By Andy Hicks, MS CADC While selecting a topic for the thesis to complete her Master of Social Work degree at Spring Arbor University, one might not imagine Christina Hamman choosing to focus on the sex offender registry and related notification laws. Ms. Hamman spent fifteen years of her life working with groups to prevent…
By Nada Younes, SOT Therapist, Wise Mind PLLC Erich Fromm (1941) believed that before knowing others, one must first know themselves; to know oneself as a therapist enables an environment of self-efficacy and motivation for the client to come to know themselves too. Deep breaths. When I was asked to write this reflective narrative on…
By Ron Grooters, MSW. Dr. James Worling, Ph.D., C. Pysch., presented the Protective + Risk Observations For Estimating Sexual Offense Recidivism (PROFESOR) on January 27, 2021, via virtual training with MI-ATSA and 65 attendees. His presentation focused on assessment and research related to adolescent sexual offense recidivism and his most recent assessment tool the PROFESOR. …
January 18, 2021 Dear fellow members, As president of the MI-ATSA board, I wanted to spend a few minutes to review where MI-ATSA stands at the end of 2020 and where we are going. Last year brought unexpected events that dramatically altered the lives of everyone. I want to acknowledge the board members’ adaptability to…
By Tom Stewart M.A. LLP If you missed it, the Michigan Chapter of ATSA hosted a virtual training with Kevin Powell, Ph.D. His presentation focused on strengths-based concepts and interventions for sex offense-specific services. A strength-based approach moves the focus away from the deficits of people with sexual behavior problems and focuses on the strengths…
James Kissinger MA LLP MDOC Sexual Offender Services ManagerCorey Spickler MA LLP MDOC Sexual Offenders Services Program ManagerDr. Toni Crocilla, PsyD LP CSOTP – Executive Director Wise Mind PLLC Criminal behavior is often confused or conflated with serious mental illness (SMI) by professionals working within our judicial system, law enforcement agencies and correctional facilities. …
Hello Colleagues, HB5679 to change Michigan’s SORA is on the agenda for the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 1st. This bill still does not include changes to remove adjudicated youth from the registry; not even the changes to correct the over-inclusion of juvenile offenses that exceeds the federal requirement which was done erroneously in…
By Megan Cagney Peña, MA, LLP The Michigan Chapter of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (MI-ATSA) is pleased to announce the formation of the Juvenile Subcommittee. This subcommittee has been born out of recognition of the need to increase training and educational opportunities for those who work with youth and families. Our goal is to help support…
By Ineke Way, Ph.D., LMSW I appreciated the opportunity to attend the ATSA conference online. Of the several most beneficial sessions I attended, I’m writing about the presentation by Kevin Creeden, Neuroscience and adolescent sexual problems: Developments and treatment issues. Creeden focused on several themes that are important for assessment and intervention with adolescents with…
Karen Holt, Ph.D. and Roberta Liggett-O’Malley, M.A.Michigan State UniversitySchool of Criminal Justice The advent of the Internet has transformed the nature of sexual crime. The role of technology in sexual violence has become increasingly salient with the unfettered access to computers, smartphones, and social media. We have recently published two articles, both in the Journal…