Treatment Programs
at Sand Ridge
Research into treatment services
for offenders has consistently indicated that they are more effective when
the Risk, Need and Responsivity principles are carefully implemented
(Andrews & Bonta, 2003). Accordingly the SVP Treatment Program seeks to
follow these principles. The Risk Principle requires concentrating more
intense treatment on higher risk offenders. This principle is easy for the
SVP program to follow since individuals deemed to be low risk would not be
committed under Chapter 980. The Need Principle requires that treatment be
focused on social and psychological factors that predisposed to offending.
The SVP program combines an idiographic identification of these factors
through the treatment process with using the Structured Risk Assessment
framework (Thornton, 2002; Knight & Thornton, 2007) to assess empirically
identified psychological risk factors (Mann et al, 2010). The Responsivity
Principle requires using treatment methods to which offenders are generally
responsive and tailoring treatment to the learning style of the individual.
The SVP program seeks to tailor treatment to the learning style of the
individual through the use of treatment tracks and individualization within
track based on detailed assessment. In seeking effective methods it employs
cognitive behavioral methods, trains and supervises treatment providers to
develop an effective therapist style, and makes extensive use of
Motivational Interviewing.
The SVP Treatment Program employs
a three phase model to structure the program. Phase 1 programming works with
patients in meaningfully engaging in the SVP treatment program. It focuses
on assisting patients in building the attitudes, skills and motivation that
are necessary for effective treatment participation. Phase 1 is particularly
attentive to assisting patients learn to better regulate their impulses and
emotions, and more generally in assisting them with personality disorder
related issues.
Phase 2 programming works with
patients to develop a shared understanding of their specific treatment
needs, including an understanding of the factors that contributed to their
past offending. During this phase patients work on seeing in a more
objective way how these factors have affected them in the past and how they
continue to affect them now. Achieving this requires attending specifically
to the thoughts, attitudes, emotions, behaviors, and sexual arousal linked
to their sexual offending and learning to recognize when these thoughts,
emotions, behaviors, or sexual arousal occur. As patients become aware of
the impact of these factors therapists assist them in discovering and
developing the determined motivation required to overcome these problems.
Phase 3 programming works with patients to assist them in effectively
managing their personal risk factors and developing healthier ways of
functioning in order to transition to the community. Within each of these
defined phases patients advance if and when they demonstrate satisfactory
progress in the earlier phases.
The SVP population is quite
diverse, varying greatly in the degree to which psychopathic traits are
present and in level of cognitive functioning. This diversity can make it
challenging to deliver effective treatment services. The SVP treatment
program seeks to respond to these challenges in several ways. First,
treatment always begins with a very comprehensive assessment. Second,
treatment services are divided into four tracks, according to degree of
cognitive functioning and level of psychopathic traits. Third, within each
track, treatment services are further individualized based on the patient’s
neuropsychological profile.
The SVP treatment program at
SRSTC currently consists of four primary treatment tracks: (1) the
Conventional Program; (2) the
Corrective Thinking
Program; (3) the Choices and Opportunities for Meaningful Personal
Achievement in a Supportive Setting Program (COMPASS);
and (4) the Achieving the
Capability to Thrive Program.
Last Revised:
May 02, 2013 |
