Sex offender treatment: therapists' experiences and perceptions

The literature portrays work with sex offenders as mentally, physically, and emotionally draining. However, the therapists working in the outpatient Sexual Abuse Treatment (SAT) program at a regional mental health center, while not denying the challenges of this work, describe their experiences as generally positive and rewarding. Because these therapists' experiences seemed to contrast with the literature, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted to examine the SAT therapists' experiences and perceptions. Seventeen SAT therapists were individually interviewed. Interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using constant comparative analysis. The therapists in this study indicated that although sexual offender treatment is a stressful area to work in, it offers many rewards and is viewed as "a challenge and privilege." Exploring the positive as well as the negative impacts of working with sex offenders may help identify additional coping strategies or mediating factors for this challenging work.