Working with sex offenders relatives as a tool in the “treatment field”

Abstract

In the construction of a “treatment field” both intramural and larger community treatment resources are fundamental. The
treatment field creates an alliance between treatment experts and external, community resources such that a “benevolent
social control” is favoured. From this perspective, it is crucial to extend responsibility to the relatives of sex offenders through a narrative process. The aim is to help the relatives both acknowledge and accept the resultant pain stemming from the commission of the crime by their relative, along with the consequent stigmatization. It is a process that favours shame and guilt, but provides a beneficial contrast against the frequent defence mechanisms of denial and minimization of the violent acts, which tend to mimic the same defence mechanisms shown by the sex offenders themselves. This process then reinforces the therapeutic alliance and builds a collaboration that fosters a genuine exchange within familial relationships and the beginnings of a benevolent pressure towards the offender that acts as a treatment leverage.