Copy of Introduction to Working with Sex Offenders

Two Day Event:

Day One – Boundaries and Assessing Risk

The legal and ethical position when treating those at risk of offending, is aimed at counsellors and psychotherapists, who may find themselves faced with one unexpectedly, or whose current client subsequently discloses walking close to, or crossing, a legal line. What should you do?

Assessing Risk, working with individuals convicted or accused of sexual offending, provides practitioners with a broad understanding of risk assessment issues in order to inform practice, rather than to provide a standardised risk assessment tool to be used for reports. The second part day will explore risk issues pertaining to clients living on their own in the community, clients subject to contact arrangements with children following the break-up of the family and clients living with families.

Day Two - Treatment Interventions

Treatment Interventions for individuals convicted of or accused of sexual offending is for counsellors, therapists and others working therapeutically with individuals who have been convicted or accused of sexual offending. The aim of the day is to provide practitioners with a historic perspective of how the treatment of sexual offenders has developed, leading to current rehabilitative thinking. By the end of the day, participants should be able to locate their own therapeutic practice within a broader perspective and take away additional tools to use with their clients. The day will also address how to work with denial, minimisation, lack of victim empathy and cognitive distortions.

Throughout the course we will discuss challenges to working with clients and liaising with other professional will also be explored, including working with criminal justice and social work professionals. We will progress our learning through a series of case studies, this two-day course aims to give confidence in dealing appropriately with the situations that may arise whilst working therapeutically.