Greater Hartford Children’s Advocacy Center Problematic Youth Sexual Behavior Program

The Youth with Sexual Behavior Problems Program provides funding to support the development of effective treatment and supervision programs for youth with sexual behavior problems. This program is authorized by Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, 42 U.S.C. 16901 and by the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2017, Pub. L. No. 115-31.

The Greater Hartford Children’s Advocacy Center (GHCAC), as part of St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, will provide several evidence-based interventions to treat youth with problematic sexual behaviors, their victims, and caregivers. The GHCAC Problematic Sexual Behavior Program (PSB) plans to implement the Problematic Sexual Behavior-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PSB-CBT) model, an outpatient treatment model that is nationally recognized and an empirically supported treatment intervention that is family-oriented, cognitive-behavioral, and psycho-educational; the Family Education and Treatment Program (SAFE-T), a community-based family oriented program that works with adolescents and their family members to address the risk of sexual re-offense and clinical needs of youth; Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for victims requiring long term treatment; and Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) for victims needing brief treatment. Caregivers will be a part of all interventions, both in supporting and engaging in the treatment of youth with problematic sexual behaviors and also receiving treatment to help them to cope effectively with their own emotional distress and develop skills that support their youth. There will be opportunities for victims, youth with PSB, and parents to participate in psycho-educational, skill building and/or support groups in addition to quarterly family events designed to decrease isolation, build support networks, and strengthen family systems.

GHCAC’s approach to providing services will be from a strength-based, trauma informed, family focused, and culturally congruent perspective that incorporates a multi-systemic view of unique vulnerabilities presented by each family. The services are rooted in relational conceptualization of the impact of the trauma(s) on each individual as well as the family system. GHCAC will serve 25 youth, victims and caregivers during the project period of the grant. The goals of the project are to: 1) prevent sexual re-offending; 2) promote healing of the child with sexual behavior problems; 3) promote healing of the child victim of youth with PSB; and 4) build organizational capacity to serve children with PSB, their victims and caregivers. (CA/NCF)