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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.

David Prescott designed this course to explore the core principles behind effective assessment and treatment. Highlights include:

• Understanding the developmental and contextual factors that influence adolescent sexual behavior, including emotional, psychological, and environmental dynamics
• Reviewing the latest research on what works—and what doesn’t—in both assessment and intervention
• Applying the principles of effective rehabilitation (risk, need, and responsivity) and developing the qualities of a skilled treatment provider
• Conducting thorough risk and needs assessments, including practical interviewing techniques and guidance for writing meaningful reports
• Implementing effective treatment approaches, including the Good Lives Model, Motivational Interviewing, and Feedback-Informed Treatment, to foster therapeutic engagement and support positive change
• Navigating special considerations for diverse populations and different treatment environments, while maintaining professional boundaries and upholding ethical standards

Grounded in the latest research and informed by decades of experience, this course provides professionals with conceptual frameworks and practical tools necessary to engage with adolescents who have sexual behavior problems. Participation not only supports individual competence but also contributes to the broader goals of client well-being, community safety, and the ongoing evolution of professional standards in this area of practice.

As a result of participating in this course, attendees will be better able to:
1) Summarize historical approaches to treating abusive sexual behaviors by youths.
2) Explain the importance of working with youths’ families.
3) Examine the role of abuse-related sexual interests, where applicable, in sex crimes by adolescents.
4) Explain the relevance of early-onset, as opposed to adolescent-onset, behavior problems.
5) Describe the difference between risk and protective factors.
6) Describe the core components of a comprehensive assessment (e.g., assessment tools and clinical interviewing considerations)
7) Compare the available assessment measures specific to youths who have abused
8) Explain different domains that contribute to risk for offending
9) Develop an intake interview with an adolescent with problematic sexual behaviors
10) Describe the qualities of a high-quality assessment report
11) Design treatment plans for adolescents
12) Apply the “going upstream” method of finding personally meaningful client goals.
13) Differentiate “approach goals” in treatment planning14) Describe ten “primary human goods” or “good life goals” that appear to be relevant to all human beings
15) Explain how these good life goals can be implicated in sexual abuse by adolescents.
16) Describe how early adversity can develop into risk factors
17) Use scaling questions for assessing internal motivation to achieve good life goals

Student discounts available!
Click here to learn more.

Presenter

David Prescott, LCSW, ATSA-F
Director, Safer Society Continuing Education Center

A mental health practitioner of 40 years, David Prescott is the Director of the Safer Society Continuing Education Center. He is the author and editor of 25 books in the areas of understanding and improving services to at-risk clients. He is best known for his work in the areas of understanding, assessing, and treating sexual violence and trauma. Mr. Prescott is the recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Contribution award from the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse (ATSA), the 2018 recipient of the National Adolescent Perpetration Network’s C. Henry Kempe Lifetime Achievement award, and the 2022 recipient of the Fay Honey Knopp Award from the New York State Alliance for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse and New York State ATSA. He also served as ATSA President in 2008-09. Mr. Prescott currently trains and lectures around the world. His published work has been translated into Japanese, Korean, German, French, Polish, and Southern Tutchone. He has served on the editorial boards of four scholarly journals.

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