coe One of Few to Provide Comprehensive Sexual Offender Treatment Certificate Programs |
The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education is playing a noteworthy role in the field of sex offender treatment as only one of a few institutions nationally and internationally to provide a comprehensive certificate program for therapists who treat sex offenders. |
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Yegan Pillay |
For the first time this summer, the Sexual Offender Treatment Certificate Program (SOTCP) was held in Baker Center after a recent re-location to the George E. Hill Center, located in McCracken Hall . The re-location was a direct result of the efforts of Yegan Pillay, an assistant professor of Counseling and Higher Education, whose interests and clinical background made the move possible in 2007, from its former home in the Office for Lifelong and Distance Learning. In its previous role, The Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education only provided academic support to the program. Now, in its current configuration, the SOTCP is administered entirely under the auspices of the George E. Hill Center. Cara Kent serves as Principal Instructor for the SOTCP and Debra Fanning, Administrative Associate, provides all administrative support.
“We have been given an opportunity to expand the program into various areas of study,” said Cara Kent who is supervised by Pillay. “With this program, we could not only expose students but begin a training course designed for those who want to continue in this direction.”
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Debra Fanning |
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Cara Kent |
Typically, four sexual offender programs are held each year in Columbus. The program certifies participants who hold at least a bachelor’s degree in a human service related field and are working in a sexual offender program or related area. The program awards both Juvenile and Adult Sex Offender Certificates.
“The program covers everything from the ethics involved in doing forensic treatment to the latest technology in the field for supervising sexual offenders,” said Kent.
The certification process is divided into two components. The first offers instructional media during a week of lectures, multimedia presentations, group work, and discussion sessions. The second component requires completion of a six month practicum program, during which time the students work with the principal instructor to develop written and film media projects addressing questions having to do with sexual offenders.
According to Kent, it is a very dynamic time in the field of sexual offenders. National policy, specifically the Adam Walsh Act, has affected sentencing, supervision technology, and created a new “tier” system for offenders, with new research being implemented to see if the policies are effective. Community notification and residency restrictions are being challenged on an almost daily basis, and debates about juvenile offenders has sparked a new discussion of ethical concerns.
Collaboration is already underway between the Computer and Technology Center in The Patton College and the Hill Center to develop an on-line continuing education component of the program with the intention of providing continuing education or refresher courses for those who have already been certified and to reach a larger target audience nationally and internationally.
"Certainly there are multiple research possibilities that would benefit the university, while at the same time adding to the overall knowledge base in the field,” commented Kent. Pillay added that “the Ohio University SOTCP has the potential of being a preeminent leader in the field of sex offender practitioner education.”
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