For Outpatient Providers

The Utah Department of Corrections, pursuant to Legislative statute, has a list of Approved Sex Offender Treatment Providers. The following parameters are used to determine eligibility of outpatient sex offender treatment providers and their programs.

Professional Qualifications

• Current Utah licensure in a mental health profession (i.e. psychiatry, psychology, licensed professional counselor, social work or marriage and family therapy);
• Within the three year period immediately preceding application or re-application for approval as a provider, the individual must have at least 1,500 hours of direct clinical experience in sex offender treatment (direct clinical experience means face-to-face contact with patients/clients, direct supervision, training, case coordination and research). However, of the 1,500 hours, there must be at least 375 hours of sex offender evaluation experience(Sex Behavior Risk Assessments, Psychosexual Evaluations, interpretation of PPG results and covert sexual interest measures, intake, clinical interviewing, etc.);
• Within the three years immediately preceding application, the individual must have received at least 40 hours of formal training through documented conferences, symposia, seminars or course work directly related to the evaluation and treatment of sex offenders. Said training may include behavioral/cognitive therapy methods, reconditioning and relapse prevention, use of plethysmograph examinations, use of polygraph examinations, group therapy, sexual dysfunction, victimology, couples and family therapy, risk assessment, sexual addiction, sexual deviancy and ethics and professional standards; 30 of these 40 hours must be sex offender specific; up to 10 hours may be obtained through independent, self-study of research or other professional literature;
• Licensed professionals and professionals in graduate training and/or post graduate residency who do not meet the experience and training requirements may apply for Affiliate Approval. Licensed professionals not meeting the training or experience requirements are required to arrange for ongoing supervision with an approved provider meeting the above criteria.  Trainees may provide service if their work is part of a degree program and/or leading to licensure and their clinical work is supervised by a licensed professional meeting the above requirements (supervision means one hour of supervision to every 40 hours of direct client contact with a minimum of one hour supervision per month); to re-certify as an affiliate, the provider must comply with the 40 hour training requirement;
• Approved providers must have as a basic philosophy that full disclosure of the offense(s) is a basic requirement for successful completion of therapy;
• Providers must adhere to the reporting requirements as required by the Utah State Department of Corrections and the laws of the State of Utah; see Mental Health Professional Practices Acts 58-60-114 which identifies reporting under Titles 62A, Chapter 3, Part 3; 62A, Chapter 4A, Part 4; 78B, Chapter 3, Part 5; and Section 26-6-6. .
• Approved providers and affiliate providers must re-apply to the Department of Corrections, Division of Adult Probation and Parole, every three years to renew their approved status. Reapplication shall consist of documentation demonstrating ongoing professional training, current licensure with the State of Utah, hours of therapy and evaluations per year provided, and any changes in the modality of treatment. Failure to reapply before their approved date expires will result in the provider/affiliate being removed from the provider list.
• Approved providers may supervise a maximum of six (6) affiliate providers.
• Providers who change from one program to another must update their application in order to continue providing services.
• Criminal convictions or licensure actions must be disclosed fully and may result in denial of application approval.  No person convicted of a felony may be an approved provider or affiliate provider nor can they employ approved or affiliate providers to provide services to offenders under the jurisdiction of AP&P. (See ATSA's Ethical Standards & Principles for the Management of Sexual Abusers, Ethical Standards item #6). 
• Failure to disclose criminal convictions or licensure actions will result in removal from approved status.
• With reasonable notification, therapists must be able to appear in Court or Board of Pardons hearings as needed, without additional compensation.
• Therapists will provide reports as needed by the Court, Board of Pardons and/or the supervising AP&P agent.
• If an applicant does not directly provide all services, application should detail how these services will be provided (i.e. contracting by other approved provider/affiliate, referral to another agency, etc.).

Program Parameters

Outpatient treatment programs for sexual offenders convicted of crimes against persons must have the following components:

• Intake: Complete psychosexual evaluation (must be completed by a licensed psychologist who is an approved provider or approved evaluator) to include sex offender specific testing and assessment of personality and intelligence using testing instruments recognized in the sex offender evaluation community as valid tools will be completed prior to the initiation of treatment.  A penile plethysmograph (using audio stimuli only, no visual stimuli) testing for male offenders will be completed as part of the psychosexual evaluation to establish a baseline for future treatment and to establish a more thorough assessment of the offender’s risk to reoffend.  Plethysmograph stimuli shall conform to generally accepted standards of the sex offender evaluation community.

A full-disclosure sex offense specific polygraph examination for both male and female offenders to establish a baseline for future treatment and evaluation will also be completed within 90 days from the initiation of treatment.

• Written report to the supervising agent of AP&P citing the following:
• Summary of test results including specifics on the risk for reoffense posed to community safety;
• Suitability and amenability for treatment;
• Proposed treatment plan;
• An outpatient treatment program shall be defined as:
• Individual session lasting at least 50 minutes, conducted by an approved provider or affiliate provider at least weekly.
• Sex offender group session lasting at least 80 minutes, conducted by an approved, provider or affiliate provider, at least weekly.
• A disclosure polygraph during the introductory phase (within the first 90 days of initiating treatment) to ensure full disclosure has taken place. Additional polygraphs may be completed periodically during treatment to ensure the offender is not violating any court orders, treatment rules and regulations or violating any of the terms and conditions of his probation and/or parole
• Psychoeducational classes (a minimum of: victim empathy, relapse prevention, assault cycle, cognitive restructuring/thinking errors, parenting, relationship skills, and sex education) consisting of at least 10 hours per subject.  Previously completed classes may be accepted to meet this criterion.  In addition, the treatment program may require an offender to repeat some or all of these classes if clinically indicated.
• A compliance polygraph examination will be completed by all offenders prior to the completion of treatment to determine compliance with both treatment program rules and compliance with court orders and to insure there have been no violations of probation rules and regulations.  Additional polygraph examinations may be utilized with any offender when deemed appropriate by the provider and/or Adult Probation and Parole (AP&P).
• Outpatient treatment will be followed by aftercare.
• A minimum of one progress report to the supervising AP&P agent per quarter.

Note: It is expected that the treatment program will require at least 12 to 18 months of weekly individual and group treatment, followed by a minimum of six months of aftercare.

• Intensive outpatient treatment program services:
• An intensive outpatient treatment program will include the same treatment regimen as the outpatient treatment program but will include an additional weekly sex offender group session conducted by an approved provider or affiliate provider.

Note: The above components for intensive treatment will be conducted on a minimum of three different days per week.   

• Aftercare, as a continuation of services, will last a minimum of six months and must include:
• Sex offender group session conducted by an approved, licensed therapist or affiliate, available at least weekly.
• Psycho-educational classes (a minimum of: victim empathy, relapse, prevention, assault cycle, cognitive restructuring, parenting, relationship skills, sex education, minimum 10 hours per subject. Previously completed classes may be accepted to meet this criterion.  In addition, the treatment program may require an offender to repeat some or all of these classes if clinically indicated.
• A compliance polygraph examination and plethysmograph will be completed by all offenders prior to the completion of aftercare to determine compliance with both treatment program rules and compliance with court orders and to insure there have been no violations of probation/parole rules and regulations.  Additional polygraph examinations may be utilized with any offender when deemed appropriate by the provider and/or Adult Probation and Parole (AP&P).
• A minimum of one progress report to the supervising AP&P agent per quarter.
• Completion of treatment:

Unsuccessful termination

• Notification of discharge from treatment must at least be made verbally to AP&P prior to notifying the offender of their status.  Written notification by the provider to the supervision agent within 72 hours of unsuccessful termination must be made.
• This report will address reasons for unsuccessful completion, progress to date of the offender, prognosis, risk to the community, and indicate whether or not the offender reached maximum benefit of offered treatment.

Note:  Maximum benefit is a condition under which an offender has been clinically determined to have reached the greatest degree of progress likely to be possible, falling short of meeting criteria for successful completion.  This status reflects a combination of good effort on the offender’s part AND the presence of one or more factors interfering with further progress, such as limited cognitive capacity, dementia (or other neurological impairment), major mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc.), or severe personality disorder.

Successful completion

• Notification of discharge from treatment must at least be made verbally to AP&P prior to notifying the offender of their status.  Written notification by the provider to the supervision agent within 72 hours of the recommendation to complete therapy must be made.
• This report will include discussing the issues addressed, compliance of the offender, progress made, prognosis and results of a current (less than 90 days old) penile plethysmograph and termination polygraph.
• Transferring Treatment
• Offenders changing from one program or agency to another should have all fees for services provided by the prior agency paid in full unless approved by the supervising AP&P agent.