A literature review of current treatment models for child molesters and contemporary theories of etiology suggests a gap between theory and practice. Despite emerging recognition of the importance of addressing etiological issues in sexual offender treatment, many programs resist addressing the trauma sequelae of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in those sex offenders where it is present. Adding trauma treatment to standard sexual offender treatment was identifi ed as a means to closing some of that gap. Ten child molesters with reported histories of CSA were treated with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. Subsequent to adding this trauma resolution component, there was improvement on all six subscales of the Sex Offender Treatment Rating Scale as well as decreased idiosyncratic deviant arousal as measured by the penile plethysmograph. The current study reviews qualitative data collected during treatment and at posttreatment interviews.
This article presents four brief reports that illustrate EMDR’s potential in addressing a range of pathologies and problems. These include traumatized groups, families and couples, sex offenders, and individuals with performance anxiety. Each brief report provides a short summary of the research, highlights current EMDR research, and points out what is needed for future investigations. Preliminary results suggest that the EMDR–integrative group treatment protocol may be an effective means of providing mental health care to large groups of people affected by critical incidents. The report titled “EMDR in Couples and Family Therapy” provides an overview of the field and describes the various ways in which EMDR is being incorporated. The presenting issue with performance anxiety is debilitating evaluation anxiety at the prospect of having to perform some important activity in front of an audience that matters a great deal to the client. Sex offender treatment is enhanced by an effective means of resolving psychological mechanisms that contribute to the dynamics of the offense chain.
Evidence shows that sexual offenders have higher levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) than either the general population or other criminal populations. Historically, it was considered standard practice for sex offender therapists to dissuade their clients from addressing childhood trauma or adversity for fear of excuse making for his offending. The pathways model, which highlights etiology, made room for trauma treatment for offender’s ACE as a legitimate treatment intervention. The adaptive information processing model inherent in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) trauma therapy is theorized to reorganize the maladaptively stored clustering of cognitions and emotions related to overwhelming or traumatic experiences such as childhood sexual abuse. We suggest EMDR therapy as a means of restructuring distorted implicit cognitions and personal vulnerability factors which are theorized to drive offending behavior. Through a comprehensive literature review, the authors considered 5 extant models in the sex offender literature and developed the offense drivers model. This model is designed to guide and inform EMDR therapy with sex offenders. A case example illustrates the implementation of this treatment process. A checklist of offense drivers is provided to assist in case conceptualization and treatment.
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