (1) The Bridge to Self-Sufficiency® which serves as a visual tool for participants who are setting goals and making future-oriented decisions in five domains of life: family stability, physical & mental well-being, financial management, educational attainment, and employment & career; (2) coaching using the bridge framework; (3) goal-setting using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) framework; and (4) recognition using both tangible and intangible rewards to support successful goal achievement.

Read more on Mobility Mentoring by Elisabeth D. Babcock, MCRP, PhD.
MyGoals
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MyGoals for Employment Success is a new workforce program model intended to help adult recipients of federal housing subsidies who are not employed find work, build careers, and advance toward greater self-sufficiency. The program incorporates an innovative employment coaching model that is informed by current literature on executive functioning skills and their relevance to economic mobility.
WOOP
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WOOP (which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) is a self-regulation strategy that draws on imagery, making it different than most other approaches.  Over twenty years of research shows that WOOP works. Known scientifically as Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions, the approach has proven effective across ages and areas of life, helping people achieve goals dealing with health, interpersonal relations, and academics/career.   The videos on the woopmylifettolbox.org website will provide you with an introduction to the science behind WOOP and also demonstrate how to use it with individuals and groups.  
  
For more on this, you can read Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation by Gabriele Oettingen, New York:  Penguin Random House, 2014.
This site is the product of a collaboration between Center on Budget & Policy Priorities (CBPP)  and Global Learning Partners (GLP), made possible through support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.