Continuing Education Center

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

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.