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There is perhaps no more critical time for helping professionals to listen to a client than when they talk about suicide. As a professional, you want to steer the client in a different direction. But is that the best approach? During the Safer Talk webinar Building Hope and Motivation with Suicidal Clients in Criminal Justice, guest speaker Natalie Cyr suggests that perhaps the best way to help those talking about suicide is to listen to their pain and offer to accompany them toward safety.
In 2022, Miranda Galbreath posted a brief video intended for her friends and close colleagues. In it, she described her professional work with people who choose not to act on their sexual interest in children. An influential group with a well-noted political agenda took a brief section of the video out of context and reposted it widely on social media. Within days, she was publicly criticized over 72,000 times, including by a US Senator.
Therapists and counselors around the world keep sand trays within close reach and know they can be excellent tools for therapeutic engagement and work. Despite their popularity, many therapists are unaware of the range of situations in which sand trays can prove effective. For example, manipulating symbolic objects, such as trees, people, and animals in a tray filled with sand can help clients express their emotional and psychological distress.
Mental health, corrections, and child protective services professionals are commonly asked to assess the risk that a person who has sexually abused poses to a specific child and under what circumstances, if any, the abuser might safely be allowed to have contact with the child. The Risk of Sexual Abuse of Children (ROSAC: McGrath, Allin, & Cumming, 2015) is a structured professional judgment assessment instrument for conducting these types of risk of sexual abuse assessments. This one-day online training reviews the theory and research basis for the ROSAC and focuses on using case studies to assist participants in practicing how to score and use the instrument to make risk determinations and develop safety plans.
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness month. The number of people with mental illness who are incarcerated is twice the rate of the overall adult population (NAMI). To help in the prevention of suicide, we are hosting a free one-hour webinar with Senior Training Consultant and Motivational Interviewing Trainer for the Department of Justice and Public Safety, Nathalie Cyr.
The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory this year on the healing power of social connection and community. Technology has made it easier for us to stay connected, but we are facing more loneliness than ever. But there is hope. In his report, Dr. Vivek Murthy said, “each of us can start now, in our own lives, by strengthening our connections and relationships. Our individual relationships are an untapped resource—a source of healing hiding in plain sight. They can help us live healthier, more productive, and more fulfilled lives.” At Safer Society we believe in the benefits of cultivating connections and work to create networking opportunities for our community.
The Good Lives Model (GLM) has become a popular approach to the treatment of people who sexually abuse; however, substantial variation has been observed in its practical application. This three-hour online training focuses on how programs and therapists can best integrate the GLM into treatment with persons who have sexually abused. It is suitable for treatment providers and program administrators working in prison, civil commitment, and community-based settings who wish to integrate the GLM.
The evaluation and treatment of people convicted of sexual crimes has changed dramatically over the last decade. We no longer reference the containment model and have adopted more comprehensive approaches. Many programs and practitioners have worked to implement the principles of effective correctional rehabilitation (such as risk, need, and responsivity) in the treatment and management of individuals who have committed sexual offenses. However, barriers frequently arise based on where the professionals providing these services are situated. Supervising officers are often employed by a
Employment can be an important re-entry method and strong protective factor for people who have committed an offense or with a history of behavior issues. Yet many employers are unwilling to hire these individuals. By increasing employers’ understanding, we can promote inclusive hiring and healthy workplaces.
This webinar features an open dialogue with Working Fields, a staffing agency that specializes in helping people eliminate barriers to employment. We will discuss hiring people with past behavioral issues, address common misconceptions, and tackle questions from Working Fields employer partners.
Not every sex crime is reported to authorities. This simple fact has caused considerable fear in society, leading to questions about how much we really know about sexual abuse and those who perpetrate it. For those researching sex crimes, it becomes even more complicated: the rate of actual offending (both detected and undetected) appears to vary widely depending on who is being studied, how undetected sexual offending is defined, and how undetected sexual offenses are measured.