A Treatment Program for Adolescents Who Commit Sex Offenses

Abstract Forty percent of the reported sexual abuse of children is committed by persons under the age of twenty (Pithers & Gray, 1999). With the awareness of the extent to which children and adolescents perpetrate sexual abuse against children, specialized treatment programs have been developed across the country to treat this population. The current article describes an intensive program for the intensive treatment of male adolescents who have committed sex offenses. The clinical characteristics of adolescents who commit sex offenses and the problems faced in treating them are discussed. The basic structure of the clinical program is presented, with particular attention given to its cognitive-behavioral underpinnings. Family, individual and group therapy to treat a personal history of being abused are also discussed. The paper ends with suggestions for outcomes research that could help to clarify which aspects of treatment are most successful.