Treatment and Family Relationships
For Disclaimer: This site is intended for general public information only. Information on this site should not be considered an alternative for medical or legal professional advice for specific or personal cases.
The definition of family varies greatly across cultural, religious, ethnic, and class lines. Families today can consist of two same sex partners and children, two opposite sex partners and children, extended families, single parent families, and more.
While legal options may depend upon statutory definitions of family, it is the meaning and emotion attached to the relationships between family members that create and sustain the dynamics. Issues related to impact on the family dynamics must be resolved as part of the individual's treatment and may take many paths.
In this context, "family" refers to the broad relationship an individual may have to a spouse/partner, children, parents or other familial relationships.
Both family disruption and family reunification are among the many possible outcomes.
Issues related to the family's involvement in treatment may be directed by statute or a statutory authority, while at other times (and in other jurisdictions) the specific course of treatment decided upon by the treatment professional set the family resolution pathway.
Family Timeout
When an individual enters into a course of treatment, the treatment professional may direct that the individual is to remove himself from his family environment.
Again, this will be more difficult in a voluntary treatment program, which conversely may require more in-depth counseling between the individual, the treatment professional and members of the individuals family who wish to participate..
There are a number of reasons for this action by treatment professionals.
In most States, it is policy that a person who has been found to have inappropriate sexual behavior because of legal action will be restricted from having contact with anyone under the age of 18 until such times as a specific risk assessment has been completed. This is done regardless of the age of the person(s) that an individual might have offended with their behavior.
If the individual in question has children under the age of 18 then they may be asked to remove themselves from the home or not be allowed to parole to the home after a period of incarceration. This may also be accomplished by policies of the local or State child welfare system.
Secondly, the treatment professional may wish to examine the individual's perceived and actual role in the family environment. In some cases the individual may be manipulating the members of his family, being enabled* by the family or in some case the individual is actually being manipulate by a member of the family.
*An enabler is a person who, acting out of a sincere sense of love, loyalty and concern, steps in to protect, cover up for,
make excuses for and become more responsible for the person undergoing treatment.
Until the treatment professional can adequately understand the family dynamics, they do not want to place the individual undergoing treatment back in to an environment that will affect their treatment. As deemed necessary, the treatment professional
When the individual is asked to leave his family environment, he may have the ability to seek out separate housing but some treatment programs will require them to enter into a Shared Living Arrangement (SLA). For a complete discussion of SLAs please go to the next tab in the Treatment section.
The definition of family varies greatly across cultural, religious, ethnic, and class lines. Families today can consist of two same sex partners and children, two opposite sex partners and children, extended families, single parent families, and more.
While legal options may depend upon statutory definitions of family, it is the meaning and emotion attached to the relationships between family members that create and sustain the dynamics. Issues related to impact on the family dynamics must be resolved as part of the individual's treatment and may take many paths.
In this context, "family" refers to the broad relationship an individual may have to a spouse/partner, children, parents or other familial relationships.
Both family disruption and family reunification are among the many possible outcomes.
Issues related to the family's involvement in treatment may be directed by statute or a statutory authority, while at other times (and in other jurisdictions) the specific course of treatment decided upon by the treatment professional set the family resolution pathway.
Family Timeout
When an individual enters into a course of treatment, the treatment professional may direct that the individual is to remove himself from his family environment.
Again, this will be more difficult in a voluntary treatment program, which conversely may require more in-depth counseling between the individual, the treatment professional and members of the individuals family who wish to participate..
There are a number of reasons for this action by treatment professionals.
In most States, it is policy that a person who has been found to have inappropriate sexual behavior because of legal action will be restricted from having contact with anyone under the age of 18 until such times as a specific risk assessment has been completed. This is done regardless of the age of the person(s) that an individual might have offended with their behavior.
If the individual in question has children under the age of 18 then they may be asked to remove themselves from the home or not be allowed to parole to the home after a period of incarceration. This may also be accomplished by policies of the local or State child welfare system.
Secondly, the treatment professional may wish to examine the individual's perceived and actual role in the family environment. In some cases the individual may be manipulating the members of his family, being enabled* by the family or in some case the individual is actually being manipulate by a member of the family.
*An enabler is a person who, acting out of a sincere sense of love, loyalty and concern, steps in to protect, cover up for,
make excuses for and become more responsible for the person undergoing treatment.
Until the treatment professional can adequately understand the family dynamics, they do not want to place the individual undergoing treatment back in to an environment that will affect their treatment. As deemed necessary, the treatment professional
When the individual is asked to leave his family environment, he may have the ability to seek out separate housing but some treatment programs will require them to enter into a Shared Living Arrangement (SLA). For a complete discussion of SLAs please go to the next tab in the Treatment section.
Juvenile Approach
While the same family issues exist for a Juvenile with inappropriate sexual behavior, it is more difficult to remove them from the family environment when it is found necessary,
In those instances the Juvenile is sent to a special foster home used to dealing with individuals who have demonstrated inappropriate sexual behavior or placed with a States juvenile correctional system.
Family Therapy with Adolescent Sex Offenders (2013) - PowerPoint presentation by Anna Salter, Ph.D.
Multisystemic Therapy (MST)
is an intensive family- and community-based treatment program that focuses on addressing all environmental systems that impact chronic and violent juvenile offenders -- their homes and families, schools and teachers, neighborhoods and friends.
While the same family issues exist for a Juvenile with inappropriate sexual behavior, it is more difficult to remove them from the family environment when it is found necessary,
In those instances the Juvenile is sent to a special foster home used to dealing with individuals who have demonstrated inappropriate sexual behavior or placed with a States juvenile correctional system.
Family Therapy with Adolescent Sex Offenders (2013) - PowerPoint presentation by Anna Salter, Ph.D.
Multisystemic Therapy (MST)
is an intensive family- and community-based treatment program that focuses on addressing all environmental systems that impact chronic and violent juvenile offenders -- their homes and families, schools and teachers, neighborhoods and friends.
