Sexual Offenders Who Target Children: Additional Sources and Resources

Gene Abel, M.D. 
Dr. Abel is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in diagnosing and treating sexual problems. He is the inventor of the Abel Assessment for sexual interest™, a diagnostic test that discriminates between people who have a high sexual interest in children and adolescents, and those who do not. He has directed six National Institute of Mental Health research projects related to the evaluation of sexual problems and has published over 130 medical articles in scientific journals.
Contact: Bobbie Mitchell, assistant, 404.872.7929 (Atlanta)

Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers 
ATSA is an international organization focused on the prevention of sexual abuse through effective management of sex offenders, and the advancement of standards and practices in the field of sex offender evaluation and treatment. Many states have local ATSA contacts. The group’s public policy consultant, Alisa Klein, can also provide state-level information.
Contact: Maia Christopher, executive director, 503.643.1023 (Oregon); maia@atsa.com

Fred Berlin, M.D., Ph.D.
In his clinical practice, Dr. Berlin specializes in the evaluation and treatment of adults and adolescents with psychosexual disorders including pedophilia (sexual attraction to children generally ages 13 or younger), voyeurism and exhibitionism. He also treats patients suffering from sexual trauma. Dr. Berlin's published research has focused on reducing sexual offenses through cognitive-behavioral therapies and medication.
Contact: Denise Sawyer, administrative assistant, 410.539.1661 (Maryland); fredsberlinmd@comcast.net

Center for Sex Offender Management
The Center for Sex Offender Management (CSOM) works to enhance public safety by preventing further victimization through improving the management of adult and juvenile sex offenders who are in the community. CSOM was primary funded by the U.S. Department of Justice; public funding ended on December 31, 2008. The CSOM web site remains operational and may provide the information on other resource centers.

Carla van Dam, Ph.D.
Carla van Dam is a clinical and forensic psychologist who works in primary prevention strategies to help end child sexual abuse. Her focus has been on developing a balanced approach to protecting communities by better understanding those who sexually molest children. In addition to extensive forensic work and evaluations on known child molesters, she has trained professionals, worked with the legal system and helped community groups. Her publications include journal articles, a first aid manual for helping those who have been molested and the books “Identifying Child Molesters: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse by Recognizing the Patterns of the Offenders” (Routledge paperback, 2001) and “The Socially Skilled Child Molester” (Routledge, 2006).
Contact: 360.956.0271 (Washington State); carlavandam@hotmail.com 

Enough Abuse Campaign/Massachusetts Citizens for Children
The campaign was developed as a statewide effort to eliminate child sexual abuse. The five-year CDC-funded pilot program focused on abuse prevention, especially within youth-serving organizations. Oregon has adopted the model and other states are considering it.
Contact: Jetta Bernier, executive director, 617.742.8555, Ext. 2 (Massachusetts); jetta@masskids.org

Pathways for Children
The nonprofit expanded its CSA training under a CDC prevention grant with the Enough Abuse Campaign (above). St. Pierre is also chairperson of a Gloucester Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Partnership, and can speak about the opportunities and challenges of community education around child sexual abuse prevention.
Contact: Barbara St. Pierre, clinical director, 978.281.2400 ext 270 (Massachusetts); bstpierre@pw4c.org

Project Pathfinder
Project Pathfinder provides psychotherapy, consultation, research and training that lead to the prevention of future sexual violence and abuse. It received a six-year grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct a social marketing campaign to encourage offenders to seek counseling and support. Steven Sawyer can discuss therapy issues and lessons learned from that campaign.
Contact: Warren Maas, executive director; 651.644.8515 (Minnesota)

Safer Society Foundation Referral Desk
The Safer Society Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit agency, is a national research, advocacy, and referral center on the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse. It supports two major programs: Safer Society Press and the Nationwide Sex Offender Treatment Referral Service. Safer Society Press publishes books on all aspects of sex offending. The Nationwide Sex Offender Treatment Referral Service is a free service that provides referrals to sex offender treatment programs.
Contact: 802.247.3132

Michael Seto, Ph.D.
Michael Seto is a psychology consultant in the Integrated Forensic Program of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. He is the author of “Understanding pedophilia and sexual offending against children: Theory, assessment, and intervention” (American Psychological Association, 2008). His main research interests are pedophilia; sexual offending against children; child pornography; risk assessment; mentally disordered offenders; psychopathy; and program evaluation.
Contact: 613.345.1461 ext 2605 (Ottawa); michael.seto@rohcg.on.ca

Sex Abuse Treatment Alliance
The alliance advocates for policies that treat sexual abuse as a public health issue, and propose that through treatment, community support and personal commitment, those who have sexually abused can become responsible members of society, and those at risk to sexually act out can successfully learn ways not to abuse. The alliance was founded in 1996 by a recovering sex offender.
Contact: Wayne Bowers, director, 517.482.2085 (Wisconsin); info@satasort.org

Stop It Now!
This nonprofit's Online Help Center is a 24/7 resource for any adult wanting to prevent the sexual abuse of children. Its target audiences are parents and grandparents, professionals from a wide range of disciplines and other adults including those concerned about their own sexual interest in children. The information covers the continuum of prevention information for those wanting to prevent abuse at the earliest possible moment and who want to actively stand up for children; child-serving organizations; those who are already serving families where abuse has occurred; and those who are ready to be accountable for their sexual interest in children.
Contact: Deborah Donovan Rice, executive director; 413.587.3500 (Massachusetts); drice@stopitnow.org

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