The Role of Empathy in Shaping the Lives of Justice-Involved Men

Empathy is a crucial component of the evolving masculine paradigm, which recognizes that men can be nurturing, caring, and in touch with their emotions without diminishing their masculinity.

Across society, too many men struggle with showing empathy and report having very few meaningful relationships in their lives. Particularly, men in the criminal justice system often find it difficult to connect with their emotions, perceiving it as a sign of weakness. Many of these individuals have faced significant adversity growing up. It is no surprise, then, that men struggle to experience and express empathy towards others. However, treatment programs often demand that these men be able to demonstrate empathic capacity, despite the obstacles they have faced in developing and expressing it.

$50

Our Safe Haven: Addressing the Complexities of Sex Trafficking

Has your work been affected by sex trafficking? Do you work with individuals who have been trafficked or those who have engaged in trafficking? Or would you simply like to deepen your understanding of these issues?

Join us for these Our Safe Haven sessions, where we delve into the stresses and solutions of navigating such challenging situations. These sessions provide a secure and supportive environment for professionals to engage in meaningful dialogue, share experiences, and collectively work toward prevention, protection, and rehabilitation for those affected by human trafficking. Our hosts, Katie and David, are seasoned professionals in the field who empathize with the hurdles you face and are here to help guide you through.

$8

Addressing Sexual Violence in Indigenous Communities

This free webinar addresses colonization and historical trauma experienced by Native American and First Nations peoples. It offers innovative strategies for incorporating this knowledge into prevention and intervention efforts. The speakers emphasize the need for non-Indigenous practitioners to approach their work from a decolonizing and trauma-informed perspective. Additionally, the speakers encourage participants to explore the idea of incorporating traditional cultural healing practices into their professional practice and collaborating with Indigenous spiritual advisors and elders. The open-dialogue format ensures that all perspectives are welcomed and respected.

Tasha Mousseau, the Chief Officer of Advancement and Tribal Relations at Friends of the Children, shares her perspective based on her Wichita, Kiowa, and Caddo heritage. Her work focuses on supporting Indigenous communities, with a particular focus on supporting youths and fostering community growth.

Chris Lobanov-Rostovsky and Dr. Lawrence Ellerby contribute their experiences as allies dedicated to supporting Indigenous people and communities in preventing sexual offenses and re-offenses.

Join us for this conversation on addressing sexual violence in Native American and First Nations communities, where we’ll explore culturally responsive approaches to healing and prevention.

Free

Evidenced-Based Community Supervision of Individuals Convicted of Sexual Crimes: Applying RNR and Trauma-Informed Principles in Your Practice

Improve your case management of adults convicted of sexual crimes by implementing the principles of risk, need, and responsivity (RNR) and trauma-informed care (TIC). Jurisdictions in many countries have implemented supervision strategies that align with the principles of effective correctional rehabilitation. However, due to public scrutiny, it is not always clear how to effectively apply RNR to supervision decisions or how to incorporate RNR and TIC into practices that are primarily aimed at reducing the risk of re-offense. This online training addresses how to effectively integrate RNR, TIC, and risk reduction practices.

$120

Compassion, Research, and “Wilsonisms”: Celebrating Dr. Robin Wilson’s 40 Years in the Field

In this webinar, host David Prescott joins Dr. Wilson to reflect on his remarkable 40-year career and explore the field’s current state and where the future might lead. Join us in honoring Dr. Wilson’s dedication to advancing our understanding of sexual violence. His work has significantly enhanced our knowledge, the creation of safer communities, and the development of more effective rehabilitation strategies around the world.

Free

Our Safe Haven: Encountering Cases of Sibling Sexual Abuse

Working with family and other caregivers after sexual abuse has occurred entails navigating significant challenges. Professionals in this field, despite being invaluable, often go without due recognition. Sexual abuse by siblings, commonly seen in our field, underscores the need for comprehensive guidance for facilitating resolution and supporting families in their journey toward reconciliation and recovery—a resource that is often in short supply.

To the dedicated professionals supporting individuals who perpetrate abuse and encounter cases of sibling sexual abuse, we see you. We recognize the challenges you navigate with limited resources.

Join us for an upcoming Our Safe Haven session, where Linda Valenta joins David Prescott from Australia to discuss the challenges inherent in this line of work. Engage in open discussions, offer support, and be supported!

$8

Using the American Psychological Association’s Guide for Inclusive Language

In October 2023, the American Psychological Association (APA) released the second edition of its Inclusive Language Guide. In support of cultural inclusivity, it outlines the differences between person-first and identity-first language and challenges all professionals to consider how they use respectful and culturally sensitive language with their clients and in communications about their clients.

Person-first and identity-first language are important because they can have a significant impact on how individuals are perceived and treated. For example, the Inclusive Language Guide recommends avoiding the use of stigmatizing language when referring to individuals involved in the criminal justice system. Instead of using the words “criminal” or “offender,” we should instead use more neutral language. This can include “person with a history of involvement in the criminal justice system.” The recommendations in the guide aim to promote inclusivity and respect for all individuals, regardless of their history.

$60

Our Safe Haven: Supporting Youths Through the Complexities of Sexually Explicit Media

Practitioners and parents alike have seen the dramatic increase of sexually explicit media (SEM) across various digital platforms, extending beyond traditional adult websites to social media and mainstream online spaces. This presents new challenges for parents, educators, and health professionals in guiding adolescents and children through their media consumption.

As media outlets evolve to keep viewers engaged, so too must our approaches to media literacy and education for young people. However, professionals and caregivers face many challenges when teaching youths how to be sophisticated consumers of media:

The sensitive and controversial nature of pornography
How easily accessible SEM is online
Lack of comprehensive sex education curriculums
Rapidly evolving digital landscape
Combating misinformation and unrealistic/harmful sexual scenarios
Potential legal concerns
Addressing compulsive behaviors
Promoting critical thinking
In summary, the prevalence of online pornography, discomfort discussing sex, lack of resources, and the harmful content itself make it very challenging for professionals and caregivers to effectively teach youths about these issues.

Join us for an upcoming Our Safe Haven session, featuring a discussion moderated by Seth Wescott and David Prescott. These sessions provide a forum for professional dialogue on the challenges associated with SEM and its dangerous impacts on youths.

$8.00

Our Safe Haven: Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Clients and Providers

We invite mental health providers who are allies for LGBTQ+ clients, as well as LGBT+ practitioners, to participate in our upcoming “Our Safe Haven” session series. These gatherings provide a space for open dialogue and shared insights on how to establish and sustain safe spaces for individuals with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

During each session, we explore several discussion topics, including but not limited to:

Stress, including the chronic social pressures faced by stigmatized minority groups.
Professional biases, including those faced by both LGBTQ+ clients and practitioners
Resources for specialized knowledge and training
Ethical and professional challenges
Creating and maintaining safe spaces for clients and providers can be daunting, often feeling overwhelming. However, by fostering collaboration and mutual learning, we can create supportive environments for our work and ourselves.

$8

Using the New Edition of Becoming the Man I Want to Be: A Good Lives Model Workbook for Adult Males with Problematic Behaviors

Using the Good Lives Model, the Becoming the Man I Want to Be workbook was written to be engaging for clients whose adverse childhood experiences and problem behaviors have caused them to fall behind academically, socially, and interpersonally throughout their lives. After attending this training, participants will better understand how to use the workbook in treatment. The training begins by reviewing the core principles of the GLM and then offers ideas for how clinicians and counselors can use each section of the workbook—in particular, the chapters that are new to the second edition. Central to this training is its focus on dovetailing the GLM and the workbook with Motivational Interviewing skills and the principles of Trauma-Informed Care.

$55

Our Safe Haven: Supporting Youths Through the Complexities of Sexually Explicit Media

Practitioners and parents alike have seen the dramatic increase of sexually explicit media (SEM) across various digital platforms, extending beyond traditional adult websites to social media and mainstream online spaces. This presents new challenges for parents, educators, and health professionals in guiding adolescents and children through their media consumption.

As media outlets evolve to keep viewers engaged, so too must our approaches to media literacy and education for young people. However, professionals and caregivers face many challenges when teaching youths how to be sophisticated consumers of media:

The sensitive and controversial nature of pornography
How easily accessible SEM is online
Lack of comprehensive sex education curriculums
Rapidly evolving digital landscape
Combating misinformation and unrealistic/harmful sexual scenarios
Potential legal concerns
Addressing compulsive behaviors
Promoting critical thinking
In summary, the prevalence of online pornography, discomfort discussing sex, lack of resources, and the harmful content itself make it very challenging for professionals and caregivers to effectively teach youths about these issues.

Join us for an upcoming Our Safe Haven session, featuring a discussion moderated by Seth Wescott and David Prescott. These sessions provide a forum for professional dialogue on the challenges associated with SEM and its dangerous impacts on youths.

$8.00

Our Safe Haven: Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Clients and Providers

We invite mental health providers who are allies for LGBTQ+ clients, as well as LGBT+ practitioners, to participate in our upcoming “Our Safe Haven” session series. These gatherings provide a space for open dialogue and shared insights on how to establish and sustain safe spaces for individuals with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

During each session, we explore several discussion topics, including but not limited to:

Stress, including the chronic social pressures faced by stigmatized minority groups.
Professional biases, including those faced by both LGBTQ+ clients and practitioners
Resources for specialized knowledge and training
Ethical and professional challenges
Creating and maintaining safe spaces for clients and providers can be daunting, often feeling overwhelming. However, by fostering collaboration and mutual learning, we can create supportive environments for our work and ourselves.

$8

Clinical Supervision of Professionals Treating Sexual Aggression

Clinical supervision is a crucial component in the field of psychotherapy. It can involve educating newer clinicians on methods and models, helping them improve their practice in different directions, providing support and encouragement, and helping supervisees manage the inevitable reactions they have to clients’ historical behaviors. Dr. Must and Mr. Prescott’s training provides supervisors with the tools and knowledge necessary to excel in their roles within the field, ultimately contributing to improved client care and clinician development.

$50

Engagement: Mastering Empathic Listening & Compassionate Practice

This is the first module in this mini course, which takes a deep dive into the heart of compassionate communication. As all seasoned professionals know, engaging clients in conversations about change is not easy. Further, while we often think of engagement as something that happens at the start of treatment, keeping clients engaged throughout the treatment experience is critical to success. This module focuses on skills for building and maintaining therapeutic engagement with clients whose lives have been characterized by adversity and distrust, thus revealing the transformative power of listening as a full-body experience.

$50.00

Our Safe Haven: Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Clients and Providers

We invite mental health providers who are allies for LGBTQ+ clients, as well as LGBT+ practitioners, to participate in our upcoming “Our Safe Haven” session series. These gatherings provide a space for open dialogue and shared insights on how to establish and sustain safe spaces for individuals with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

During each session, we explore several discussion topics, including but not limited to:

Stress, including the chronic social pressures faced by stigmatized minority groups.
Professional biases, including those faced by both LGBTQ+ clients and practitioners
Resources for specialized knowledge and training
Ethical and professional challenges
Creating and maintaining safe spaces for clients and providers can be daunting, often feeling overwhelming. However, by fostering collaboration and mutual learning, we can create supportive environments for our work and ourselves.

$8

How Sex Positivity Improves Sexual Offense-Specific Treatment

Adopting a sex-positive outlook enables supportive and nonjudgmental discussions with clients. Dr. Bud Ballinger—clinical and forensic psychologist with extensive experience in the assessment, treatment, and risk management of individuals who engage in sexually abusive behavior—designed this training to:

Explore the Origins of Sex-Negativity: Understand the historical context and development of sex-negative attitudes.
Enhance Treatment through Sex-Positive Perspectives: Explain how and why developing a sex-positive perspective can improve treatment.
Challenge Personal Beliefs and Biases: Engage in self-reflection to identify and challenge personal beliefs and biases about sex that may hinder treatment.
Develop and Implement Ethical Decision-Making Skills: Gain practical strategies for helping clients develop skills for informed and ethical decision-making regarding sex, sexual media, and pornography use.
Promote Healthy Sexual Behavior: Establish the goal of treatment as fostering sexual behaviors that are healthy for each client.

$50.00

Our Safe Haven: Supporting Youths Through the Complexities of Sexually Explicit Media

Practitioners and parents alike have seen the dramatic increase of sexually explicit media (SEM) across various digital platforms, extending beyond traditional adult websites to social media and mainstream online spaces. This presents new challenges for parents, educators, and health professionals in guiding adolescents and children through their media consumption.

As media outlets evolve to keep viewers engaged, so too must our approaches to media literacy and education for young people. However, professionals and caregivers face many challenges when teaching youths how to be sophisticated consumers of media:

The sensitive and controversial nature of pornography
How easily accessible SEM is online
Lack of comprehensive sex education curriculums
Rapidly evolving digital landscape
Combating misinformation and unrealistic/harmful sexual scenarios
Potential legal concerns
Addressing compulsive behaviors
Promoting critical thinking
In summary, the prevalence of online pornography, discomfort discussing sex, lack of resources, and the harmful content itself make it very challenging for professionals and caregivers to effectively teach youths about these issues.

Join us for an upcoming Our Safe Haven session, featuring a discussion moderated by Seth Wescott and David Prescott. These sessions provide a forum for professional dialogue on the challenges associated with SEM and its dangerous impacts on youths.

$8.00

Ambivalence / Duality: Mastering Empathic Listening & Compassionate Practice

This is the second module in this mini course, which takes a deep dive into the heart of compassionate communication. We have all felt two ways about making difficult changes in our lives. This module examines the components of intrinsic motivation, which plays a key role in our ability and willingness to enact meaningful change.

$50.00

Evidence-Based Strategies for Treating Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Who Sexually Harm

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who cause sexual harm present unique challenges that often go unaddressed by well-intentioned treatment providers and programs. This training, led by Dr. Kim Spence, a seasoned professional with 25 years of experience in this field, equips attendees with techniques to effectively support clients with ASD who have exhibited sexually harmful behavior.

Through case examples, the training emphasizes common vulnerabilities and co-morbid conditions experienced by clients with ASD, highlighting the intricate interplay between their neurodivergence and the manifestation of sexually harmful behavior. Attendees gain teaching methods that foster appropriate social interactions between clients with ASD and their peers, paving the way for positive behavior change.

Building Culturally Competent Assessment and Treatment

Since 2014, the Impact of Race and Culture Assessment (IRCA) has been assisting Canadian courts in arriving at more just sentences for people of African descent. IRCAs are assessments that consider an individual’s experience with racism, discrimination, and cultural factors in the context of their offending behavior. By systematically gathering information on the historical and contemporary impact of race and culture, IRCAs provide a richer, multi-dimensional understanding of individuals that can inform more effective rehabilitation and reintegration strategies. They were originally designed to address “race blindness” in sentencing, which has resulted in the overrepresentation of Blacks in the carceral system—best viewed as a symptom of systemic racism. Since the introduction of IRCA, the implications of having culturally competent assessments at sentencing have been felt in other settings.

During the training, Mr. Wright explores the history and context behind the development of IRCAs and how they are being increasingly adopted by the criminal justice system. Through interactive discussion and case examples, participants gain practical knowledge on how to interpret and apply the information gathered through IRCAs to build cultural competence at both an individual and organizational level. Specific implications for culturally informed assessment and treatment of Black people who have committed sexual offenses are examined. The training also provides considerations on the DSM-5 Cultural Formulation Interview.

$120

Change Talk – Hopes and Dreams: Mastering Empathic Listening & Compassionate Practice

This is the third module in this mini course, which takes a deep dive into the heart of compassionate communication. Research has found that the way clients talk about change can be the best predictor of treatment outcomes. This module explores the often-subtle language that indicates a client’s growing readiness to undertake challenging changes.

$50.00

Enhancing Mental Health Support for LGBTQ+ Youths

Compared to their peers, LGTBQ+ youths experience disproportionate rates of adversity and trauma, including child maltreatment. Well-intended professionals who do not know or understand best practices risk unintentionally perpetuating harm. This webinar serves as a starting point for bridging the knowledge gap and fostering informed discussions.

In this 90-minute session, host David Prescott brings together a panel of mental health providers who either serve LGBTQ+ youths or identify as LGBTQ+ themselves to explore:

Characteristics of allyship within the mental health field
Common challenges faced when providing mental health services to LGBTQ+ youths and their families
Strategies for delivering affirming and inclusive care

Free

Beyond Motivational Interviewing: Mastering Empathic Listening & Compassionate Practice

This is the fourth module in this mini course, which takes a deep dive into the heart of compassionate communication. Motivational interviewing is an excellent way to connect with people on a deeper level, helping them to make positive changes while becoming a more compassionate and empathetic person yourself. This module focuses on critical questions that will help you refine your approach and make a lasting impact

$50.00

Our Safe Haven: Addressing the Complexities of Sex Trafficking

Has your work been affected by sex trafficking? Do you work with individuals who have been trafficked or those who have engaged in trafficking? Or would you simply like to deepen your understanding of these issues?

Join us for these Our Safe Haven sessions, where we delve into the stresses and solutions of navigating such challenging situations. These sessions provide a secure and supportive environment for professionals to engage in meaningful dialogue, share experiences, and collectively work toward prevention, protection, and rehabilitation for those affected by human trafficking. Our hosts, Katie and David, are seasoned professionals in the field who empathize with the hurdles you face and are here to help guide you through.

$8