Male and female therapists' secondary traumatization following treatment of sex offenders

Sex offenders' therapists who empathically engage with their clients, may experience psychological distress, known as Secondary Traumatic Stress (Figley, 1995; Pearlman & Saakvitne, 1995), as a result of their exposure to vivid descriptions of sexual abuse. Their distress includes post-traumatic stress symptoms, alongside with changes in their cognitive schemes (Vicarious Traumatization) and other distress symptoms. Previous studies have almost exclusively focused on trauma victims' therapists, while few studies related to sexual offenders' therapists.

A review of the literature reveals that sex offenders' therapists of both genders experience negative effects of their work in different areas. However, very little is known about the negative influence on the family area, especially on parenting. The purpose of the present study was to expand the knowledge on how treating sex offenders influence therapists from both genders. Another goal was to deepen the understanding of the therapists' inhibition to share their work experiences with friends, colleagues and spouses.

Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 social workers (9 males and 9 females), who diagnose and treat sex offenders in the Israeli Adult Probation Services. The analysis was based on a phenomenological approach, which examines the everyday reality from the perspective of the person who experiences it (Giorgi, 1997; Patton, 2002).

The analysis revealed that therapists of both genders experienced emotional distress in public areas and in their intimate relationships.  The second group of findings indicated that sex offenders' therapists of both genders did not receive support from their colleagues and spouses. On the contrary, they experience criticism, revulsion and rejection from them and thus they avoided sharing their complex experiences with them. On the whole, findings show that sex offenders' therapists experience loneliness aside to feeling attacked from within and without. 

The present study is one of the first to compare the experiences of male and female sex offenders' therapists regarding the impact of their work on personal life and especially on their parenting. It also expands the understanding of their loneliness and its association to their disability to share their experiences with their friends, colleagues and spouses. The discussion offers a variety of explanations to the findings.