What Have We Learned from Research on Assessing Sexual Interests?
Please note: This webinar is not eligible for continuing education (CE) credit due to its informal, conversational format. Participants who attend the full live session will, however, receive a Certificate of Attendance.
This webinar is of interest to professionals who assess and treat adults who have sexually abused others. This includes social workers, psychologists, counselors, forensic specialists, and evaluators. This webinar may also be relevant for probation and parole officers, clinical supervisors, and organization staff who oversee standards for the assessment and treatment of people who have sexually abused.
Efforts to prevent further sexual offending have long involved examining the sexual interests and arousal patterns of those who have abused. Approaches have included psycho-physiological measures such as the penile plethysmograph and measures of viewing time. While each new development is welcome and often innovative, it also raises important questions around reliability, validity, standardization, and the interpretation of findings. Some measures may be perceived as more intrusive than others, while others are designed for use within the context of a clinical dialogue.
Mervyn Davies, the co-founder of the LOOK Assessment, has spent decades exploring what does and doesn’t work in understanding and assessing human sexuality. In this webinar, he reflects on both the progress made and the ongoing challenges, offering practical advice for newer practitioners. He reviews:
- Past efforts in using assessment measures with people convicted of sexual crimes
- The importance of using a structured measure as a basis for assessments
- The limits of our knowledge in assessing sexuality
- Methodological challenges involved in developing reliable tools
- The role of assessment in preventing violence, including sexual assault
Disclosure: This webinar is intended for information purposes only. It is not a formal training in any specific assessment tool and does not endorse any product.
Who's Presenting
Mervyn Davies, MA, ATSA-F
Mervyn Davies has an MA in counseling, was a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Addictions Counselor III, an Approved Domestic Violence Treatment Provider, an Approved Sex Offender Treatment Provider and Evaluator. He has 35 years of experience working with adult and juvenile domestic violence and sex offenders. He was a member of the Sex Offender Management Board (SOMB) from 2006 to 2018 and served as vice chair for 3 years. Mr. Davies was appointed to the Domestic Violence Offender Management Board (DVOMB) in 2013 and was very active in the development of the Colorado’s new domestic violence standards and served as Chairman from April 2017 to January 2019. Mr. Davies co-authored the Domestic Violence Risk & Needs Assessment (DVRNA) currently being utilized on all Colorado domestic violence offenders. He has done research in the areas of sexual interest and intimate partner sexual violence. He was in private practice and worked as a clinical supervisor retiring from private practice in 2020. He is a co-founder of the LOOK Assessment sexual interest test used internationally on sex offenders.
He has provided a multitude of trainings at a national level including workshops for various probation departments, state agencies, and non-profits for the past 20 years. He has been a consultant for CBS News and has appeared on the “CBS Evening News with Dan Rather,” “48 Hours” and the A & E Channel. Mr. Davies received the Fellow Status with the Association for the Treatment of Sex Abusers (ATSA) and the American Psychotherapy Association (APA).