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Adult
Outpatient Services Page 2 |
| Specialized Therapy Groups |
Cybersex/Pornography Group
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advent of the internet, an increasing number of individuals
have developed problematic use of sexually explicit websites.
Such individuals include those who compulsively view
adult-oriented materials as well as those who view sexual
depictions of children and adolescents. Clients are
first required to take a polygraph examination to verify that
they have not engaged in inappropriate/criminal sexual contact
with either adults or minors. If it is determined that
there has been inappropriate or illegal sexual contact, the
client is referred to a traditional adult sex offender therapy
group. For those who have not engaged in illegal
sexual contact, Alpha offers the Cybersex treatment group.
The group allows those with similar deviant behavior patterns
to work together. The Cybersex group combines both
psychoeducational material and traditional sex
offender-specific therapy. It is intended to be
completed within a 12 month period. While most
participants are referred by federal and county probation,
court involvement is not a requirement for admission to this
group. |
Elderly Sex Offenders
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Alpha has a specialized, ongoing,
outpatient therapy group for male sex offenders 65 years of age
or older. Some exceptions to the age requirement can be made for
somewhat younger individuals who demonstrate many of the same
treatment issues as the other members of this group.
Elderly sex offenders present special
treatment problems distinct from those of younger offenders.
These problems include losses related to physical functioning,
relationships, and productivity. These individuals experience
failing eyesight and hearing, problems which might restrict
mobility, and other more serious difficulties with their general
physical well-being. Elderly sex offenders may often be
wrestling with the loss of significant relationships and
observing their spouses and children deteriorate in health.
Elderly sex offenders are often not as productive as they once
were in areas which gave the individuals their sense of personal
identity and pride.
Elderly sex offenders grew up in a society
where sexual mores were more shame-based. They often show more
intense shame than other sex offenders. They are often isolative
in response to stress and loss. They are frequently rigid and
resistant to change, becoming pessimistic and stubborn in
response to their treatment plans. Elderly offenders are
especially vulnerable to a depressive life-style and are at an
increased risk for suicide.
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Statutory Rape Offenders
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An alternative 12-month therapy
program is offered for young adults convicted of consensual
sexual contact with adolescents under the legal age of consent.
This group is appropriate for clients who have no prior
histories of criminal sexual behavior or paraphiliac sexual
activities, and who did not use physical aggression to gain
compliance. The treatment format combines educational and
therapeutic strategies to address the needs of this population.
Participants are evaluated for any further therapeutic needs and
are presented with appropriate treatment recommendations and
referrals at the end of the 12 months.
Participants are required to submit to a
polygraph examination in order to verify that there was no overt
coercion during the sexual offense, that there is no pattern of
soliciting adolescent partners, nor any history of paraphiliac
involvement.
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Non-Contact Sex Offenders
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An outpatient group is available to
meet the specialized needs of adult male sex offenders who
engage in non-contact sex offenses, which are typically
compulsively-driven and entrenched, such as voyeurism,
exhibitionism, telephone scatologia, fetish-related burglary,
and other paraphilias. In addition to the difficulties
associated with treating any entrenched and
compulsively-driven behavior, many of these offenders commit a
misdemeanant level offense which does not allow for the option
of placement in a longer, more intensive and structured
treatment setting. This is due to short probationary
periods and a lack of leverage caused by relatively minor
legal consequences associated with such offenses. Therefore,
Alpha provides a shorter-term treatment program for these
offenders to address the specialized needs and constraints
associated with this population. Occasionally, a felony-level
offender, such as a fetish-related burglar, is appropriate for
this group.
Although non-contact sex offenders are a
challenging and difficult population of offenders to treat for
the reasons previously stated, Alpha continues to believe that
a specialized group for these individuals is needed and will
increase the likelihood of a successful treatment outcome.
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