Treating Harmful Sexual Behaviors from a Strengths-Based Approach: A Case Study Exploration
Strengths-based services for children, adolescents, families, and adults have become far more widely used in recent years. While much of this practice has been in response to trends in research, many professionals simply prefer to take a more positive, strengths-focused approach, particularly when working with adolescents who have caused sexual harm.
Dr. Kevin Powell has been a leading light in strengths-based work throughout his career, with an extensive record of publications and presentations on the subject. In this training, Dr. Powell describes a challenging case involving an adolescent mandated to receive sexual offense-specific treatment. He invites participants to join him in exploring the broad range of strengths-based interventions he utilized in this case, including a thorough case conceptualization, the strategies he used to enhance the client’s openness and honesty during the treatment process, and the specific challenges that occurred during the process. He ends the discussion with a summary of a 20-year follow-up of this case.
Take-aways from Dr. Powell’s training include how to:
- Build positive relationships
- Stabilize disruptive behaviors
- Manage sexually impulsive behaviors
- Promote hope and self-efficacy
- Target protective factors linked to resilience
- Enhance prosocial behaviors
- Facilitate a successful transition back into the community
By using a case-study format for this training, Dr. Powell provides an in-depth accounting of how strengths-based approaches can improve professional practice.
Interactive Follow-Up Meeting
Attendees are invited to join an open discussion 15 minutes following the end of the training, where you can engage with fellow attendees by turning on your camera and microphone. This is an opportunity to share your experiences and contribute to a meaningful exchange of ideas. Time will be allocated to address questions or insights from the training. Please note that attendance is optional and will not affect your eligibility for a training certificate.
1) Describe strengths-based approaches in the treatment of adolescents who have sexually abused
2) Formulate strengths-based case conceptualizations
3) Create plans for enhancing client openness and honesty
4) Apply specific skills for managing risk while enhancing wellbeing
5) Demonstrate successful termination of treatment
Audience
This training is primarily for professions who work with adolescents with sexually harmful behaviors. This includes therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and case managers. Clinical supervisors and program managers overseeing treatment programs will also benefit from this training.
Content Level
Disclosure
Cancellations
Continuing Education Approval
American Psychological Association (APA)
Safer Society Foundation, Inc. is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Safer Society Foundation, Inc. maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Safer Society Foundation, Inc., provider #233, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 06/06/2025—06/06/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.
Who's Presenting
Kevin M. Powell, Ph.D.
Kevin M. Powell, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, trainer, and consultant in Colorado, USA. Dr. Powell has provided assessment and treatment services to at-risk (at-promise) children, adolescents, young adults, and their families for the past three decades in schools, community-based youth service agencies, a hospital, and detention/ residential facilities. He is also an adjunct faculty at Colorado State University in the Department of Psychology where he is conducting research on protective factors associated with resilience in youth and adults (Powell, et al, 2021).
Dr. Powell has authored several book chapters and a book, A Strengths-Based Approach for Intervention with At-Risk Youth (2015). He also has a children’s book, Our Very Special Bodies (2014), which is a primary prevention tool to assist parents in reducing the risk of childhood sexual victimization. Dr. Powell presents nationally and internationally on a variety of strengths-based topics. Additional information can be found at www.kevinpowellphd.com.