Services for Adolescents (in-depth)

Recommendations         Family Therapy     Individual Therapy

Staff     Training and Consultation      Myths and Facts

Referral begins with a call to the intake coordinator. During this call information is gathered and appointments scheduled for an interview and psychological testing with the youth and at least one parent or legal guardian.

Please keep in mind that these minor children must have a legal guardian to cosign informed consents and other necessary paperwork when they come for interview. In Minnesota, the legal age for consent is eighteen.

This process is designed to evaluate the needs of a youth while keeping community safety a priority. It is essential to start with a comprehensive evaluation when there is no recent prior psychological or psychosexual evaluation. There are a range of possible outcomes which are defined in general terms such as outpatient sexuality-specific treatment, individual therapy or residential placement. These recommendations are not program specific. A letter suggesting possible agencies for service is provided with the evaluation report.

The primary difference between our evaluation and a standard psychological evaluation is the inclusion of areas related to sexuality. This includes reviewing the sexual behavior of concern as reported, a sexual behavior history, and a description of current sexual identity including behaviors as well as interests.

Evaluation components include face-to-face interviews with the youth and at least one parent or guardian, review of previous reports and intervention plans and psychological testing.

An assessment is useful when a psychological evaluation has taken place within the past year. We may request additional tests that are part of our test battery but were not taken previously.

The assessment is designed to determine specifically whether our services would benefit the client. Recommendations are made to specific services available through our agency or the client is referred outside of our agency.

Whether a psychosexual evaluation or assessment is requested, recommendations are based on the Protective Factors Scale (Bremer, 2001) and the Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sex Offense Recidivism (Worling & Curwen, 2001). These tools summarize available information in a brief yet comprehensive format. They provide a clear rationale for the recommendations.

When a family that suffers the impact of sibling incest is able to work toward resolution as a family, family restoration treatment planning is individually designed. The status of all family members is taken into account. The offending youth must take responsibility for their behavior. A commitment is made by the parents to provide the needed level of safety at home.

These families make a commitment to stand by the specific process outlined. Resolution is guided by harmed family members. Families learn to define sexual values, attitudes and beliefs. They speak to family boundaries and differentiate between what is a family decision and what is personal and private. The process ends with family members committing to their new learning.

There are youth who are unable to benefit from a group process. This is determined on an individual basis. A young person who suffers the impact of sexual abuse may respond best to one-on-one attention. A youth who is highly distractable or lives with a cognitive deficit requires individual attention. If the youth has engaged in offending behaviors, the program goals are followed with modifications in individual sessions.

Staff

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     Neerja comes to Project Pathfinder, Inc. with a variety of experiences working with marginalized families.  Her approach is eclectic, with a general systems framework.

Maurice Smith, Ph.D.,           Licensed Psychologist

     Dr. Smith has an extensive background in clinical psychology research and practice. He provides psychological testing expertise and works from a cognitive-behavioral perspective.

Training and Consultation

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     Workshops, staff training and agency consultations cover topics such as Evaluations for Youth with Sexual Behavior Concerns, Protective Factors Scale for Level of Intervention, Treatment Techniques and Staff-Client Dynamics.

Myths and Facts

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1. Adolescent offenders will continue to offend and require lifelong maintenance planning.

2. Adolescents who deny their offense are high risk and require placement.

3. Adolescents who offend must all have identical treatment plans with an extensive goal list.

4. Adolescents who offend are sexual abuse victims.

5. Adolescents who commit penetrative sexual assaults indicate a higher risk for reoffense.