The adaptation of a cognitive‐behavioural treatment programme for special needs sexual offenders

Abstract

SummaryThe need for specialized treatment programmes to address the specific requirements of different populations has been well recognized. One important area of treatment development has been for offenders who are unsuitable for existing mainstream treatment programmes. This paper describes the process of adapting an existing sexual offender treatment programme for use with sexual offenders who have special needs in an Australian correctional setting. The population comprised individuals with a variety of special needs including borderline or mild intellectual functioning, severe literacy problems, significant communication difficulties, and other important deficits and special needs. It should be noted that some of these special needs individuals would not meet the diagnostic criteria for intellectual disability and this programme is aimed at the broader group inclusive of a number of special needs. Therapeutic adaptations have been guided by current research and practice, and specific examples are described and discussed. The authors believe that these adaptations may also have some utility for mainstream sexual offender treatment programmes. Research into the efficacy of these treatment adaptations with this population is currently underway.