Treatment of Denial in Adolescent Sex Offenders and Their Families

Treating adolescent sex offenders before they become adults is important in preventing future sexual offenses against children. Denial for adolescent sex offenders and their families is often overlooked as a treatment dynamic to focus upon. The authors urge that the use of the familial context of the sex offender is a necessary direction to take when treating this denial suppression. In particular, families can contribute to or refuse to support the denial which exists in many of these adolescents. How the therapist manages and intervenes within the family of adolescent sex offenders is crucial in decreasing family denial. Some reasons for denial in the adolescent and his family and transcripts of case material are discussed.