Developmental Perspectives in Understanding Problematic Sexual Behaviors
New to GIFR? Welcome! Create your account by clicking
here. If you already have an account, please
log in to proceed.
Training Description
The developmental perspective reminds us that behaviors including problematic sexual behaviors reflect a continuous narrative, have functions and meanings, and occur in multiple, complex and interacting contexts that are constantly shifting. At times we are faced with challenges when trying to understand the developmental psychopathology of children and adolescents with problematic sexual behaviors. As such, it is important that mental health and criminal justice professionals understand the challenges and complexities of these development psychopathologies in order to implement individualized and developmentally informed programs. In this presentation, we will be highlighting how developmental psychopathology guides assessment and case formulation. Specifically, the focus will be on three developmental domains that should be included in crafting individual case formulations. This workshop will also distinguish between actuarial assessment of risk and a developmentally informed functional behavioral analysis approach. Relevant case vignettes will be presented throughout the session.
Trainer Biography
Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD is a clinical forensic psychologist and attorney who currently serves as a senior administrator and faculty member of the doctoral clinical psychology program at William James College in Massachusetts. He is also currently Senior Fellow in Law and Applied Neuroscience for a joint fellowship of the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior (Massachusetts General Hospital) and the Petrie-Flom Center (Harvard Law School) focused on juvenile justice. Dr. Kinscherff has overseen a statewide juvenile court clinic director, served as clinical director for residential and community programs for youth and young adults with high-risk sexual and aggressive behavior, and consulted nationally and internationally for state juvenile justice authorities. He has published widely on ethical, legal, and professional practice issues with sexually abusive juveniles and adults. For the American Psychological Association, he has served as a two-term Chair of the Ethics Committee, Chair of the Committee on Legal Issues, member of the Committee on Professional Practices and Standards, and current member of the Board of Professional Affairs.
Learning Objectives
This training is designed to help you:
- Identify the developmental domains most likely to contribute to problematic sexual behavior
- Evaluate how same behavior may be performed for different reasons at different developmental stages