Program Goals

The goals of Interventions for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Research, Theory and Treatment are:

• Reduce a child's risk to engage in further inappropriate/abusive sexual behaviors
• Facilitate safety/prevention planning
• Improve the parent-child relationship
• Enhance emotional expressive skills and affect regulation
• Alter cognitive distortions
• Resolve issues related to past trauma and/or abuse
• Improve social skills
• Provide age appropriate psychosexual educations
• Develop accurate and positive self-perceptions

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Interventions for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Research, Theory and Treatment.

Essential Components

The essential components of Interventions for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Research, Theory and Treatment include:

• Three modalities:
• Individual
• Family
• Group therapy (5-10 participants with 2 therapists)
• Treatment framework addresses issues in eight areas of focus which include:
• Safety
• Attachment/mobilizing support systems
• Affective regulation
• Cognitive distortions
• Gradual exposure
• Social skills development
• Psychosexual education
• Self-perception/personal identify
• Treatment tailored and directed based on an assessment of the unique characteristics of the child and family:
• Safety most important area of focus
• Incorporates elements of Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Trauma-Focused Integrative Eclectic Therapy (IET) developed by William Friedrich
• Focuses primarily on children who have engaged in inappropriate or abusive sexual behaviors
• Focus for the parent/caregiver that includes:
• Increasing the frequency of positive interactions between parent(s)/caretakers and children
• Helping parent(s)/caretakers and family members develop more positive perceptions and beliefs regarding their child
• Helping parent(s)/caretakers provide adequate supervision and structure
• Educating parent(s)/caretakers about the effects of trauma and abuse
• Providing education on normative vs. problematic sexual behaviors
• Educating parent(s)/caretakers on ways to communicate about safety, boundaries, and sexuality
• Helping parent(s)/caretakers develop more effective behavioral management strategies

Program Delivery

Child/Adolescent Services

Interventions for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Research, Theory and Treatment directly provides services to children/adolescents and addresses the following:

• Engaged in inappropriate or abusive sexual behaviors

Services Involve Family/Support Structures:

This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: Parents/caretakers/family learn how to address safety issues, enhance attachments, mobilize support systems, talk to the child using appropriate terms for body parts, overall parent intensive interventions. The treatment framework does encourage the inclusion of non-offending siblings in various parts of treatment.  The clarification process between victims and family members who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviors is briefly discussed.

Parent/Caregiver Services

Interventions for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Research, Theory and Treatment directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Have a child who has engaged in inappropriate/abusive sexual behaviors, lack of adequate structure and supervision to reduce the child's risk for further problems, negative perceptions of child

Recommended Intensity:

In general, 1 hour of individual or family therapy per week in addition to 1 hour of group therapy

Recommended Duration:

Treatment is not recommended to be time limited when optional. Rather, completion of treatment is based on symptom reduction, behavioral change, and skill acquisition.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Outpatient Clinic
• Community-based Agency / Organization / Provider
• School Setting (Including: Day Care, Day Treatment Programs, etc.)

Homework

Interventions for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Research, Theory and Treatment includes a homework component:

Age appropriate homework. Various activities based on lessons learned in sessions.

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Private office, group room, office supplies (paper, markers, crayons, etc.) for activities, book which includes a CD that has predesigned activities

Manuals and Training

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Clinical license or supervision by clinician, graduation with Master's level degree from accredited school (for example, in Utah, clinicians can be LCSW, LPC, CSW supervised by LCSW, or CPC-I supervised by LPC or LCSW)

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Training Information

There is not training available for this program.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Currently, there are no published, peer-reviewed research studies for Interventions for Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: Research, Theory and Treatment.

Additional References