Definitions and General Information:
Sexual Offender Treatment:
Sexual offender treatment involves a process of individual counseling, sexual offender risk assessment, arousal conditioning, group therapy, family therapy, psycho-educational training, and the application of mental health counseling techniques and methods. Sexual offender treatment (counseling) is comprehensive and usually requires a series of counseling sessions over an extended period of time, generally weekly and over several years. Treatment of sexual offenders is generally most effective when mandated as an integral component of effective community supervision. The most acceptable and effective approaches, for the treatment of sexual offenders, currently utilize cognitive/behavioral treatment with relapse prevention training.
Treatment intervention is focused on assisting the offender to accept responsibility for his actions, increase recognition of offending patterns, institute change in the offender, and manage the offender’s deviant thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. The focus of contemporary intervention techniques is designed to assist sexual offenders in maintaining control of sexual deviant behaviors and thoughts throughout his/her life. Sexual offender treatment implies that through the treatment (counseling) process, a sexual offender will acquire the ability to reduce his risk to others and become a more productive citizen of society. The treatment of sexual offenders typically involves every aspect of the offender’s life and includes his/her family and significant others. Group treatment is the most common method for sexual offenders. Group treatment is a therapeutic process that involves therapeutic direction, group input, group cohesion, group dynamics, and therapeutic support. Out patient, community based treatment generally assigns 5 – 10 sexual offenders per group with 1 – 2 therapist. Having more than 10 group members is not recommended. Groups should not exceed 12 group members. When there are 10 – 12 offenders in a group, there should be at least two therapists, with at least one therapist being a Registered Clinical Sexual Offender Treatment Provider.
Psycho-educational classes can be very helpful as an adjunct or an introduction to treatment. Such classes are usually short term, for a few sessions, or offered intermittently through out the treatment process. Psycho-educational classes may be facilitated by one therapist, but should not exceed 15-18 offenders in a class. Psycho-educational classes are different than treatment groups in that psycho-educational classes have an instructor and provide information to the offender and/or his significant others. A psycho-educational class is a component of treatment, but is not treatment in and of it self. Psycho-educational classes are inadequate without a more comprehensive treatment approach.
Not all sexual offenders are appropriate for group treatment and may need individual, marital, family, behavioral modification, substance abuse, or psychiatric treatment. In order for the treatment of sexual offenders to be adequate and appropriate, treatment providers should use a variety of treatment methods. Since sexual offenders are heterogeneous, one method should not be used exclusively for all sexual offenders. Due to the intricate and technical aspects of the appropriate and effective application of current treatment techniques for sexual offenders, mental health professionals should have several hours of experience with up-to-date training regarding sexual offenders.
Risk Assessment (Mental
Health Evaluation):
A Risk Assessment (Mental Health Evaluation) should be conducted on every
sexual offender before treatment is applied. “Risk Assessment” for this
registry is also referred to as a Mental Health Evaluation, A Clinical
Risk Assessment, or an Empirically Guided Risk Assessment. A Risk
Assessment is one of the most important and most frequent task required of
those working with sexual offenders. Formal Risk Assessments are needed
for many important decisions, including sentencing, family reunification,
conditional release, and civil commitment. Effective Risk Assessment can
also assist in the case management and treatment of sexual offenders. A
thorough Clinical Risk Assessment generally includes individual clinical
interviews with the sexual offender, interviews with his/her family or
significant others, objective testing, psychometric testing, psycho-sexual
testing, risk checklist, behavioral checklist, personality checklist,
polygraph exams, the examination of actuarial and dynamic factors, and a
review of past criminal behavior and social history. In addition to an
initial risk assessment, sexual offenders should be assessed periodically
through out their treatment and supervision process. An offender’s
self-report should be collaborated when ever possible, and assessment
tools used should be consistent with current instruments accepted and
validated in the field of sexual offender assessment.
Psychiatric (Pharmacological) Treatment:
For the purpose of this registry “psychiatric treatment” with sexual offenders is defined as the utilization of diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of mental disorders including, but not limited to, mood disorders, anxiety, ADHD disorders, schizophrenic and other psychotic disorders, dissociative disorders, and sexual interest suppression. “Psychiatric treatment” is often seen as a necessary adjunct to sexual offender treatment but should not be prescribed exclusively as “sexual offender treatment” and should not be applied independently. Conversely sexual offender treatment should not be viewed as capable of treating all sexual offenders or mental disorders without the inclusion of psychiatric evaluation and treatment for some offenders.
Psychiatric treatment providers are often necessary in the overall management of sexual offenders and many psychiatrists provide psychiatric consultation and prescribe pharmacological treatment for sexual offenders but do not provide sexual offender treatment. Subsequently, those psychiatric providers who do not provide sexual offender treatment, but provide consultation and pharmacological treatment for offenders, do not necessarily require the same level of training or treatment experience with sexual offenders as sexual offender treatment providers. Psychiatric providers are listed separately than Registered Clinical Sexual Offender Treatment Providers. Some Psychiatrists may be listed as Registered Clinical Sexual Offender Treatment Providers and Registered Sexual Offender Psychiatric Providers.
Registered Clinical
Sexual Offender Treatment Providers:
Registered Sexual Offender Treatment Providers are licensed Louisiana
mental health professionals who report to meet the criteria established by
the State of Louisiana Interagency Council for the Prevention of Sex
Offenses and follow the ethical standards, guidelines, and principles of
the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA). These
providers report to meet a higher level of experience and training in the
area of assessment and treatment of sexual offenders. They provide
individual, family, and group counseling for sexual offenders.
Registered Sexual Offender Psychiatric Treatment Providers.
Registered Sexual Offender
Psychiatric Treatment Providers:
Registered
Sexual Offender Psychiatric Treatment Providers are licensed psychiatrists
in the State of Louisiana who provide medication and psychiatric
intervention for sexual offenders. Registered Sexual Offender
Psychiatric Treatment Providers provide medication and psychiatric
evaluation for sexual offenders for specific issues such as depression,
anxiety, suppression of deviant arousal, and other mental disorders. A
licensed psychiatrist is not exempt from the required hours to be a
Registered Clinical Sexual Offender Treatment Provider. Registered
Clinical Sexual Offender Treatment Providers can provide mental health
counseling in tandem with, in addition to, or independently from
Registered Sexual Offender Psychiatric Treatment Providers.
Policies for Providers:
It is
acceptable for individuals listed in this registry to refer to themselves
as Registered Clinical Sexual Offender Treatment Providers and/or
Registered Sexual Offender Psychiatric Treatment Providers. It would be
inappropriate and misleading for an individual to list initials or letters
after their name such as RCSOTP or RSOPTP. Listing letters could imply
that the registry is a certification, licensing, or endorsement from the
state and would be an inaccurate portrayal of the registry and its intent.
Purpose of Separate
Listings:
The reason the registry has listed Registered Clinical Sexual Offender
Treatment Providers separately from Registered
Sexual Offender Psychiatric Treatment Providers is that many sexual
offenders need to enroll in Sexual Offender Treatment and receive
psychiatric intervention. Psychiatrists may not necessarily need the
experience in hours in order to prescribe medication and provide
evaluation for psychiatric problems. Involving psychiatric
intervention as a component of the sexual offender treatment program could
be critical for the overall protection of society. It would be
inappropriate to suggest that some sexual offenders do not need
medications after they have demonstrated significant psychiatric and/or
high-risk patterns that would warrant additional psychiatric attention.
It would be equally inappropriate for a sexual offender to receive
psychiatric intervention (medications) exclusively without a more
comprehensive structured sexual offender approach.
Hard-Copy Registry Application Forms (For reference only - Not for submission)
- Registered Clinical Sexual Offender Treatment Provider Application
- Registered Psychiatric Sexual Offender Treatment Provider Application
- Associate Professionals and Individuals Application
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