Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jerrod Brown

Abstract

Clinicians are starting to see a higher population of female sex offenders enrolled in their treatment facilities. Current research indicates that both society and clinical professionals struggle with viewing women as sex offenders due to gender stereotypes and minimization of sex crimes committed by women. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine clinician perceptions of female sex offender treatment and how these perceptions may impact clinician engagement. The theoretical frameworks utilized in this study were the attachment theory and psychoanalytical theory. Data included clinician experiences with treating female sex offenders, exposure to professional trainings on this population, and situations that impact a clinician’s confidence in delivering successful treatment outcomes and healthy engagement. The collection took place via Zoom with semi structured interviews. Results revealed that clinicians perceive treatment of female sex offenders to be subpar compared to treatment of male sex offenders. Additionally, clinicians referenced a lack of professional training on how to therapeutically treat female sex offenders, which impacted their confidence level with delivering effective outcomes. The female sex offender experience with childhood sexual abuse also appears to strongly influence how clinicians treat and engage with this population in therapy. The findings of this study indicated a need for additional research on female sex offenders as it relates to developing a more tailored, successful treatment modalities/program for this population. Implications for positive social change include introducing clinicians to the implementation of better practices when providing therapeutic services to the female sex offender population.

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