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MRT Cost: What Moral Reconation Therapy Fees and Timelines Look Like

MRT Cost: What Moral Reconation Therapy Fees and Timelines Look Like

Participants working through MRT workbook exercises

If you searched “MRT cost” because a judge or probation officer ordered Moral Reconation Therapy, the short answer is that fees are set by each provider or court program, and published examples show an enrollment fee plus a monthly charge. One county court program in Washington, for example, charges $150 to enroll and $40 a month until completion. Our own 20-week, court-approved MRT class is priced by enrollment, so the quickest way to get your exact total is to call us at 404-503-8069. (Note: subway fares in Singapore or Taipei are a different MRT. This article covers the court-ordered counseling program.)

Below, we explain what drives the total, how long the program takes, what each session involves, and how to avoid paying twice because of a missed requirement.

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TL;DR

  • MRT has no single national price. Published court-program examples combine a one-time enrollment fee with a monthly fee, and the total depends on how many months you need.
  • Most groups finish in about three to six months, and the program is built around 12 in-group steps completed over roughly 24 to 36 open-ended sessions.
  • Our court-approved MRT class runs 20 weeks and can be joined live from a phone or laptop. Call 404-503-8069 for the current fee and start date.
  • Attending every session and finishing homework before each class is the best way to keep the total from growing.
  • Confirm with your probation officer or court that the provider and the certificate of completion will be accepted before you enroll.

Table of Contents

What Moral Reconation Therapy is

MRT is a cognitive-behavioral program meant to reduce repeat offenses by raising moral reasoning. The federal intervention summary for MRT describes it as a systematic treatment strategy for juvenile and adult offenders, using group and individual counseling, structured exercises and prescribed homework. The workbook has 16 defined steps built around seven treatment issues, including confronting beliefs and attitudes, assessing current relationships, forming a positive identity and developing higher stages of moral reasoning.

The same summary notes that MRT has been used in more than 45 states and in several other countries, with an estimated one million or more participants. The program’s developers, Dr. Gregory Little and Dr. Kenneth Robinson, created it in 1985, and the official MRT website says only trained professionals may purchase the materials and run groups.

If you want to see how our version is structured, our page on how MRT works walks through it.

What Moral Reconation Therapy is

How much MRT costs

Because providers set their own fees, the useful question is what a fee is made of. The clearest public example we found is from a municipal court’s probation services in Washington State, which lists its pricing openly. According to the Cheney Municipal Court program page, MRT costs $150 and DV-MRT (the domestic violence track) costs $250, with a $40 monthly fee through completion that includes materials. The program there is self-paced and meets weekly in group and individual sessions.

That is one jurisdiction, not a Georgia price, but the structure is typical of how reader questions about cost get answered:

Cost component What it usually covers How it affects your total
Enrollment or intake fee Paperwork, orientation, workbook setup Paid once
Monthly or per-session fee Group attendance and facilitator time Grows with the number of months you take
Materials Workbook and homework pages Sometimes bundled, sometimes separate
Completion documentation Certificate or letter for the court Confirm whether it is included

For our MRT class, we do not publish a price online, so we will not guess at one here. Call us at 404-503-8069 and we will give you the current fee, what it includes and the next start date.

What changes the total

Four things move the final number more than anything else:

  1. Format. Group sessions are generally the standard format. Individual sessions, where a court allows them, are a different arrangement.
  2. Length of your assigned track. A standard group track is shorter than the domestic violence track in the example above, which carries a higher enrollment fee.
  3. Attendance. Missed sessions can slow your progress. In federal reentry court, participants who miss a session without notice lose time credit, which means it takes longer to move to the next phase, according to a Duke Law Journal article on reentry courts.
  4. Whether you also need an evaluation. Some orders require an evaluation first. Our published evaluation fees are on our pricing page: $150 for an anger management evaluation and $150 for a non-DUI alcohol and drug evaluation, for example.

How long MRT takes

Cost and time go together, so the timeline matters. Several official sources agree on a range, though the exact length depends on the program.

  • Three to six months is the standard estimate. The federal intervention summary says participants meeting once or twice weekly can complete all steps in a minimum of three to six months.
  • Most groups focus on 12 steps. McHenry County Probation Court Services says most groups cover 12 steps, with steps 13 to 16 completed as needed, most within three to six months. Its sessions run 90 minutes, and groups are open-ended, so clients can start whenever they are ordered.
  • 24 to 36 sessions. The Kentucky Department of Corrections program directory states that MRT is designed for formal completion after 12 in-group steps, with participants generally expected to attend 24 to 36 open-ended group sessions. Correctional Counseling, Inc. gives the same figure and adds that clients complete workbook homework before each session and then present it to the group.
  • Some court programs are longer. A federal CARE Court brochure describes weekly MRT lasting 12 to 18 months as part of a larger supervised-release program, which shows that the length of your order can reflect your court’s own design.

Our class is a 20-week program. Because it is built to be finished on a defined schedule, you can plan around a known end date rather than an open-ended one. Your court’s order has the final say on how many sessions or weeks you need, so check it before you sign up.

What a session looks like

MRT is not a lecture. You work through the workbook on your own before each class, then bring that work to a facilitator-led group. The Kentucky catalog notes that offenders must complete homework individually as a program requirement.

The steps are designed to move a person from reasoning based on pleasure and pain toward reasoning that takes social rules and other people into account, as U.S. Probation for the District of Kansas explains. The first 12 steps are completed in a cognitive-behavioral group setting.

In practice, plan on:

  • Reading and writing your workbook assignment before class.
  • A group session of about 90 to 120 minutes depending on the provider.
  • Sharing your homework with the facilitator and group, with feedback.
  • Steady attendance, since each step builds on the last.

Our introduction to MRT describes our class in more detail, and our page on support throughout your MRT journey covers what help you can expect from us.

Perspective: why we run MRT the way we do

Most people who call us about MRT have just left a probation office or a courtroom with a deadline and a lot of questions. The first one is almost always about cost, and the second is whether the class will count.

We built The Diversion Center so those questions get answered by a person. Our phones are answered, and you are working with a full team rather than a one-person practice. That matters when a probation officer needs paperwork and you are trying to work around a job and, sometimes, no car.

We run MRT live, so you can join from your phone or laptop anywhere in Georgia, or come to one of our five metro Atlanta offices. We are court-approved, and when you finish, you receive a certificate of completion for your probation officer, the court or your employer.

Our goal is simple: get the requirement done correctly the first time, without judgment, and in a way that fits your schedule.

Dr. Derek Collins

Steps to start MRT without delays

  1. Read your order or probation conditions. Note the program name, number of sessions or weeks, and any deadline.
  2. Ask your probation officer what they need. The Orange County Probation Department’s guide to successful completion tells participants to know whether there is a completion date, and what it is, and to talk to their probation officer when questions come up.
  3. Confirm the details of acceptable programs. Check the required frequency, provider type, attendance rules and completion paperwork, as the OACRA probation guide suggests, before you spend money or time.
  4. Call us for the fee and start date. We can tell you what is included and which session fits your schedule.
  5. Attend consistently and finish each homework step. This is what keeps your timeline on track.
  6. Get your certificate to the right person. Tell us who should receive it, and we will get it to them.

Joining from home or one of our offices

We offer live virtual services over Zoom for anyone in Georgia, which helps if you work during the day or have no reliable transportation. If you prefer in-person, our offices are in Marietta, Duluth, Lawrenceville, Jonesboro and Fayetteville. Either way, sessions are live and led by a facilitator, which is what most probation conditions are looking for.

Start your court-approved MRT class

We offer a 20-week court-approved MRT class, with live online and in-person options and a certificate of completion for your court, probation officer or employer. Call 404-503-8069 for the current fee and the next start date, or see everything we offer on our main site.

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If your order also requires an evaluation, see our evaluation pricing, or review our other court-approved classes such as anger management and the Family Violence Intervention Program.

Documentation you should receive

When you finish, ask for written proof that includes your full legal name, case or docket number, the program name and curriculum, attendance details and a clear statement that you met the requirements. A template for therapy completion letters lists these as typical contents. We provide a certificate of completion directed to your probation officer, the court or your employer.

Five details to include in completion documentation

FAQ

How much does MRT cost?

There is no single national price. A published example from a Washington municipal court is $150 for MRT plus $40 a month, with materials included. For our class, call 404-503-8069 for the current fee.

How long is MRT?

The standard estimate is three to six months, with 12 in-group steps over about 24 to 36 sessions, according to federal and state sources. Our court-approved class runs 20 weeks, and your order determines how much you need.

Can I take MRT online for probation?

Yes, with us. Our classes are live over Zoom anywhere in Georgia, and you can also attend in person at one of our five metro Atlanta offices. Confirm with your probation officer that live virtual attendance is acceptable for your order.

What happens if I miss a session?

Missing sessions can slow your progress and extend your timeline, since each step builds on the previous one. If something comes up, contact us before the session so we can help you get back on schedule.

Sources

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