Who Should Be Certified?
The Program is for clinical providers, including counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, therapists, sex educators and other professionals who provide direct services to sex offenders and sexually abusive youth as well as non-clinical providers, including law enforcement professionals/criminal investigators, probation officers, case managers, residential supervisors, detention personnel and others who work in correctional settings or community-based programs for sex offenders.
What are the Benefits of Certification?
This certification educates professionals on best practices in the treatment and supervision of juvenile sex offenders. It also bridges the gap between treatment and legal professionals, and creates an understanding of each group’s role.
Faculty
The speakers in this training program are all experts in the fields of criminal justice, sex offender treatment and human sexuality. The lectures are presented in an order that follows a sex offender’s process through the legal and treatment systems. In other words, the initial lectures are on sex offense investigation, prosecution, probation, forensic psychosexual evaluations for the court and, PA Act 21. The next set of lectures is on clinical assessment and treatment of sex offenders: cognitive-behavioral and psycho-educational therapies, treating sex offenders who have victimization issues, and working with special needs populations (MH/MR sex offenders). Other treatment-oriented topics include doing family therapy as part of comprehensive sex offender treatment, psychiatric issues relevant to sex offender treatment, and the staff characteristics needed for doing effective support, supervision and counseling with this population.
Certification
Upon attending class, students will receive a certificate documenting the CEUs awarded according to the number of days in attendance.
If students choose to continue with practicum work, a certificate will be issued by Dr. Surbeck recognizing their successful completion of practicum as well as testing. All practicum work is supervised by Dr. Surbeck.
Catherine Surbeck, Ph.D.
Dr. Surbeck is a board certified forensic examiner who has been working with sex offenders since 1986, and is recognized regionally for developing clinical and educational programs for sex offenders and the professionals who work with them.