Adolescent Sexual Offenders Treatment Program (ASOTP)
Our Adolescent Sexual Offenders Treatment Program or ASOTP is the longest operating such program in the state of Indiana. ASOTP is a multi-family group treatment program focusing on relapse prevention, healthy coping skills, and improving family dynamics with a goal of strengthening youth and their families thereby protecting the community from further sexual offenses.
ASOTP provides long-term, outpatient, specialized group therapy services for males (13-18) who have committed a sexual offense, and their parents/caregivers. Licensed, masters-level therapists provide treatment. ASOTP includes one group for youth and a simultaneous, separate group for their parents/guardians.
ASOTP is offered at scheduled times in the evenings at our South Indianapolis office. Individual and family therapy is required at scheduled times to supplement group treatment during the enrollment in ASOTP. The ASOTP weekly group curriculum takes a minimum of one-year to complete although many youth will take longer to successfully complete treatment.
Youth on probation as a result of their sexual offense are often required to participate in ASOTP. Other times, it has been required by the local Department of Child Services. On rare occasions, no outside body will require treatment for a child who is known to have committed a sexual offense. Those youth are allowed to participate in ASOTP but they must admit to their offense to remain in the program.
Some examples of why youth participate in ASOTP include, but are not limited to:
- Committed child molestation, sexual battery, or another sexual offense
- Has behaved in a way matching the description of a sexual offense but their charge was lowered to a lesser charge, such a battery
- Never charged criminally, but required to participate in treatment by law enforcement, Child Protective Services, Department of Child Services or local Juvenile Courts.
To enroll in ASOTP, youth must first complete a psycho-sexual evaluation and risk assessment. Reach for Youth can provide that evaluation, or will review current evaluations completed by other facilities with expertise in working with sexually maladaptive youth. Youth must be found to demonstrate up to a moderate risk of sexual re-offense at the time of their evaluation and must admit to some form of illegal sexual behavior and be adequately supervised by a parent/guardian. A parent or guardian must participate fully in treatment for youth to be allowed into ASOTP.
ASOTP curriculum includes the following topics: Law and Sexual Behavior, Human Sexuality Education, Victim Empathy, Thinking Errors, Accountability and Responsibility, Trauma Work, Anger Management, Family Communication, High Risk Situations, Arousal/Appropriate Fantasy, Sexual Offense Cycle, and Re-Offense Prevention.