Rewire CBT by Roca: Weekday Webinar Features 2025 Honorary Degree Recipient Molly Baldwin and Colleagues in Action

Since 1988, relentless outreach has been the foundation of Roca, Inc., a Chelsea-based nonprofit that took shape after policy work identified teen pregnancy as a major barrier keeping young people in poverty. Thirty-seven years later, the organization’s mission—to relentlessly disrupt violence by engaging young people, police, and systems to heal trauma, find hope, and drive change—remains strong. On Tuesday, April 29, Founder & Chief Executive Officer Molly Baldwin and colleagues presented a weekday webinar to demonstrate how they are using brain science to disrupt violence before it happens. Their work with at-risk individuals stretches from Hartford, Connecticut to Baltimore, Maryland (where Baldwin was spurred to issues of juvenile justice during her own adolescence) and spans the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts; with the help of engaged institutions and a committed staff, Baldwin's efforts at Roca have helped over 25,000 young people make positive and profound changes in their lives. A graduate of UMASS Amherst, Baldwin will receive an Honorary Degree during the 2025 William James College Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, June 8.

WHO

 “We meet young people, ages 16 to 24 at acute and elevated risk, who are not served by traditional programs because they are not ready to show up,” says Baldwin who founded Roca to target young people at the highest risk, including individuals deeply engaged in violence and crime; most likely to shoot or be shot; tragically experiencing complex trauma and multi-systems involvement; and, in most cases, those with a history of incarceration.

“All three of us are youth workers at heart,” says Baldwin, pointing to her colleagues on the panel: Managing Director & Co-Developer of Rewire CBT Anisha Chablani-Medley and  Assistant Director of Roka's Chelsea's Men's Program Victoria Ramirez-Morales. Roca’s robust front-line staff meet young people 365 a year via two levers for change: the Intervention Model boasts direct service while the Impact Institute equips institutions and individuals at the center of urban violence with tools and strategies to improve outcomes for young people. 

WHAT

Enter Rewire CBT, a seven-skill approach to cognitive behavioral theory (CBT) designed for frontline staff to help young people learn and practice the lifesaving skills they need to heal from trauma and make healthier choices. Developed in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, Rewire CBT helps organizations overcome traditional barriers to access, preparing frontline staff to reach the highest-risk young people not consistently served in clinical settings.

 “Young people at the center of urban violence need a person, a grownup with eyes on them,” says Baldwin underscoring an emphasis on safety, stability, and connection. Rewire CBT is designed to teach emotional and behavioral regulation and to help young people practice these skills, which includes an inordinate amount of time navigating systems.

“What we know is that the brain, at this age, has both elasticity and plasticity—making it a very successful age to work on change,” says Baldwin, underscoring a process (of rebuilding neural pathways to the prefrontal cortex) that can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months. As to the goal? “[Helping young people] learn to take an 8 to 12 second pause between what they think and feel and what they do,” says Baldwin of work around making decisions that often gets done “in the relapse”. That said, Chablani-Medley makes one thing exceedingly clear: 

“Behaviors don’t define us,” she says, emphasizing that many result from being stuck in survival mode. As it turns out, understanding brain science is the key to helping people change behaviors over time. “Rewire CBT is an evidence-based practice that [helps young people] to gain the skills and capacity [needed] to make healthy choices and move toward safety,” says Chablani-Medley of a model that’s been proven to work.

WHERE

“Our programming is fully mobile,” says Chablani-Medley, underscoring that work with at-risk youth happens in real time—on courthouse benches while awaiting probation hearings and at kitchen tables. And because the approach is non-clinical, it’s approachable. “This is a skill-based intervention—one built on cognitive behavioral theory—that allows us to meet young people where they are because it’s short, simple, and flexible,” says Chablani-Medley, pointing to another plus: Because it’s non-clinical, it’s approachable. At the core of this method is understanding the Think, Feel, Do Cycle and learning the seven Rewire CBT skills: 

1. Be Present

2. Label Your Feelings

3. Move It

4. Act on Your Values

5. Stick With It

6. Flex Your Thinking

7. Solve It

An important part of the conversation hinges on tolerating discomfort rather than avoiding it—especially in situations from going for an interview to starting a new job—a skill essential to advancing in life. 

WHY + HOW

Ramirez-Morales, a native of El Salvador, has been working with youth in Chelsea for over a decade. A fearless advocate for participants and their legal, social, and educational success, she has helped shape the Central American Youth Initiative where she’s been at the core of the initiative's success. She shared anecdotes from two young people using Rewire CBT in real time: 

One young person, who was using his motorcycle to make UberEats deliveries, was stopped by police with no explanation. When asked what gang he represented, the young man felt triggered and thought to respond with anger. Instead, he took the pause Chablani-Medley referenced and asked if he could phone his youth worker—and the officer agreed.

“The Harrison before would have lashed at the officer, gotten arrested and taken them to the station; instead, he took a pause—was able to acknowledge that he was having a cycle—and made a choice to call the youth worker. He showed he was feeling emotion, chose not to respond [in the old way], and avoided being arrested. This is Rewire CBT in action,” says Ramirez-Morales, noting that the police officer later called Roca’s director to offer kudos to the youth worker. 

The second story begins with a young person who took a long time to trust Ramirez-Morales, his youth worker at the time. “We had been practicing Rewire CBT, but Jose was reactionary,” she says, recounting a day when the high school student hurt someone in the bathroom and left campus before anyone found out. When he got home, he decided to call Ramirez-Morales. “I’m going to go to jail, what do I do—should I leave the state, or do I go back to El Salvador?” he asked, quickly escalating from 0 to 100. Ramirez-Morales got him to pause, assured him that they were in this together, and encouraged him to do CBT and go through the cycle. With prompting, Jose was able to admit: “I was angry, but then I lost control and panicked. I think I just ruined my life; there’s nothing I can do.” Ramirez-Morales reminded him he could not undo what had been done, but he still had a choice as to what happens next—and together they laid out the options. The young man got uncomfortable, turned himself into the police, faced the consequences, and had Ramirez-Morales by his side the entire time; today, he has a successful restaurant career in Boson.

“These stories represent that so often, deep emotional trauma often keeps [young people] in reaction mode until they learn the skills to make the hard choice to do something different and move forward,” says Chablani-Medley, adding that the skill building is ongoing.

“It takes repetition and constant practice to equip young people with the tools to change behavior over time,” she says, nodding to the more than 1,200 young people Roca works with every year—only a handful of whom are mandated to do so. Their annual retention rate of 81% accounts for early deaths, incarceration, and out-of-state moves.

“CBT does work,” says Ramirez-Morales, who credits the success of Roca's intervention model—one of the most effective interventions for young adults at critical risk in the entire nation—with showing up and staying with people. 

“You have to be willing to bang on doors and be the program,” says Baldwin, sharing a sentiment with which Ramirez-Morales agrees. 

“We don’t walk away; if a young person is not telling me how annoying I’m being, I’m not doing my job.”

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