Treating Intimate Partner Violence

This training looks at important considerations when working with clients who perpetrate IPV while ensuring the safety of those suffering the abuse. The session will explore the definitions and dynamics of IPV and domestic violence and review the guiding principles of effective intervention. It provides prevalence statistics and dispels myths about IPV. Treatment approaches will be introduced, intended to end the harmful behavior, but always with the goal of applying measures that will protect the victim from further harm.

Online Course – Assessing and Treating Adolescents Who Sexually Abuse: Learning (And Re-Learning) the Basics

This 30-hour online intensive and interactive course is designed for practitioners new to the field of assessing and treating adolescents and young adults who have sexually abused others. It is also of interest to more experienced professionals wishing to expand and revitalize their knowledge and skills. 

The course will rely on discussion and supplemental reading to explore the core principles behind effective assessment and treatment:

Assessing and Treating Adult Firesetting

This training introduces mental health professionals to recent advances in understanding firesetting behaviors in adults that have led to evidence-informed models for assessment and treatment.

Every year in the U.S., U.K., New Zealand, and Australia, thousands of irresponsible, reckless, and dangerous fires set by adults result in thousands of deaths and injuries, billions of dollars in property loss, and traumatic experiences for individuals and communities. Recent studies suggest that upwards of 20% of adults admitted to psychiatric hospitals have histories of firesetting, or arrests for arson, in their medical record.

Trauma-Informed Care in High-Security Settings

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with adult criminality, including violent and sexual offending. Men and women who have sexually offended have significantly higher ACE scores than the general population. However, until recently, the trauma of the client was rarely addressed in sex-offending treatment models. Trauma can contribute to relational and self-regulation deficits. It is therefore unsurprising that older offense-specific models of treatment for sexual offending have produced mixed results.

Assessment and Treatment of Children and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum

Conducting psychosexual assessment and treatment with children and adolescents who have autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be rife with challenges. Research and best practices have changed dramatically across the past two decades.

This online training will help professionals develop a deeper understanding of autism among children and adolescents as a multi-faceted, brain-based disorder and provide guidance on current best practices in ASD psychosexual assessment and treatment.

How to Effectively Supervise Professionals Treating Individuals Who Perpetrate Sexual Violence

This training introduces the Integrated Developmental Model, a relationship-based approach to supervising professionals who work with individuals who have been sexually violent. Participants will learn how to enhance the professional development of new clinicians they supervise while educating them on the importance of self-care for clinicians who work in the stressful environment of sexual abuse prevention and the treatment of sexual violence perpetrators. The training will also explore the ways in which power and privilege impact the supervisory context, and how supervisors can identify their own vulnerabilities and concerns.

Evidence-Informed Treatment of Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorders: A Strengths-Based Approach

Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) appears in the International Classification of Diseases – 11 (ICD-11) as an impulse control disorder and is characterized by a persistent pattern of failure to control intense, repetitive sexual impulses, urges, and behaviors. In this training, Drs Kingston and Marshall will present new data relevant to the assessment and treatment of CSBD among individuals convicted of sexual offending and offer new, evidence-informed treatment approaches.

Working with Families After Sexual Abuse Has Occurred

This workshop will address the systemic collaboration necessary to work with families after sexual harm has occurred. It addresses areas such as addressing client responsibility, family therapy, and how to conduct family reunification. It will involve audience discussion and case examples.

Best Practices for the Treatment of Adolescents Who Have Engaged in Sexually Harmful Behavior

This workshop will examine the evolution of how professionals have understood young people who engage in sexually harmful behavior. It will also explore the treatment we provide for sexually abusive behavior by adolescents. Current practices (including those reflected in ATSA’s 2017 adolescent practice guidelines) are substantially different now than the assessment and treatment methods that first guided treatment. We’ve seen a realignment of the ideas and beliefs that drive assessment, treatment, and case management, and the way we think about the young people with whom we work. We’ve not only seen clear and distinct shifts away from the model of adult treatment, but have recognized that many of the most important aspects of assessment and treatment involve our awareness of and sensitivity to the developmental and contextual issues that surround juvenile sexually abusive behavior.

Overcoming Common Issues in the Treatment of Adolescents Who Have Engaged in Sexually Harmful Behavior

This training addresses current practices in the assessment, treatment, safety planning, and clarification in working with adolescent clients who have engaged in sexually harmful behaviors, as well as how to overcome some of the unique challenges of this work. The content is informed by the guidelines created by the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA), which are based on the principles of risk, need, and responsivity.