tri-county 11.19.11 process

8/3/2019 Tri-County 11.19.11 Process

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Update on Adolescent Sex

OffendersAnna C. Salter


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Working with Sex Offenders

Therapeutic Interactions & Techniques


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Purpose of Treatment

Reduce recidivism?

Have a better life for the offender?


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Purpose of Treatment

Reduce recidivism


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Any behavior that is self -destructive or hasserious social consequences would be themost central initial target.

(Kanfer & Goldstein, 1991)


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Connecting

Therapists represent world of authority

Antisocial teens and adults not acceptedthe social contract


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Allies

Teens Not entrenched

Adults Getting older


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Teens View of Adults

Dont understandFocus too much on responsibilities: notenough on funExaggerate risksObsess on remote dangers

Dont understand the teen is immortal Just wants to berate them and make themfeel bad


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Delinquent Teens

All of the previousDefiance, not alliance

Prone to power strugglesDo not identifyShare familys view of therapists


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It can be challenging to work with teens.

Euphemism

Verbally provocative

Uncontrollably violent


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Tightrope Walking

Represent norms of law-abiding world

Build a working relationship


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Therapists Cannot . . .

Fail to report infractionsCollude in blaming the victim

Wink at technical violations, e.g., alcoholand drugsExpect reciprocity


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Basis of Therapeutic Relationship

Trust?Warmth?Empathy?Self-Disclosure?


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I tell my clients that I do not operate on atrust basis. Trust is whats abusable. . .Feeling confident about them can bedangerous.

(Knopp, 1984)


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If trust them . . .

No polygraphNo GPS

No drug testingNo verifying infoNo collateral supervision

No checking in with employer,family, individual therapist, etc.


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Trust Undermines Abstinence

Removes external controls


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Basis of Therapeutic Alliance

Fairness

Goodwill

Honesty


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Three Rules of Sex OffenderTreatment

Verify

Verify

Verify


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Fairness

More important to teens

Gross and elementary(One size fits all)


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What to Do?

Teen A Calms down when sent to atime-out for inappropriate behavior

Teen B Escalates in time-outCalms down if left in group

Different penalties seen as unfair


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What If . . .

Whats good for individual

Is seen as unfair by group?


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Whats At Stake?

Therapists represent authority

Anti-social teens do not accept authority

Group towards or away to an acceptance

of legitimate authority


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Nobody accepts arbitrary authority

No therapeutic alliance with unfairauthority


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Acceptance of Authority in Form ofTherapists, Teachers, Parents, Coaches

Precedes Abstract Acceptance ofAuthority


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What to Do

Always consider groups view of whats fair

Never dismiss it as unimportant

Always monitor where you stand on

fairness issue

Try to come up with solutions accepted as

fair


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Adults

Assess who has grievance-based thinking

Understand they project unfairness ontoyou

Always point to, same rules for everyone

Put program rules in writing


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Grievance Thinking in Adults


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Resentment

I started remembering everything.Everything. The death, the pain. I used toget mad. I still do. When I hear peoplelaugh I get mad. Why is life so much funfor you and not for me?.


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Leroys Response

All this was is battery. I got railroaded.


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Attacked Officers in Jail

That incident in the county jail it wasnt personal. Itwasnt one of those things that officer so and so isworking today whoever was working it was going

to happen. . . You go into that situation knowing . . .Just like if you go in a robbery with a gun, you dontthink you are going to kill someone. But you knowyou need to take the gun in the robbery because you

might need to kill someone. Of course thats wrong.But you dont care. Why should I care? Thats whyyou need to get to the point where you care.


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Grievance Thinking

Much of the ruminating on past injustices

Unable to see authority in any other light

See ambiguous and even benign incidents

as malevolent


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Principles of Therapeutic Alliance

Right Distance

Not too close; not too far

Never changes


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Risk of Empathy

Wants to please therapist to hold his/her regard

Doesnt want to disappoint therapist byadmitting hes been lying

Wants to look good in front of therapist

Disappoints therapist and therapist withdraws


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Too close Client fakes goodClient disappoints therapist

Too far Therapist angryWithdraws


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The Right Distance

Will help client, if client lets him/her

Understand clients behavior reflects onclient, not on therapist

Therapist wishes client well, but does notbase self- esteem on clients behavior

Therapeutic narcissism under control


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No Yo-Yo Therapists

Warm and disclosing in one session

Distant and judgmental in the next


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Working with Lost Souls& Predators

Lost Souls Predators


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Lost Souls

Emotional identification withchildren

Lack of social skills

Low self-esteem


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Predators

Planning

Grooming of Victims

Callousness

Predatory Attitude


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Treatment of Lost Souls

Anti-confrontation

Raise self-esteem

Emphasize positive life style (New Me)

Social skills/Intimacy training

Approach goals


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Treatment of Predators

Utilizes confrontation

Focuses on avoidance goals(Relapse prevention)

Polygraph/plethysmograph

Community supervision/management


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Fairness

The right distance

Good-will


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Good-Will

No axe to grind

No stake in proving client a predator

Not over-invested in believing he is low

risk

Hopes for the best; accepts possibility of

the worse


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Good-Will

Accepts need for external control

Always working towards internal control


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Fairness

The right distance

Good-will

Up-front


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Upfront & Honest

Will tell you first

Discuss in advance what testimony/reportwill be

If consulting/meeting on their case, tellthem in advance


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Client Dependent on Therapist?Whose Needs Are Met?

Praise and Blame

Both make client look for external validation


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Therapist as center of spokes on a wheel?

Therapist praises?Therapist confronts?Therapist judges?

Therapist engineers a setting, exercises andgroup culture which fosters change


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Symmetrical and AsymmetricalRelationships

Most relationships are symmetrical

Psychopaths form asymmetricalrelationships

Anger, hostility can be defused in non-psychopaths by therapist behavior


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Relaxed body language when challenging

Use of humor: Riddle me this, batman

Giving choices

Side-stepping power strugglesI only know one thing; Im not going to jail

no matter what you decide.


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Setting Up a Prosocial GroupCulture


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Group Leaders

Overt

Informal


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Overt Group Leader

Open claim for leadershipOlderMore experiencedSmarterMore dominant

Natural leader


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Informal Group Leader

No open claim for leadershipGroup members listenLook at him when speakingMay confront acknowledged leaderMay be independent

May give sound advice


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Both group leaders prosocialPro-social group culture automatic

One or both antisocialTherapists must intervene


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Impact of Group Leaders

Distract groupFail to do homeworkTeens clown in immature waysBlame victimsCollude with other clients denial

Disregards group rules


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Options

Talk outside of groupEngineer group feedbackTeens: Supervised time outWarning then probation then dismissal

T G O B i Kid


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Teen Groups: On Being a KidNeed to do something

Less reading; more games, exercises

Kids generate answers; are not fed them

Group generates rules

Hand out lego, crayons, paper, play dough


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Group Rules

ConfidentialityNot too loudNo disrupting groupOne time out passWatch your language

No interrupting


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Group Rules

No physical fightingNo put-downsNo homework = no snackBe a decent human beingRules can be added as needed

Ch ll P St l ?


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Challenge or Power Struggle?

Challenge or Confrontation

With the therapistWith the group

With their futureWith the consequences


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Teen believes sex with 7-year-old sisterconsensual or she would have said no

What to do?


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Less Useful

Dont she think she might have frozen becauseshe was scared?

Gives him right answer

If it were me, I might have been thinking . . .

Right answer plus therapist viewsAt center of things


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Therapeutic Techniques

Modeling

Prosocial Little positive effect

Poor Massive negative effect


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Prosocial Modeling

Treating group members & co-therapistsrespectfullyAlways talking about women and childrenrespectfullyAlways talking about victims respectfullyAdmitting to a mistakeRefraining from complaining or whiningKeeping promises


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Inappropriate Modeling

Dominating the group & not allowing co-therapist equal air timeLooking bored when co-therapist speakingIgnoring co- therapists point and switchingtopicsSharing personal troublesBlaming administration for unpopular rulesAllowing a likeable member to get away withthings


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Inappropriate Modeling

Breaking promises when convenientAllowing group members to refer to girlsas hos Cancelling group frequentlyShowing up late for group

Not prepared for groupConstantly looking at watch during group


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Praise

Not too effusive

More often than negative reinforcement

Must up in offenders who are acting out tokeep balance


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Self-disclosure

Puts focus on therapistBlurs professional boundariesAllows manipulation and even blackmail

by high risk offendersCauses lost souls to take care of therapist


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Self-disclosure

Borderline clients lose all boundariesFosters client comparison with therapistDecreases projection

Takes time from client issues


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The Funnel

Learning a New Skill

Nonsexual examples

Sexual but other sex offenders

Relating to their offenses


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Boundaries of

Developmentally NormativeSexual Behavior

tri-county 11.19.11 process

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