Treating Sex Offenders: Effects on Male and Female Therapists

The aim of the present study, based on in-depth semistructured interviews conducted in Israel with 18 social workers (nine women and nine men), working as probation officers who diagnose and treat sex offenders, was twofold: The first goal was to examine how treating sex offenders affects the male and female practitioners’ daily lives and specifically, their parenting. Second, in light of the claim that support of colleagues and family members is very important for coping with secondary traumatization, the study investigated how working with sex offenders influenced the practitioners’ ability to share their experiences with their colleagues in the workplace and with their partners at home. The study findings, based on a phenomenological analysis, revealed that male and female probation officers working with sex offenders experienced anxiety, suspicion, and concern for their children’s safety. Their spousal and collegial relationships were also affected by their work. In addition to not receiving support from their colleagues and partners, they experienced loneliness and attacks “from the inside and from the outside,” expressed in criticism, loathing, and disgust in relation to their work. The findings reveal, for the first time, the common and the distinct effects of male and female practitioners’ experiences on their spousal and parental relationships. It also expands the understanding of the connection between exclusion and loneliness experienced by them, due to their limited ability of sharing their experience with colleagues and family members. The discussion offers theoretical explanations for these implications and recommends how to provide relief for male and female practitioners, who work with sex offenders.