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Research on youth
sexuality
1. Burton, D. & Smith-Darden, J., 1996 Nationwide Survey of Treatment Programs & Models, Brandon, VT: Safer Society Foundation, 2000. 2. Maryland Department of Health and
Mental Hygiene, The Sex Offender Treatment Provider Directory For
Maryland, Baltimore, 2003. 3.
Shaw,
J., Practice Parameters for the Assessment and Treatment
of Children and Adolescents Who Are Sexually Abusive of Others, Journal
of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 38(12
Suppl):32S-54S, 1999. 4. Steiner,
H.
& Dunne, J.E., “Summary of the
Practice Parameters for the
Assessment and
Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Conduct Disorders,”
Journal of
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
36(10suppl), 1997.
5. Zimring, F.E., An American Travesty: Legal
Responses to Adolescent Sexual Offending, Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2004.
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TREATMENT "This
all reminds me of heroic gynecology, which regarded the birth process
itself as a pathological thing. What we've got now is heroic
intervention in childhood sexuality by people who don't know what they
are talking about." As already shown, children and teenagers who engage in non-violent and non-coercive sexual behavior that is socially unacceptable are typically lumped together together with those who have engaged in abusive behavior. Older ones (age 12 and up) are labeled as juvenile sex offenders, while those under 12 are labeled as children who molest, sexually reactive children, sexualized children, sexually troubled children, or children with sexual behavior problems. Often they are pressured or mandated into treatment programs by the police, courts, or social services.
The most common treatment model is cognitive-behavioral with relapse prevention, used by 80% of U.S. juvenile sex offender programs, and 52% of programs for children. This type of treatment attempts to change the way children and teenagers think about sexual behavior (the cognitive portion), as well as to change their sexual feelings and behavior (the behavioral portion).1 While cognitive-behavioral therapy is commonly used by mainstream therapists, the way in which it is used with children here bears little resemblance to its use for those with other disorders. This is due to the criminological and adversarial approach taken by juvenile sex offender treatment providers.5 This can be seen immediately in the language used in the literature: while clients with other disorders (even those which involve commission of violent crimes) are referred to as "patients" or "children," those with sexual behavior problems are always referred to as "offenders" and "perpetrators." 3, 4 Methods vary from program to program, but the most common are relapse prevention, cognitive restructuring, victim clarification, arousal reconditioning, medication, victim restitution, aggression management, art or drama therapy, intimacy skills training, physiological monitoring (plethysmograph), and sex education.1 While some methods (such as relapse prevention, cognitive restructuring, and victim clarification) seem reasonable for children and teenagers who are truly aggressive, they are often implemented in a way that requires the youth to adopt identities as permanently defective criminals and engage in constant self-castigation. Furthermore, some of the methods (particularly sexual arousal reconditioning and use of the plethysmograph) are disturbing regardless of how they are implemented.
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When experts are wrong Casualties of war Diagnosis Lack of knowledge Confused definitions Criminalization Invalid instruments Treatment Humiliation as therapy Arousal reconditioning Dangerous drugs Sriking comparisons Sample materials Convos with providers Ethical violations Deja vu |
