Therapists’ experiences in their work with sex offenders and people with pedophilia: A literature review

Abstract

This article presents a review of the literature that pertains to the experiences of therapists who work directly with child sex offenders and/or people with pedophilia. We draw together results from studies that attempted to identify how therapists experience such work and how they were personally impacted by it. Usually, such studies are embedded within one of the following theoretical frameworks: Secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization and burnout. Most literature on the topic has therefore sought to determine to what extent and why, work-related stress responses may occur among these therapists. The aim of this paper is therefore to provide insight into this, arguably, important line of research, while evaluating the current knowledge as well as providing recommendations for future research efforts.

The Experience of Working With Individuals Who Sexually Offend

“…Taken together, these findings suggest that therapists who work with clients convicted of sexual offenses may be at risk for experiencing negative mood, vicarious trauma, and countertransference reactions, but these negative psychological outcomes may be somewhat mitigated by coping and self-care strategies. However, in a recent review of the literature, Bach and Demuth (2018) concluded that while some therapists who work with individuals convicted of sex crimes are negatively affected by their work, sufficient numbers of therapists found satisfaction in the profession. Thus, the goal of this mixed-methods study is threefold.…”

From Their Angle: A Look at the Emotional World of Defense Attorneys Who Represent Sex Offenders

“…and measures of distress and high levels of stress among exposed therapists (Carmel & Friedlander, 2009;Dreier & Wright, 2011;Hatcher & Noakes, 2010;Severson & Pettus-Davis, 2013). A significant effect on therapists was found on cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and physical levels (for reviews, see Bach & Demuth, 2018;Baum & Moyal, 2020). Rising awareness mental and behavioral implications has led to the understanding that special skills are necessary in order to work with this population (Knight & Modi, 2014).…”

“…All of these terms with the exception of "burnout," which was primarily intended to evaluate stressful responses to the work environment, were originally developed to assess the effect of therapists' work with trauma survivors. In time, they were used to examine effects in a variety of populations (for instance, police officers, judges, lawyers, medical staff, and more) (for a review, see Bach & Demuth, 2018;Baum & Moyal, 2020). However, they can all be used to describe the effects of indirect secondary exposure to traumatic events or stressful situations among various populations (Bach & Demuth, 2018;Hurrell et al, 2018).…”

Assessment of Recidivism Risk in Sex Offenders: A Pilot Study in Central Italy

“…Sexual violence is a public health problem with serious and long-term effects for the offender and the victim, defined by the World Health Organization [1] as "any sexual act directed against a person without his consent and through the use of coercion". For this reason, there are numerous studies that have tried to discern which risk factors and personality traits can contribute to a person becoming a sex offender [2][3][4][5]. Some studies have focused on the cognitive distortions [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] that sex offenders have towards women, children, and the world in general.…”

“…This puts the thought in the offender's mind that his behavior can be repeated [14,15]. In addition to distorted belief systems, sex offenders share other crime-linked characteristics such as poor ability to achieve a dimension of intimacy, the feeling of a strong sense of loneliness and difficulty in social relationships, poor coping strategies, and low self-esteem [5,[16][17][18]. Another factor that sexual assailants seem to share is a lack of empathy, a complex emotion that requires articulated metacognitions in order for it to develop adequately [19][20][21].…”