NCJ Number
190187
Date Published
2000
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper explores the effectiveness of treating the child molester in multiple contexts.
Abstract
Research indicated that sexual abuse may stem from a combination of family dysfunctions and that family members' decisions affected the treatment process. Therefore, effective counseling of sexual offenders should include not only the perpetrator, but family members as well. The paper outlined a current treatment program using a group process of relapse prevention and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques in concert with a companion group for partners and a therapeutic nursery for preschool-aged children. Using archival data for 106 males who had entered the Sexual Offender Treatment Program since 1990, the paper addressed the program's effectiveness and highlighted the usefulness of involving family members in the therapeutic process. The paper concluded that further study and follow-up was needed over a longer period of time to draw definitive conclusions about the success of the program. However, after tracking some of the men over a 5-year period, indications were that the family systems approach reflected a margin of success in treating adult male child molesters. Table, notes, references