Continuing Education Center

The Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA) is an actuarial risk assessment tool used to assess the likelihood of adults with histories of assaulting an intimate partner re-offending in the future. It is designed to be used by police, victim services, health care, and correctional agencies as well as professionals such as psychologists and other professionals who conduct risk assessments and provide treatment planning for domestic violence programs. In this training, Dr. Hilton and Ms. Gotch (as trainer in training) review the development, scoring, and interpretation of the ODARA. This includes an overview of validation and calibration studies by Dr. Hilton and by independent researchers. The trainers discuss the applicability of the ODARA for assessment of risk for future intimate partner violence (IPV) recidivism in men and women with a history of physical IPV offending. They go on to cover risk communication methods and use of the ODARA in criminal justice and victim service settings.

With the increasing occurrence of adult autism diagnoses, there is a growing need for evaluators, treatment providers, and parole and probation officers with the skills to work with this population. Presenter Tiffany Looney MS, LPC, CCSOT developed this training to address the gaps in our understanding of autism spectrum disorder and their implications for clinical and supervisory practices.

In this training, participants develop an understanding of the neurobiological differences of the autistic brain, the social model of disability, and what it means to be neurodiversity-affirming. Ms. Looney discusses reasons why autistic persons sexually offend, how their reasons may differ from those of their non-autistic peers, and how this impacts our understanding of risk, treatment needs, and effective supervision of these clients. She further describes key areas of autistic functioning, differentiating between autistic meltdown, shutdown, and burnout, as well as other effects of autism on mental and physical health, executive and adaptive functioning, and sensory processing.

In this training, Certified Trainer Katie Gotch provides a thorough overview of the Static-99R, including its development, scoring system, and application in various settings. Participants learn how to score each of the ten items, with scores ranging from -3 to 12, and understand how these scores categorize individuals into five distinct risk levels: very low, below average, average, above average, and well above average risk.

The training also covers the predictive validity of the Static-99R and its appropriate use in forensic settings. Case studies are utilized to enhance understanding and facilitate skill development throughout the training.

In this training, Certified Trainer Katie Gotch provides a thorough overview of the Static-99R, including its development, scoring system, and application in various settings. Participants learn how to score each of the ten items, with scores ranging from -3 to 12, and understand how these scores categorize individuals into five distinct risk levels: very low, below average, average, above average, and well above average risk.

The training also covers the predictive validity of the Static-99R and its appropriate use in forensic settings. Case studies are utilized to enhance understanding and facilitate skill development throughout the training.

During this eight-hour training, Katie Gotch, LPC, CCSOT, ATSA-F, provides an overview of the development and research of the STABLE-2007 and ACUTE-2007 instruments. She explains how to score each of the measures’ items, as well as their appropriate interpretation and use within varying settings. This includes recent guidance on the use of these tools with individuals convicted of child sexual abuse material-related offenses (CSAM). To enhance learning, case studies are incorporated to provide hands-on practice and to address common scoring and administration errors.

During this eight-hour training, Katie Gotch, LPC, CCSOT, ATSA-F, provides an overview of the development and research of the STABLE-2007 and ACUTE-2007 instruments. She explains how to score each of the measures’ items, as well as their appropriate interpretation and use within varying settings. This includes recent guidance on the use of these tools with individuals convicted of child sexual abuse material-related offenses (CSAM). To enhance learning, case studies are incorporated to provide hands-on practice and to address common scoring and administration errors.

Individuals within the criminal justice system exhibit rates of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) up to five times higher than those in the general population. During this training, Dr. Piché reviews the often-startling research into ADHD, specifically focusing on people who have sexually abused and are otherwise involved in the legal system. She offers solutions to the diagnostic challenges clinicians face when attempting to understand their clients. Dr. Piché also reviews common problems that occur at the crossroads of ADHD and sexuality.

Developing comprehensive safety plans for people at risk of suicide is a vital clinical skill. However, the skill is rarely a focus of professional development efforts. This training addresses this gap by introducing the Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) (Stanley & Brown, 2012). The SPI is a brief, collaborative intervention that employs the identification of personalized strategies to aid in the prevention of escalation of suicidal crisis. With discussions and demonstrations enhancing his lecture, presenter Mark Margolis instructs attendees on the effective use of SPI as a suicide prevention intervention with at-risk clients.

In this training, Drs. Kruh and Cruise explain how the risk assessments of the past have evolved into comprehensive, structured methods for understanding and explaining a youth’s potential for harmful behavior. Narrative risk formulations are a key component of assessment and management in mental health and criminal justice settings.

Conducting interviews for the purpose of risk assessment can be akin to learning a new language. Newer members of the profession can often feel uncomfortable and even clumsy when conducting risk assessment interviews. Becoming more effective at this type of interviewing requires practice and repetition. Determining what information is relevant and utilizing the right process to obtain it can make the difference between an effective and ineffective assessment, particularly when examining dynamic risk.

In this training, Dr. Griffith and Mr. Wescott explore the elements of effective clinical interviews and the characteristics of the interviewer.

Dr. Chris Huffine, the Executive Director of Allies in Change, developed this training to provide an overview of intimate partner abuse. During this training, he explores the nuances of domestic violence, including an overview of the nature of domestic violence, an analysis of underlying causes of domestic violence, differentiation between common hurtful behaviors and abuse, and more.

Throughout the training, Dr. Huffine defines terms and provides accessible ways of understanding important concepts, such as the belief systems underlying domestic violence and the complex reasons why partners often remain in abusive relationships. Dr. Huffine then outlines effective approaches to addressing domestic violence while highlighting interventions that have proven ineffective. This training ensures participants gain a well-rounded understanding of this critical issue.

When sexual abuse among siblings occurs, parents and other caregivers often become flooded with emotions such as anger, shame, sadness, fear, confusion, disbelief, regret, helplessness, and self-blame. These feelings make it difficult for parents to determine how best to support both of their children. While research and conferences have begun addressing the treatment of families impacted by sibling abuse, there remains a significant lack of resources specifically tailored to guiding parents as they navigate their way through these complex situations.

Up to 50 % of sex-trafficked youths are male, yet they often remain overlooked in human trafficking cases. This under-recognition leads to inadequate support and identification, resulting in many male survivors not receiving the help they need. In this training, Nathan LaChine addresses this critical issue by focusing on what professionals need to know about working with males who have been trafficked in a key type of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC): the child sexual abuse material (CSAM) industry, formerly known as child pornography.

In this training, John Henden outlines various SFT techniques designed to address the six common areas of trauma aftereffects. The techniques have proven effective and transferable across many severe trauma and stress areas, including sexual violence; sudden death, mass shootings, terrorist incidents, military combat, and road accidents. During the presentation, Henden discusses specific tools and techniques that can be introduced to clients as part of the therapeutic process.

A surge in research in the past two decades has revealed that the effects of early life adversity and other forms of trauma across all age groups, including those involved in the criminal justice system, is a complex landscape in need of better understanding by treatment providers. A growing body of evidence highlights a potential disconnect between therapists' intentions to provide trauma-informed care and clients' experiences in treatment. Concepts such as "post-conviction traumatic stress," introduced by Danielle Harris and Jill Levenson, underscores the challenges faced by both practitioners and clients.

Safety planning for internet use is now a central component of the community supervision of many justice-involved clients. It is also an emerging facet of collaboration between professionals of different disciplines and their clients. Traditionally, clients with histories of sexual offenses were not allowed to have any internet access at all. However, since the internet has evolved as an accessible provider of resources that are available nowhere else, professionals and clients alike need to be more sophisticated about their use of the internet.

In this training, the presenters provide concrete ideas for how to construct effective safety plans for internet use. This includes:
- Having a conversation with clients about the safety planning process
- Using internet safety planning as a therapeutic process rather than as part of a “to-do list” in treatment
- Clarifying what is needed in a safety plan, including what aspects of the internet pose risks for different clients, and how these risks relate to other risk factors in the client’s life
- Identifying the essential components of an internet safety plan
- Considering cultural factors in safety planning
- Helping clients navigate the sexually suggestive environments of media platforms and understand their subconscious influence

Our field’s understanding of strategies to mitigate violence has evolved significantly, expanding beyond a sole focus on risk in assessment and treatment. Yet, there remains much to learn about working with clients from cultures and backgrounds different from our own. To truly prevent violence and abuse, it is essential that professionals in our field openly discuss both our current knowledge of cultural sensitivity and the gaps that remain with one another and our communities beyond. Embracing cultural humility and committing to lifelong professional growth are key to this process.

In this free training, Dr. Alexander—an expert in culturally informed practices and policies—shares valuable lessons learned and explores future directions in the treatment and prevention of violence, particularly with respect to culturally informed assessment and treatment

In this training, Amanda Pryor explores methods and techniques for engaging families experiencing these challenges, while also addressing the professionals’ own feelings of being overwhelmed. This includes how to carefully redefine one’s approach when previous providers have not been helpful, such as by shifting from interventions that may unintentionally target parents to more inclusive family support methods.

Traditional approaches to sexual offense treatment focus on suppressing or controlling sexual urges, but research and clinical experience now emphasize the importance of promoting healthy sexuality as part of rehabilitation. For individuals with histories of sexual offending, addressing issues such as sexual dysfunction, negative self-image, intimacy problems, and deviant sexual scripts in treatment, can decrease the risk of reoffending.

Unfortunately, many professionals experience discomfort and other challenges when discussing sexual topics with clients, leading to avoidance or negative messaging about sex and sexuality. Consequently, clients may not receive the support they need to explore their sexual interests, develop healthy sexual expression, and achieve treatment goals related to consensual and non-harmful sexuality.

This presentation, developed by Nikole Nassen, PhD, focuses on how professionals can address sexual topics with adults in sexual offense treatment.

In this session, Ms. Garder explores common ethical dilemmas and provides guidance for delivering effective services to those working with domestic violence survivors and those who have caused harm. She also offers skills and tools for supervising clinicians, particularly clinicians with limited experience in domestic violence. Through case examples, interactive discussion, and actionable frameworks, attendees gain insight into the challenges of balancing their desire for client safety against the reality that predicting and stopping violence is outside the clinician’s complete control.

In this training, Ms. Buckley introduces the CARE method and discusses its development. She emphasizes the importance of a person-centered approach to engagement, particularly in the treatment of justice-involved clients. These individuals often have histories of trauma, exhibit rigid cognitive styles, possess limited coping skills, and may struggle to trust professionals. Ms. Buckley explores these client characteristics and provides insight into how involvement with the criminal justice system can influence those characteristics.

The training then covers the CARE method in detail, addressing topics such as identifying triggers, building emotional intelligence, understanding intergenerational trauma, enhancing communication skills, and recognizing cognitive distortions. Ms. Buckley highlights the importance of relational dynamics, including healthy conflict resolution and the impact of substance abuse on relationships, and she suggests strategies for addressing warning signs of relational decline.

Compassion Focused Group Psychotherapy (CFGP) provides a supportive environment where clients with complex challenges can learn and practice compassion skills together, creating the conditions necessary for exploratory group psychotherapy that is especially beneficial for those who find it difficult to trust or connect with others. It has been adapted by Dr. Kate Lucre, today’s presenter, from Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) for use in a group setting. The product of Paul Gilbert, CFT integrates cognitive behavioral therapy with evolutionary psychology, social psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhist psychology.

In this training, Dr. Lucre introduces participants to practical techniques for engaging clients in the group process and facilitating therapeutic insights.

In this training, Certified Trainer Katie Gotch provides a thorough overview of the Static-99R, including its development, scoring system, and application in various settings. Participants learn how to score each of the ten items, with scores ranging from -3 to 12, and understand how these scores categorize individuals into five distinct risk levels: very low, below average, average, above average, and well above average risk.

The training also covers the predictive validity of the Static-99R and its appropriate use in forensic settings. Case studies are utilized to enhance understanding and facilitate skill development throughout the training.

In this training, Certified Trainer Katie Gotch provides a thorough overview of the Static-99R, including its development, scoring system, and application in various settings. Participants learn how to score each of the ten items, with scores ranging from -3 to 12, and understand how these scores categorize individuals into five distinct risk levels: very low, below average, average, above average, and well above average risk.

The training also covers the predictive validity of the Static-99R and its appropriate use in forensic settings. Case studies are utilized to enhance understanding and facilitate skill development throughout the training.

Clinical supervision plays a vital role in supporting new clinicians and maintaining high standards of client care. It helps to ensure the development of professional skills, encourages self-reflection, and promotes self-awareness among supervisees. Dr. Michelle Yep Martin developed this training to address the challenges and risks inherent in clinical supervision of counselors, social workers, and psychologists. The training explores the roles of the supervisor and supervisee, as well as the feedback loop between them. It reviews the codes of ethics of these three professions and describes common ethical issues in supervisory practice, including maintaining confidentiality and professionalism in the supervisory relationship.

Dr. Michelle Yep Martin has long supervised clinicians for licensure and approved provider statuses. Her approach to this material is accessible to beginning as well as more experienced supervisors.

The fields of assessing and treating women who have committed sexually motivated offenses continue to grow and evolve. The extant research literature provides an empirical basis for assessing women from a gendered perspective. This perspective is a person-centered, strength-based approach that takes into consideration how gender affects patterns of offending for women. When viewed from this perspective, women who perpetrate sexually motivated offenses require risk assessment and treatment approaches that differ from approaches used with their male counterparts. This workshop provides empirically supported guidance related to assessing and treating women who have committed sexually motivated offenses.

Dawn Pflugradt, PsyD, LP, LCSW and Bradley P. Allen, PhD, JD—two of the leading experts in this field— developed this training to highlight key research findings and provide current insights and best practices based on their decades of experience working with women who have sexually abused.

During this eight-hour training, Katie Gotch, LPC, CCSOT, ATSA-F, provides an overview of the development and research of the STABLE-2007 and ACUTE-2007 instruments. She explains how to score each of the measures’ items, as well as their appropriate interpretation and use within varying settings. This includes recent guidance on the use of these tools with individuals convicted of child sexual abuse material-related offenses (CSAM). To enhance learning, case studies are incorporated to provide hands-on practice and to address common scoring and administration errors.

During this eight-hour training, Katie Gotch, LPC, CCSOT, ATSA-F, provides an overview of the development and research of the STABLE-2007 and ACUTE-2007 instruments. She explains how to score each of the measures’ items, as well as their appropriate interpretation and use within varying settings. This includes recent guidance on the use of these tools with individuals convicted of child sexual abuse material-related offenses (CSAM). To enhance learning, case studies are incorporated to provide hands-on practice and to address common scoring and administration errors.

Reentering society after incarceration is a complex process, particularly for justice-involved individuals with histories of sexual offending, intimate partner violence, or other behaviors that place them at risk of perpetrating harm. Professionals in the field play a crucial role in supporting these individuals as they work to rebuild trust, connection, and healthy relationships. Grounded in relational, trauma-informed, and accountability-centered frameworks, this training offers participants a compassionate approach to working with justice-involved clients and the crucial skills that help prevent further harmful behavior.

Through a blend of psychoeducation, interactive discussion, and hands-on skill-building, participants learn how to accompany clients in an exploration of boundary setting, consent, attachment dynamics, shame resilience, and the impact of social stigma on relational development. Special attention is given to navigating dating, disclosure, and emotional vulnerability in ways that prioritize both client safety and community responsibility.

Staying current with best practices is essential for professionals working with adults involved in sexual offending. This free training provides an overview of advances in the field over the past half century, offering participants practical knowledge needed to prevent further offending and support clients in building lives where abuse is unnecessary and undesirable. The presenters—Katie Gotch, Seth Wescott, and David Prescott—draw on current research, practical experience, and the collective expertise of leaders in the field. Participants have the opportunity to reflect on evolving standards and consider how these changes can inform their daily practice.

This training is suitable for both new professionals entering the field and experienced professionals interested in the latest developments and practices. Participants gain a clearer understanding of how to apply evidence-based strategies in their work and contribute to safer, healthier communities.

The SAPROF-SO is a tool for assessing protective factors for individuals with a history of sexual offending, integrating with strengths-based therapeutic approaches. This tool comprises 14 items across three key subscales: Resilience, Adaptive Sexuality, and Prosocial Connection & Reward, with an optional fourth subscale, Professional Risk Management.

Renowned for its strong reliability and predictive validity for reduced sexual recidivism (e.g., Nolan et al., 2023; Willis et al., 2020), the SAPROF-SO is instrumental in guiding therapy planning and risk management strategies (Kelley et al., 2022). This workshop, presented by Gwenda Willis, David Thornton, and Sharon Kelley, offers a training opportunity for clinicians interested in learning how to score and interpret the SAPROF-SO.

As with many areas of forensic psychology and the law, living with children (LWC) evaluations pose unique challenges. Whatever their personal viewpoints regarding policy and legislation, evaluators must conform their work product to meet the requirements of the legal systems in which they operate. In conducting these assessments, evaluators must balance best practices in sexual offense risk assessments and modern research on this population with answering the specific questions required by the legal system.

Typically, a forensic evaluator comments on the risk of sexual re-offense by an individual who committed a sexual offense in broad, hypothetical contexts. In LWC evaluations, however, the evaluator must consider the examinee’s risk to a specific child. The specificity of the potential victim adds unique elements, such as potential vulnerabilities for victimization and the non-offending caregiver’s attributes and abilities.

In this training, Dr. Zachary Yeoman examines numerous aspects of LWC evaluations. He provides an overview of the legal contexts in which evaluators operate, helping them navigate areas where psychological science and the law may conflict.

Tom Leversee, LCSW—a professional with over 34 years of direct care, clinical practice, supervision, and management—developed this training to explore what is known about how adolescents come to sexually abuse. Mr. Leversee draws from his work with the U.S. Department of Justice’s SMART office, to provide an evidence-informed overview of the research into adolescent abuse, with an eye towards practical frameworks for prevention.

Effective assessment and treatment of adolescents with sexual behavior problems requires specialized knowledge, practical skills, and a commitment to best practices. Whether you are new to this area of work or an experienced professional seeking to refresh your expertise, this two-day course offers a comprehensive, research-informed overview for clinicians, social workers, juvenile justice professionals, and others working with youths in outpatient and residential settings.