By Ron Grooters, MSW I have been conducting psychosocial or structured clinical risk assessments and providing treatment for juveniles with sexual behavior problems for almost thirty years. During that time tools such as the ERASOR, JSOAP, and JSORAT were initially used to make risk determinations such as “low, medium and high risk,” similar to how…
Toni Crocilla PsyD LP CSOTP & Kris Pence MA LPC NCC This month we highlight opportunities for getting more engaged with MI-ATSA and the life of the organization. Featured in this piece are the various committees that are working to advocate and educate the treatment and community stakeholders about those who commit sexual offenses. We…
By Tom Stewart, MA, LLP Treating or supervising adults with sexual behavior problems inherently forces professionals to face difficult questions. These are emotionally charged questions that likely will have a profound impact on others. Questions like: Is it possible to serve probation at home if a child is living there? How does one with sexual…
By Jessica Hamp LMSW “Healing from Sexual Violence: The Case for Vicarious Restorative Justice” should be required reading for anyone working with individuals with histories of problematic sexual behaviors or those working with individuals who have experience sexual violence. Alissa Ackerman, Ph.D., and Jill Leveson, Ph.D. speak to the humanity of individuals and the connections…
By James Kissinger, M.A. LLP “Crisis doesn’t change people; it reveals them.” – Eric Walters On March 10th Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency in response to Michigan’s first two confirmed cases of COVID-19. By March 13th, schools across Michigan were ordered closed, large gatherings of people were banned and prison visits were restricted.…
Karen Holt, Ph.D., James Kissinger, M.A., L.L.P, Corey Spickler, M.S., L.L.P., and Vicki Rousch, L.L.P. As a collaborative effort between the Michigan Department of Corrections Sex Offender Services and Karen Holt, Ph.D. of Michigan State University, an empirical research study was developed and conducted which explored the relationship between risk as measured by risk assessment…
By: John Ulrich Ph.D. At the 38th ATSA Annual Conference in Atlanta Georgia, November 6-7, Paul Bloom’s keynote address “against empathy” initially seemed unusual for an organization focused on providing therapy. His presentation highlighted points from his book Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion [1]. In the everchanging standards of “what works in therapy…
By: Marissa Smits BA and Toni Crocilla PsyD LP CSOTP The 2019 Michigan ATSA conference focused on developing an increased understanding of normative sexual development of children, and how that can inform practice with individuals who have problematic sexual behaviors. Geraldine Crisci’s expertise was evident as she provided in-depth descriptions and examples of concepts from her…
By Ron Grooters, LMSW The demand for predicting juveniles’ risk for future sexual offenses has taken on increasing importance in our society. Professionals often assume there are tools available to assess youth who have committed harmful sexual behavior like the actuarial-based tools used with adults. However, there are no robust actuarial-based risk tools that predict…
By Tom Stewart, MA LLP Prevention is typically something everyone can get behind. It can be unifying, bringing people together from various professions with a common goal. In the context of sexual abuse, the goal is no more victims; which also means no more perpetrators. And no more perpetrators means no more arrests, sentencing dates,…
