STOP Overview
STOP provides the following services:
Children’s Service
STOP Children’s intervention service is aimed at helping primary and intermediate aged children who have engaged in concerning sexual behaviour. The service is aimed at helping these children and their parents to gain the understanding, knowledge and relevant skills to prevent further sexually harmful behaviour from occurring.
The service is designed to provide effective intervention suitable for this age group, identify and treat the concerning sexual behaviour at an early stage and to minimise and prevent the development of further serious sexually harmful behaviour developing.
Each case is managed for its unique circumstances however the general outline of the intervention process integrates the following components:
Phase 1: Assessment (8-10 weeks)
- Clinical Assessment: Meetings with Children’s Programme clinicians, the child, their parents/caregivers/whanau, both at STOP and a home visit
- Assessing the social context including school visits
- An assessment report assessing risk and suitability for intervention is discussed with the child and their parents/caregivers/whanau and provided to referral agents at the completion of the Assessment phase.
- Strengthening Families meeting with family support people and relevant professionals
Phase 2: Intervention programme (15 weeks)
- Individual counselling (as required)
- Family/whanau therapy
Phase 3: Closure
- Family Day (if provided)
- Reviewing and celebrating what has been learnt and the new choices
- Final meeting with the school
- Completion session with the child
- Completion session with the family/whanau
- Strengthening Families meeting
Phase 4: Follow-up (6 month intervals for up to 2 years)
- Booster sessions held/offered on an agreed basis with family/whanau and school
Adolescent Service
STOP’s Adolescent intervention programme is a nationally recognised comprehensive approach based on programmes that have proven effective in North America, the UK , Australia and in New Zealand. The programme integrates the following components:
Phase 1: Assessment / Education (10-12 weeks)
- Clinical Assessment: Involves clinical interviews with the adolescent, parents, caregivers and their family / whanau both separately and together
- Relevant Psychological Tests
- Education group: For adolescents and their parents/caregivers providing informant to increase their awareness about the problem of sexually abusive behaviour and to assist in orienting them to treatment for their sexually abusive behaviour. This is usually held concurrent with the clinical assessment.
- An assessment report assessing risk and suitability for treatment is discussed with adolescents and their parents/caregivers and provided to referral agents at the completion of the Assessment/Education phase.
Phase 2: Intervention (15- 18 months)
The intervention programme involves the following components:
- Individual Therapy: Adolescent attends regular sessions with a primary clinician
- Adolescent Peer Group Therapy: Weekly groups with up to 8 adolescents matched for developmental level and age.
- Changing Directions Group: This group for adolescents with an intellectual disability/developmental delay meets weekly for up to 2 years. (Available in Christchurch only).
- Family Therapy: Involving family/whanau members, as appropriate in family sessions.
- Social Work: Maintain school placement, access and support living placement, entry to suitable training course, placement and monitoring safety in work. (Available in Christchurch only).
- Intensive Groups: Adolescents will attend a number of intensive one-day groups during treatment with a focus on a particular treatment module.
- Adventure Based Activities combining adventure activities in a therapeutic context.
- System Reviews: Held at 4-6 monthly intervals during treatment, system reviews are independently facilitated and provide an opportunity for the adolescent/family/support people to review the adolescent’s progress.
Phase 3: Follow- Up ( 12 Months) (6-month intervals for 12 Months)
- Family meeting at 3 months and 6 months
- “Open door” policy for follow up
- For some clients there is a very structured reduction of contact with the programme and assistance to engage in another agency i.e. victim support, Aspergers group
Girls’ Service
STOP’s Girls’ Service addresses the issue of girls who are engaging in harmful sexual behaviour and provides assessment and intervention services.
STOP’s Girls’ Service recognises that girls have unique treatment requirements that need to be met in a targeted, gender-specific manner by professional, qualified staff who receive specific training for this client group.
How to refer:
Referrals are accepted from Child, Youth and Family, schools, health and community professionals, counsellors and the police.
Inquiries around referral suitability can be made by telephone or email.
Adult Service
STOP’s Adult Service provides treatment for adult men who have sexually abused or offended. An Assisted Learning Programme (ALP) for men with intellectual disabilities and learning difficulties who have sexually abused or offended is also provided.
The services are for men over the age of 19 who have been involved in contact abuse, (sexual contact with a child or non-consenting adult) or non-contact abuse (indecent exposure, computer facilitated sexual offending e.g. child pornography) regardless of whether they have been formally charged or convicted.
The Treatment Programmes includes day or evening group therapy once a week for men. Individual therapy, family /partner/significant other support and whanau work with Maori and Pacific Island clients is provided for the men on the Programme and their support people. The programmes also utilizes multi-agency co-operation and collaboration.
STOP also provides specialist Risk Assessments, community education and consult services for professionals and caregivers. We are also able to accept referrals for assessment of adult women who have sexually abused or offended. If treatment is indicated the provision of an individualised treatment intervention will be dependent on staffing availability.
The Adult Service are structured into the following components:
Group intervention
The treatment programme is a minimum of 52 weeks for the mainstream clients. The ALP treatment Programme for men with intellectual disabilities and learning difficulties is a 24 month programme. The group programmes is structured on an open group model which enable new clients to start in treatment once they have been assessed as suitable for treatment. The content is standardised and based on international research. Though moderated by the formulations of the particular group of clients, treatment includes a range of treatment modules that have been generally accepted as necessary for best practice intervention. The ALP Programme utilises treatment strategies and treatment content that take into account the issues identified for persons with an intellectual disability and learning difficulty.
Individual Therapy
Each client has individual sessions with their primary Clinician to supplement and develop specific treatment goals that are identified in the assessment. Individual sessions are structured according to the individual treatment needs of clients.
Family/Whanau/Significant Other Work
Family/whanau/significant others and professional networks of each client are supported by the family clinician by way of family sessions and home visits.
Reviews
Clients’ progress in treatment is reviewed regularly by a formal system review process to which family/significant others/support persons, and relevant professionals are invited.
End of Intervention
A the end of treatment report is written, discussed with the client and a copy sent to the referral professional.
Referral to other services if necessary
For Further Information about the STOP Programmes Click here
Children’s Service
Adolescent Service
