Groups That Welcome and Engage helps professionals across community behavioral health, residential treatment, education, and corrections build confidence and skill in leading effective group sessions. Trainers Ali Hall and Kristin Dempsey explore the purpose, dynamics, and stages of group work, emphasizing how Motivational Interviewing can structure group processes from initial engagement through sustained behavior change. Participants will learn to choose appropriate group types, enhance engagement, manage conflict, and tailor interventions to diverse needs and goals. This training offers practical strategies and resources for creating groups that truly connect with and support their members—ideal for professionals at all experience levels.

Developing and maintaining healthy relationships is a central aspect of treatment for sexual offending. Relationships shape how individuals see themselves, connect with others, and find meaning and accountability in their lives. Yet for many people who have caused harm, the path toward genuine intimacy, trust, and empathy can be filled with obstacles. Professionals working in this field face unique challenges in helping clients develop their capacity for closeness while addressing fears, misunderstandings, and past traumas that affect connection. This work invites both professionals and clients to rethink what healthy relationships can look like in all their diversity and complexity.

Building on these ideas, we invite you to join us for this series of professional dialogues moderated by Jay Herman, LCSW, and David Prescott, LICSW. These sessions provide a space to discuss and explore the complexities of relationships through historical and structural lenses, including what professionals and clients can learn from both monogamy and non-monogamy.

The “Stressors and Motivators Among Professionals Treating Clients Who Have Sexually Abused” survey, conducted by Safer Society Foundation, examines how stressors and motivators shape the professional experiences of those working with individuals with histories of sexual abuse towards others. The survey responded to growing concerns about workforce sustainability and the need to highlight not only the challenges of this work, but also the powerful sources of meaning and satisfaction that sustain professionals in the field. Among its key findings, the survey revealed that while burnout and professional strain remain widespread, respondents emphasized that profound personal rewards play a critical role in fostering resilience and job satisfaction.​

In this webinar, the survey’s authors—David S. Prescott, Stacey Zolondek Ginesin, & Sarah Snow Haskell—guide a discussion into the findings, exploring how stress and motivation intersect in professional practice.

In this Our Safe Haven, we invite you to join Robin Cooper and David Prescott to explore how personal and professional beliefs about sexuality influence our work, client relationships, and the broader field. Each session begins with a focused review of how sexuality beliefs influence professional practice, evolving naturally into an engaging, attendee-driven conversation shaped by shared experiences and professional insights: Session 03: Let’s Talk Managing Transference and Boundaries: Discuss how clients may unconsciously project feelings from past relationships onto professionals and explore strategies for recognizing these patterns, maintaining healthy boundaries, and supporting effective treatment.

Empathic workplace leadership is fundamental to effective treatment and supervision, especially when the work can cause trauma in the professionals doing that work. When staff work in high-pressure environments, a leadership approach grounded in empathy can inspire professionals to be their best. However, the results of a recent Safer Society survey on workplace stressors and motivators highlight a critical issue: professionals working to prevent abuse often view management as a greater source of stress than of support.

Presenters Anette Birgersson and Christin Santiago—professionals with extensive experience in all aspects of leadership—developed this training to address this challenge directly. Their work underscores that empathic, trauma-informed leadership is essential not only for supporting professionals but also for enhancing staff retention, building trust and resilience throughout an organization, and delivering consistent, effective services to clients.

Dr. Melissa Bright, Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Violence Prevention Research, has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between research and practice through collaboration among practitioners, community stakeholders, and scientists. In this webinar, she discusses her findings on preventing sexual abuse and violence against women in areas such as sports, school-based education, and among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dr. Bright explores how scientific study can clarify complex societal issues and strengthen the impact of prevention efforts. She also reflects on the professional meaning she has found through building partnerships that transform research into real-world strategies for saving lives.

Individuals convicted of sexual offenses who are mandated to treatment often pose clinical, ethical, and motivational challenges, especially when they deny their offenses. Clinicians must balance accountability with empathy, finding ways to foster engagement and promote meaningful change despite denial and resistance.

The Rockwood Psychotherapy and Consulting Services program in Ontario created an evidence-informed approach tailored to this population. In this training, Dr. Liam Marshall explains the theory and practice behind Rockwood’s model, highlighting effective practitioner traits and strategies to overcome engagement barriers while addressing the ethical and clinical complexities of working with individuals who deny offending.

Developing and maintaining healthy relationships is a central aspect of treatment for sexual offending. Relationships shape how individuals see themselves, connect with others, and find meaning and accountability in their lives. Yet for many people who have caused harm, the path toward genuine intimacy, trust, and empathy can be filled with obstacles. Professionals working in this field face unique challenges in helping clients develop their capacity for closeness while addressing fears, misunderstandings, and past traumas that affect connection. This work invites both professionals and clients to rethink what healthy relationships can look like in all their diversity and complexity.

Building on these ideas, we invite you to join us for this series of professional dialogues moderated by Jay Herman, LCSW, and David Prescott, LICSW. These sessions provide a space to discuss and explore the complexities of relationships through historical and structural lenses, including what professionals and clients can learn from both monogamy and non-monogamy.