Evidence-Based Psychotherapeutic Approaches to Adult Sexual Offender Treatment
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Training Description
In this ATSA Master Class you will learn evidence-based psychotherapeutic strategies and practical knowledge for treating adult sexual offenders. Cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches delivered in accordance with the Risk, Need, and Responsivity Principles will be highlighted along with the eight key characteristics of effective programs. Interventions covered include those that address offense denial, behavior chains, abuse supportive attitudes and beliefs, emotional regulation, sexual arousal control, and social supports. Key program and treatment design considerations will be also reviewed, as will the research on the effect of sexual offender treatment on recidivism risk will be summarized. An in-depth description of four common treatment phases will be provided with several treatment interventions for each phase detailed. Throughout the workshop, the importance of approach goals, the therapeutic relationship, treatment engagement, and skill training will be emphasized. Finally, criteria for treatment completion will be examined with a focus on developing collaborative relationships with probation and parole staff as well as other prosocial supports. This training is appropriate for professionals working in community as well as residential settings.
Trainer Biography
Robert J. McGrath, MA is President of McGrath Psychological Services, an international consulting practice. For over 30 years, Mr. McGrath has specialized in preventing sexual abuse through his work assessing, treating, and conducting research on individuals who have committed sexual offenses. He served as Clinical Director of the Vermont Department of Corrections network of prison and community sex offender treatment programs from 1996 to 2015. Among his over 50 publications, he is co-author of Supervision of the Sex Offender as well as Current Practices and Trends in Sexual Abuser Management. He is co-developer of several risk assessment instruments, including the Sex Offender Treatment Intervention and Progress Scale (SOTIPS) and the Risk of Sexual Abuse of Children (ROSAC). He has served on numerous sex offender treatment advisory boards and accreditation panels including those for the national programs in Canada, England, and Hong Kong. He is a former president of the Safer Society Foundation Board of Directors and was co-chair of the ATSA professional standards committee that wrote the organization’s 2014 Practice Guidelines for the Assessment, Treatment, and Management of Male Adult Sexual Abusers. In 2015, he received the ATSA Significant Lifetime Achievement Award.
Learning Objectives
This training is designed to help you:
- Describe eight characteristics of effective treatment programs for adult sexual offenders
- Identify key criminogenic treatment targets for adult sexual offenders
- Describe a four-phase treatment model for adult sexual offenders
- Apply several evidence-based psychotherapeutic approaches for use with adult sexual offenders
