A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL MODEL OF ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT FOR INTELLECTUALLY DISABLED SEXUAL OFFENDERS

Sex-offending behavior continues to exist as a ma,or public health con cern. In recent years, studies of risk prediction and identification o f both static and dynamic factors associated with the behavior of sexu al perpetrators have added to a collective understanding of the proble m. However, a limited amount of available information exists concernin g how to translate relevant factors into effective clinical treatments or risk management strategies for this population. This is particular ly true with regard to intellectually disabled offenders. This paper p resents a model of sex offending that focuses on cognitive behavioral variables proposed as functional causal pathways to guide assessment a nd treatment of such individuals. Clinical case examples are provided to illustrate the linkage between assessment and treatment.