Contemporary Treatment of Adult Male Sex Offenders

The sex offender treatment industry has grown significantly over the last decade as a response to public and professional pressure.

This has been accompanied by a number of theoretical and practice developments, needed to tackle such a difficult target population.

Frontline workers need assistance in having the new developments organized in an accessible way for their immediate use.

This text thus identifies the key components of sex offender treatment, exploring the key elements of each and making practical suggestions on how to approach the areas in practice.

The content of the volume includes: an introduction to sex offender treatment; assessment considerations; groupwork programmes; identifying and stopping the sexual assault cycle; cognitive restructuring/rational emotive therapy (RET) approaches; developing and enhancing victim empathy and remorse; arousal control via behavioural interventions; relapse prevention approaches; improving social skills; aftercare programmes/professional scrutiny; and recovery and risk assessments. The synthesis of diverse information should allow the professional to discover: that sex offenders are treatable; that many professionals have the skills to undertake this work, if they are given the space and guidance; how the initial and comprehensive assessments link with treatment work; strategies for conducting the work; a framework for ordering the work; how to explore the programme integrity and treatment effectiveness; and how to assess future risks.