When working with youth with sexually problematic behaviors, there is a natural desire to focus on whether the client is truthful or dishonest. Though many providers believe that they can read when a youth is lying, we learned in the last installment of @issue 360 that humans are less than effective in doing so. The issue of denial is certainly controversial. For victims it is crucial that society does not deny their experience. But does denial affect treatment and is it a risk-factor for re-offense? How can someone in denial meaningfully engage in treatment or benefit in any way if they refuse to acknowledge their actions in the first place?
Denial is not an “either/or” construct. While there are clients who simply state “I did not do it” there are other types of denial stances that offenders take, such as denial of responsibility, denial of an ongoing problem , ect…
At this point there are only limited studies directly examining denial and re-offending behaviors among adolescents. However, most professionals agree that denial serves many purposes. For example, some denials may be manipulative, while other reflect a psychological defense against the anguish of admission, especially if the offense occurred against a family member or someone close to the adolescent. Here denial may be a coping mechanism. What the research does indicate is that instead of conceptualizing denial as a risk factor, it may be more helpful to think in terms of the adolescent’s motivations for denying or admitting. Please click here to gain a further understanding of what may prevent some of our clients from providing full disclosures upfront and for some strategies for working with denial.
Add new comment