Overview
There is a paucity of evidence-based treatment programs that address problematic sexual and violent behaviours with clients who have cognitive impairment or intellectual disability. Most existing programs are primarily adapted to ‘watered-down’ versions of CBT-based mainstream programs. These programs rely heavily on cognitive strategies, which pose a considerable challenge for cognitively impaired individuals with complex presentations of mental health issues, developmental disorders, and personality disorders. There is growing evidence on the use of Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) (Sakdalan, Shaw, & Collier, 2010), and the Good Lives Model (GLM) (Ward, 2002) with individuals with cognitive impairment who exhibit challenging/offending behaviours.
This two-day training workshop will present a more integrated and cohesive group-based treatment program (which can also be used in individual treatment) developed for individuals (adults and adolescents) who are cognitively impaired with complex presentations who engage in sexual and violent offending behaviours. This program utilises the Transtheoretical Model of Change, RNR, DBT and GLM reconceptualisations, and a more targeted treatment based on empirically informed risk factors associated with sexual and violent offending.
The Violence Rehabilitation Program- Intellectual Disability (VRP-ID) and the Sexual Offending Rehabilitation Program – Intellectual Disability (SoRP-ID) are offence-specific programs that were developed to address the needs of cognitively impaired individuals who engage in sexual and violent offending behaviours. These programs have been utilised by forensic services locally and internationally. After completing this training workshop, clinicians will be well-equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective treatment to cognitively impaired offenders.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this training, participants will be able to develop:
- Develop a better understanding of evidence-based therapeutic frameworks and modalities in working with violent and sexual offenders with cognitive impairment or intellectual disability
- Gain knowledge and skills in the treatment of cognitively impaired individuals with sexual and/or violent offending behaviours.
- Learn how to implement the VRP-ID and the SORP-ID in providing individual or group treatment to violent and/or sexual offenders with cognitive impairment or intellectual disability
Presenter(s)
Dr Joseph Allan Sakdalan
About the presenter(s)
Dr Sakdalan is an NZ and AHPRA-registered clinical psychologist, counselling psychologist, and clinical neuropsychologist who has over 25 years of experience working with complex clients with mental health issues, cognitive problems, developmental disorders, and offending behaviours (e.g. sexual offending, violent offending, general offending). Dr Sakdalan’s involvement was pivotal in developing, implementing, and evaluating offence-specific and offence-related group programs and risk assessment and management systems being implemented by the Forensic Intellectual Disability Service, Mason Clinic in Auckland, New Zealand. He and his colleagues pioneered the development of the adapted DBT coping skills program for forensic clients with intellectual disabilities (Sakdalan, Shaw & Collier, 2010). In addition, he has developed a suite of offence-related and offence-specific treatment group-based programs (e.g. sexual offending, family violence, general offending, treatment readiness, substance abuse) for forensic and correctional services locally and internationally. Dr Sakdalan has written book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr Sakdalan has published journal articles with the Journal of Sexual Aggression entitled “Wise Mind – Risky Mind: A Reconceptualisation of Dialectical Behaviour Therapy concepts and its application to sexual offender treatment” and with the NZ Journal of Psychology on the Implementation of an ID Sex Offender Treatment Program for High-Risk Clients. He has also presented at local and international conferences in his specialty areas.