Clinicians’ Experiences Working with Noncontact Sex Offenders

Abstract

Exploring the unique relationship between therapists and their noncontact sex offender clients can provide additional insight into the complexity of clinicians' occupations. The goal of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the personal experiences felt by mental health clinicians (psychologists, social workers, nurses) when working with noncontact sex offenders in a clinical setting. The theoretical framework of this study was guided by a psychosocial approach of cognitive dissonance and self-perception theory, which emphasized the development of defined behaviors and thoughts concerning physical and mental health. The data were collected from in-depth interviews with eight clinicians who treated and assessed noncontact sex offenders. The findings indicated that the participating mental health clinicians shared similar perspectives and clinical attitudes in their support and ability to provide therapeutic intervention to assist in a level of change for noncontact sex offenders. The participants treated and assessed their noncontact sex offender clients using the same strategies as they would with any other client but emphasized the lack of therapeutic and assessment resources available for this population. The clinicians acknowledge that a sex offender's psychological treatment is a controversial topic with negative societal views. However, participants stated the most significant occupational hardship came from dealing with the legal dynamics of working within a correctional system. This study can potentially influence positive social change regarding noncontact offenders by stimulating forensic and correctional clinicians' discussions about the treatment and assessment of individuals from this cohort, which could lead to improved clinical practice.