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Specialty Treatment
Sex Offender Treatment
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Sex Offender Treatment
Our sex offender treatment program provides individualized treatment for adult sex offenders–male or female–who have engaged in child molestation, voyeurism, exhibitionism, frotteurism, public masturbation or lewd acts, rape and sexual assault, child pornography, obscene phone calls/chats, violations of professional boundaries, or sexual harassment.
Sexual Deviance
There is no set profile for what constitutes sexual deviance, as it differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. However, some consensus has been achieved in that sex offenders have convictions of crime of sexual nature, including sexual assault, statutory rape, bestiality, child sexual abuse, incest, rape, sexual imposition, public urination, having sex on the beach, or even unlawful imprisonment of a minor. Sex offenders are often perceived as having wronged society and society demands protection but our society also requires helping sex offenders rectify their behavior to prevent future victimization.
Punishment vs. Treatment
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A sex crime is considered a felony that may lead to criminal charges where the individual faces prison, parole, or probation sentences. For many, punishment continues for years after serving jail or prison time, the individual may be required to register as a sex offender and if they qualify to be removed from the registry, the process is often difficult and costly.
Sex crime laws are created to protect the public and prevent sex offenders from re-entering society and offending again but, the benefits of listing sex offenders on the registry is not always clear. Current research demonstrates that registry laws may do more harm than good as they fail to recognize important factors associated with the crime, such as recidivism rates, the individual's age and situation at the time of the crime, and whether they participated in treatment or not.
Treatment, perhaps, offers the strongest argument against punishing sex offenders given that rehabilitation and treatment programs have been proven to be very effective in helping sex offender convicts address their underlying problems and their ability to incorporate into society.
Assessment Steps
Behavioral assessment
Skills to intervene on sexual arousal
Suppression and effective management of deviant sexual urges and behaviors or hypersexuality
Arousal-management techniques
Those distressed by sexual thoughts
Those whose sexual thoughts and urges interfere with their ability to function
Those who sexual behavior is dangerous
Many sex offenders have comorbid psychiatric illness
Common Myths
While these are not always true, here are some common misconceptions about sex offenders:
Myth: Most sex offenders are predators.
Reality: The most common sex offender is opportunistic, has one victim and is known to the victim. Most sex offenders are dirty old men, strangers, and pedophiles who will grab children off playgrounds.
First, pedophiles (those sexually attracted to children) are not necessarily child molesters, for most do not commit offenses regardless of their attraction. Most sex offenders and child molesters are relatives or otherwise known in the family. Only 2-3% of offenses are committed by strangers. An estimated half of all child molestations are committed by teenagers.
Myth: Once a sex offender, always a sex offender (most sex offenders will reoffend).
Reality: Study results vary considerably depending on various factors.
Contrary to popular belief, studies and statistics (including those from the Bureau of Justice) indicate that recidivism rates for sex offenders are lower than those for the general criminal population. A five-year study by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services notes a rate of recidivism ranging from 6 to 23 percent, depending on the offense.
Myth: Treatment for sex offenders does not work.
Reality: This statement has been a source of debate for decades.
The effectiveness of treatment depends on the number of factors, including the type of offender, the type of treatment, how much management, supervision, and support the offender has. Although the risk of recidivism exists even in the best of cases, most offenders can and will lead productive and offense-free lives after treatment.
Myth: Most sex offenders were sexually abused when they were children.
Reality: Although sex offenders are more likely to have been sexually abused than nonoffenders, the vast majority of individuals who were sexually abused will not commit sex crimes.
A 2001 study by Jan Hidman and James Peters found that 67% of sex offenders initially reported sexual abuse in their history. Yet, subjected to a polygraph, that figure dropped to 29%, suggesting that reports of sexual abuse were initially exaggerated to justify or rationalize their offenses.
About the Instructor
Joseph Rengifo, LCMHC
Joseph Rengifo, LCMHC, has been dedicated to helping people learn emotional intelligence skills where they learn how to honor each other's uniqueness and where adults can create safe, loving, and nurturing family environments for children to grow and thrive within. Joseph offers anger management, couples therapy, emotional healing therapy, and sex offender therapy.
"I recall my former graduate school classmates, and even some of my professors, asking me, 'How can you do that kind of work?' Most often, the question came from those working with the victims of sexual and physical abuse. Others in the law enforcement and victim advocacy programs often repeated the questions. The implication for some is that a counselor who treats the instigators of sexual abuse cannot also identify with the victim of such abuse. That argument could not be more fallacious."
Treatment will address:
Sex offender relapse prevention
Victim impact awareness and empathy development
Responsibility for one's own actions
Dealing with different emotions, such as anger, depression
Arousal management and urge control
Substance abuse
Own victim issues
Conflicts with authority figures
Social and relationship skills
Sexuality, both normal and abnormal
Sexual conflict
Full disclosure of sexual offenses
Identifying distorted thinking
Medical evaluation relevant to conditions affecting treatment compliance and arousal control