Download FormsTherapeutic assessment and treatment of juveniles with sexual behavior problems requires specialized skill and licensing on the part of treatment providers. At OpenDoor, this is our only business and we commit to provide help to families based on our years of experience, training and knowledge of current research.
We will work closely with the juvenile and caregivers to provide the best possible care to the family during this period of crisis and confusion. Our goal is to help the juvenile learn effective ways of managing appropriate behavior and the family repair, rebuild and move forward to a life of health and success.
The professionals at OpenDoor are skilled to work with adolescents who struggle with a variety of intellectual and developmental issues. They understand that each person comes with his or her own special concerns and problems and are able to develop a plan that will best serve that individual and the family.
What to Expect
At some point in time the adolescent will undergo a round of tests or assessments to determine special concerns related to the sexual behavior exhibited, if treatment is appropriate and the level of treatment needed. Assessments might be required by your attorney prior to adjudication in order to help make decisions on the case and the treatment provider will require any testing not previously administered to be able to make sound treatment decisions. All tests listed below are available through OpenDoor.
Treatment can begin before or after conviction, but all requirements will remain the same. The juvenile and caregivers will begin the process with the juvenile attending individual sessions then moved to group sessions when appropriate. He or she will attend sessions no less than four (4) times per month. Parents will begin the Parent Support group at the same time but will attend twice monthly. Length of treatment depends on juvenile’s progress and any requirements of probation (if applicable) along with the extent to which the parents and/or caregivers make changes recommended. As juvenile and caregivers progress, they might become eligible for aftercare and allowed to come on a less frequent basis. In order to remain in treatment, attendance and timely payment are mandatory. Polygraphs might be ordered if individual does not admit to offense, and are required upon completion of sexual history presentation, and within at least the first year of treatment and prior to completing treatment.
Therapy
The primary model of treatment used is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Treatment of individuals with sexual behavioral problems will take into account Risk,
Need
The need principal states that an individual’s dynamic risk factors
- Antisocial personality pattern (impulsivity, adventure or pleasure-seeking, restless aggression, irritability)
- Pro-criminal attitudes, (rationalizations for crime and negative attitudes toward the law, social supports for crime (i.e. criminal friends and isolation from positive social influencers)
- Substance Abuse
- Negative family and marital relationships
- Poor school and/or work performance and a low level of satisfaction
- Lack of involvement in positive social recreational or leisure activities
should be assessed and become the focus of treatment.
and Responsivity
combined with taking into account each individual’s life goals and helping that person find ways in which to meet those goals safely – Good Lives Model (GLM).
Adolescent-Therapy
Group Sessions
Groups are formed to help the individual make the most out of the treatment process. They are “open-ended” which means there will be members in attendance at different stages of treatment. This provides an opportunity for the client to receive the support of experienced members when beginning treatment then learning to be a responsible member as he/she progresses in the process. In order to remain in treatment, the individual must attend all sessions and remain current on all payments.
Individual Sessions
Individual sessions are held when an individual first enters treatment and on an as needed basis. The purpose of the initial individual sessions is to allow the client to become more comfortable with the therapeutic process and gain information. It is also an opportunity for the treatment provider to learn about the client and his or her special issues and develop a treatment plan. It also allows for that provider to determine if group treatment is appropriate for the individual and prepare him or her in that event. It is very important in this process that the client begin to take responsibility for the offensive sexual behavior and the therapist will help the individual in this endeavor. When a client enters group, individual sessions will occur when needed.
Parent Support
Current research indicates that, when an adolescent has the support of his or her primary caregivers in the treatment process, the recidivism rate (more criminal offenses) decreases from 25% to 2%, so we recognize the importance of parental engagement. When a juvenile begins treatment, the caregivers are required to begin attending the parent groups twice monthly. These groups provide, not only information about how to manage a juvenile with a sexual behavior problem, but also the emotional support of a skilled treatment provider and other families undergoing the same crisis.
Psychosexual Evaluations
Adolescent-Evaluations
MMPI
MMPI- A (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory – Adolescent)
An empirically based measure of adolescent psychopathology, the MMPI-A test contains adolescent-specific scales, and other unique features designed to make the instrument especially appropriate for today’s youth.
Offering reports tailored to particular settings, the MMPI-A test helps provide relevant information to aid in problem identification, diagnosis, and treatment planning for youth (ages 14 years to 18 years).
MSI
MSI – Adolescent (Multiphasic Sexual Inventory)
The adolescent male form of the MSI II (2001) is patterned after the adult male MSI II version which designed to measure the sexual characteristics of sex offenders or alleged sex offenders. An extensive report of the MSI II psychometric properties is provided. and almost all of the scales developed for it have been included in the adolescent male version. In addition, there are new measures including behavioral scales such as ADHD, OD, Societal Adjustment and Victimization History. Other scales were modified to better address the needs of adolescents and some scales that address issues primarily for adults were dropped. Internal consistency coefficients and a large geographic sample have been obtained.
The adolescent female form of the MSI II (1995) contains most of the basic scales found in the other forms of the MSI II instruments. Research involving this form of the MSI II has been limited because of a dearth of cases referred.
Abel Assessments
Adult-Abel
AASI-3
AASI-3 (The Abel Assessment for sexual interestTM -3)
An empirically validated, comprehensive evaluation and treatment assessment system to use with adult men and women with sexual behavior problems. It is specifically designed to measure a client’s sexual interests and to obtain information regarding involvement in a number of abusive or problematic sexual behaviors.
Abel-Blasingame Assessment System
The Abel-Blasingame Assessment System for individuals with intellectual disabilitiesTM (ABID) is like the AASI-3, but uniquely adapted for clinicians to use with clients who have special needs. The ABID contains an objective measure of sexual interest and questionnaire components, but is specifically designed for use with adults and adolescents with FSIQs of 60 and above. The ABID is a comprehensive assessment system that may be used with individuals who have learning and/or developmental disabilities.
Risk Assessments
There are presently no empirically validated actuarial instruments that can be used to accurately estimate the risk of adolescent sexual reoffending. Based on the best available research to date and consensus in professional clinical opinion, however, a number of high-risk factors have been identified in the current available literature. However, data from the instruments below can be used to summarize the available research, along with an expert clinical opinion to estimate the risk of sexual re-offense of a particular adolescent.
Adolescent-Assessments
ERASOR
Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism (ERASOR) is an empirically guided checklist designed to assist clinicians to estimate the short-term risk of a sexual re-offense for youth aged 12–18 years of age.
JSOAP
The Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol-II (J-SOAP-II) is a checklist whose purpose is to aid in the systematic review of risk factors that have been identified in the professional literature as being associated with sexual and criminal offending. It is designed to be used with boys in the age range of 12 to 18 who have been adjudicated for sexual offenses, as well as non-adjudicated youths with a history of sexually coercive behavior.
*Although the above evaluative tools are relatively standard, other testing instruments might be recommended on a case-by-case basis.
Chaperone Training
When an adolescent commits a sexual offense, certain restrictions must be put in place immediately to prevent further inappropriate sexual behavior and protect that individual from any additional allegations. The juvenile will need to be directly supervised by an approved adult at all times and measures must be in place for the times that cannot occur (i.e. when the adult is sleeping). It is important that any adult responsible for supervising the child fully understands those restrictions and the extent and dynamics of the offense/sexual behavior. It is also important that a chaperone be willing to hold the client accountable for inappropriate behavior and communicate closely with other members of the team. All chaperones are required to attend this one-time three (3) hour training and be approved by other members of the team to meet this requirement. An approved chaperone is also required to attend parent support group on at least a quarterly basis.
(Note: Team includes treatment provider(s) and probation officer or referral source if applicable.)