In the first of the two studies reported here, we established that trained judges could reliably identify 18 therapist features that occurred with reasonable frequency. In the second study 17 of these features were examined to determine how well they related to changes in sexual offenders with treatment. Five videotapes from each of five different prison programs were rated for the presence of these 17 features and correlational analyses examined their relationship with changes in 44 measures of treatment targets. The primary findings indicated that empathy and warmth displayed by the therapists and their directive and rewarding behaviours, were the features that most strongly predicted therapeutic benefits. The results are discussed in terms of their clinical and research implications.
How critical is the therapeutic alliance in the treatment of sexual offenders? To date such process issues have been neglected in the field of sex offender treatment. This article reviews the literature on the influence on behavior change of therapist features, clients' perceptions, and the therapeutic alliance. Among the many therapist features identified as helpful are empathy, warmth, and being directive and rewarding. Therapists who are aggressively confrontational appear not to foster beneficial changes in their clients. These issues are directly related to treatment issues faced by therapists who work with sexual offenders, such as dealing with cognitive distortions, lack of empathy, and lack of motivation to change.G. SERRAN received her BA in psychology from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She is a therapist at Rockwood Psychological Services in Kingston. Her current research focuses on coping styles and therapeutic processes. Y. FERNANDEZ received her PhD in clinical psychology from Queen'
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