NCJ Number
179320
Date Published
1998
Length
143 pages
Annotation
The aim of this book is to provide a practice-based model for informing the assessment, treatment, and evaluation of perpetrators of child sexual abuse in the community.
Abstract
The current state of knowledge regarding the assessment and treatment of perpetrators of child sexual abuse is complex and, at times, uncertain. Therefore, practitioners should ensure that they work with the scope of their professional expertise. The book emphasizes a cognitive-behavioral treatment model but recognizes that this model is not the only effective means of intervening with child sexual abusers. The emphasis on adult child sexual abusers allows for a more complete consideration of this group of offenders, their responses to treatment, and the problems they pose. Main theoretical perspectives are considered (multi-factorial, psychodynamic, and cognitive-behavioral) before examining the complexities of assessment and risk prediction. Attention is also paid to managing denial, perhaps the most difficult area for practitioners who may be overwhelmed and enraged by the entrenched resistance and distorted thinking of many child sexual abuse perpetrators. Parameters of treatment are discussed, including the suitability of sex offenders for different treatment modes, confidentiality issues, and implications of statutory requirements. The suggested cognitive-behavioral treatment model is outlined in detail, and some of the difficulties associated with treatment using this model are noted. The book concludes with a discussion of the problems of evaluation, including a review of recent British studies evaluating treatment efficacy. References, tables, and figures