THE PROFESSIONAL CARERS GROUP - SUPPORTING GROUP WORK FOR YOUNG SEXUAL ABUSERS

Objective: A centralized treatment project, for young people who have sexually abused others, describes how group-based work with potentiall y isolated local professionals may help a treatment program to maintai n a systemic perspective. Method: The paper reviews relevant literatur e and outlines the context, format and goals of a Professional Carers' Group. Results: Recurring themes, observed during two 30-week treatme nt programs, are subjected to clinical analysis. Two key areas are dis cussed: (1) cognitive-emotional processing of common reactions to work with sexual abuse; and (2) inter-professional communication to balanc e the requirements of child protection and therapy. Conclusion: Concur rent work with local professional networks may promote the clinical ef fectiveness of a treatment program for young perpetrators of sexual ab use. A Professional Carers' Group is one relatively low-cost approach which may help to integrate the work of a central treatment facility w ith that of distant, community-based, agencies. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie nce Ltd.