Adult Sexual Offender Program
Who Can Participate?
The program is primarily developed for adults who have been convicted of a sexual offense. Individuals in the program are typically under the supervision of a probation and/or parole officer and may be involved with various criminal courts – Municipal; Court of Common Pleas; Juvenile Court; Federal Court.
· Every effort will be made to engage all individuals referred to the program. Some individuals will be referred back their Court if denial of the offense persists.
· Individuals that experience significant mental health issues such as psychosis or significant intellectual disabilities would be considered for the program, with the recognition that treatment would need to be tailored to their unique mental health needs.
How long is the Program?
The program is designed as a long-term, low intensity, outpatient treatment program. Participation in the program will typically last between 2 – 4 years, depending on various factors. For example, some individuals may be involved in the program longer if they have slow progress on completing program activities/assignments. Some individuals may have more extensive sexual behavior problems indicative of longer-term treatment.
Successful termination from the program is based on both learning and applying treatment concepts. It is not enough to just learn about yourself in treatment. Specifically, participants are required to complete specific assignments, and they must also be able to apply treatment concepts in their daily life – as indicated by self-report; feedback from probation officer; and/or collateral contact with their support network.
Treatment Program
The program adheres to a cognitive-behavioral treatment model. All program participants are expected to complete Four Core Assignments: Autobiography; Why Did I Do It; Victim Impact; and Relapse Prevention Plan. Within this framework, it is recognized that individuals learn and experience various patterns of emotions; thinking; and behaviors that contribute to sexual behavior – both healthy and abusive. Program participants are also expected to develop a thorough and lengthy relapse prevention plan that examines problematic and deviant behavior – including sexual behavior; general criminal behavior; destructive relationships; and addictive behaviors.
Safety Planning is a significant component of the treatment program. Safety planning consists of both supervision and accountability; and is “contextual.” That is, it recognizes that sexual offending behavior occurs within a specific situation for each individual. Participants early in the treatment process may have high supervision requirements, such as “direct eyes on supervision” when in certain situations or contexts closely related to the offending behavior. Accountability is a multidimensional concept that stresses the importance of having a healthy support network; planning and problem-solving skills to address high risk situations. Ideally, program participants will transition from high levels of external accountability (ie – program officer, etc) to developing their own internal accountability (recognizing and coping with high risk situations on their own) as treatment progresses.
· There is no Inpatient Treatment component to this program.
· Treatment typically includes attendance at Weekly Group Sessions
· Individual Sessions are scheduled at least once/month, or more frequently depending on treatment need.
· Family needs such as “reunification” are addressed according to the needs of each participant.
· Family members may participate in treatment to assist with developing and monitoring safety plans; and other identified treatment needs.
· Participants are expected to completed required assignments; bring material completed outside of treatment setting to sessions; and share with their treatment group.
· Program participants are required to adhere to their current probation and/or court conditions.
· Participants are required to sign a Release of Information (ROI) for the supervising Court/Probation Department; Parole Authority, or other referring entity. ROI are required to be updated every 6 months. If a participant is unwilling to sign an ROI, they will be redirected to follow-up with their supervising court and will not be permitted to continue with the program until a new ROI is obtained.
· The treatment provider will make an effort to communicate with the supervising Court with written treatment summaries (every 90 days) and written attendance verification when sessions are missed.
· Individuals will not be permitted to stay in a session if they are sleeping; appear intoxicated or ‘high’; are not actively participating; and/or are demonstrating disruptive behavior to the treatment process.
How is an Individual Referred?
Most individuals are referred to the Sexual Offender program by a Court; Prosecutor; Attorney; and/or Child Protective Services agency. To make a referral please contact our offices.