Understanding and Working with Denial in Sexual Offenders

This paper focuses on the recognition and treatment of denial in adult sexual offenders. The information provided is drawn from the clinical experience of the authors in their work with adult sexual offenders, as well as from the theoretical framework which guides their clinical practice. The theoretical framework is based on Salter's (1988) "types" of denial in combination with the underlying theoretical constructs of object relations theory. Rather than looking at denial as types, the authors view them as stages through which the sexual offender will cyclically progress during treatment. Each stage is presented along with its etiology, and the therapeutic interventions indicated by the theoretical foundations are discussed. Case examples are also presented.