The professional carers' group: supporting group work for young sexual abusers.
OBJECTIVE
A centralized treatment project, for young people who have sexually abused others, describes how group-based work with potentially isolated local professionals may help a treatment program to maintain a systemic perspective.


METHODS
The paper reviews relevant literature and outlines the context, format and goals of a Professional Carers' Group.


RESULTS
Recurring themes, observed during the 30-week treatment programs, are subjected to clinical analysis. Two key areas are discussed: (1) cognitive-emotional processing of common reactions to work with sexual abuse; and (2) inter-professional communication to balance the requirements of child protection and therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Concurrent work with local professional networks may promote the clinical effectiveness of a treatment program for young perpetrators of sexual abuse. A Professional Carers' Group is one relatively low-cost approach which may help to integrate the work of a central treatment facility with that of distant, community-based, agencies.
Griffin
S
S
Child and Family Department, Tavistock Clinic, London, England, UK.
Williams
M
M
Hawkes
C
C
Vizard
E
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011364:Professional Practice; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D016896:Treatment Outcome