The changing landscape of professional development: Online training a consideration or cautionary tale?

By Kieran McCartan, Ph.D., & Anne Eason, DCrimJ

Training frontline staff in the social and criminal justice sector is essential. It is important to have a reflective, compassionate and trauma informed workforce that can engage with sensitive and challenging topics in a way that supports vulnerable service users and allows for positive reflection as well as peer support. However, this can be challenging given the nature of multi-disciplinary work of frontline services which are often oversubscribed, under resourced and understaffed. So, how do we build a more equipped and informed workforce? Should it be through internal training or ongoing staff development or external, specialist CPD? What is the best and most effective way to engage staff and to improve their knowledge and skill base?

Traditionally, all frontline social and criminal justice staff (including but not limited to police, probation, prison, and social work staff) were trained in person. The training, whether initial foundation, degree or recruit training, was done in person in the classroom using. In more recent years, simulation and practical teaching is linked to real world examples to embed learning prior to practice placements. The role of academic and practice learning was, and still is, essential to these services, as it emphasises the importance of understanding the research and practice evidence base, as well as being able to implement it in real world, often high-pressure situations. The role of the classroom is as a safe environment for professionals to discuss, and get wrong, challenging and complex issues. A place within which they can develop reflection, compassion, and professional support structures. In person training and development adds to professional culture and enables professionals to ‘road test’ ideas and concepts before going into the field. This is particularly important with sensitive and challenging issues like child sexual abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and severe mental health. The in-person training and development allows a shared understanding and an opportunity to professionally bond around these issues.

One of the notable challenges in teaching sensitive topics is that staff have different life experiences, where some may have direct or indirect lived experiences of these issues, while others will never have encountered them before and therefore, they may be quite abstract to them. Given our experiences as researchers, ex-professionals and current programme leads in the in frontline services we see this as important as staff need to understand and seek support throughout their career, including their training, and if they cannot openly discuss course content how will they be able to discuss professional practice?

The challenge that frontline services now face is that the training and staff development portfolio and delivery method are now changing from in person to online only or hybrid. This change is driven by many factors, including, the costs of running in person training; the travel time and environmental cost; the cost of repeating in person training and having a balanced, replicable training programme. The need for speedy recruitment and placement of staff (which is evident in policing and probation) as well as their geographical location are also deciding factors all of which makes online training more appealing. The online training world has developed quickly over the past 10 – 15 years, aided by Covid-19, and has opened some really positive experiences such as being able to engage with international, specialist speakers and content, having a presentation that is standardised and permanent. The online training world, and the opportunities that it offers, are limitless. However, the one challenge that it faces, and has not yet overcome, is participant engagement or issues of impact. You do not get the same discussion, reflection, or questions and answers in online training and development that you do in in person ones. Typically, trainees attend, listen but don’t often engage, which is challenging if you are discussing sensitive and challenging material. As a trainer or educator, you do not want attendees sitting alone processing challenging content and feeling unable to reach out or seek support. This is a bad starting point in any profession. It reinforces current and historical trauma and inevitably leads to practice issues and burn out. Furthermore, these topics frequently involve in-person disclosures unlikely in online forums. It is important, therefore, that we consider how online learning is used and what areas of practice can be taught safely, without impacting the learner’s wellbeing.

Online training is a great resource, but it is important to contextualise it within a wider training, mentoring, and practice portfolio for frontline staff. In addition, the content of online training needs to be considered, are all topics able to be taught online or are there certain topics (like sexual and interpersonal violence) that need to be taught in person initially and then maybe followed up with online training. It is important that sensitive issues that are at the core of service users, and some professional, lives are not taught in a removed, abstract or impersonal way. With the constitutional move to online training, it is essential that these issues are properly considered and a trauma informed approach is taken which is likely to involve at least an element of face-to-face delivery.

NOTA 2025 Annual Conference Review

By  Dulcie Faure-Walker, DForenPsy., & Kieran McCartan, Ph.D.

The annual NOTA international conference took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, last week.  This was the first time that the NOTA annual conference had been in Belfast since 2019, our first post-covid visit. There were over 300 attendees across two days, with four keynote sessions and 38 parallel breakout sessions. For the first time the NOTA conference moved from three to two days and the organization and structure of the days took a different format.  For this blog post, we talk through the highlights of a successful, engaging, and thought-provoking conference.

 

The conference kicked off on Thursday morning with a welcome to Belfast and Northern Ireland by Lady Chief Justice Siobhan Keegan where she discussed her journey to become chief justice and the importance of understanding the causes of sexual and interpersonal abuse for all, especially judges, in the criminal justice system. The chair for the day was Miriam O’Callaghan, an RTÉ journalist and TV news presenter based in the Republic of Ireland, who discussed the importance of having an informed press when reporting on sensitive, challenging and controversial issues. Which lead directly into her chairing of the first keynote, a debate on whether the causes of paedophilia are informed by nature or nurture. Dr James Cantor opened the debate, argueing for the nature side stating that you cannot wholly explain paedophilia, not necessarily child sexual abuse in general, in social and contextual factors. Dr. Cantor highlighted research on mental health, psychology, biology and brain structure as well as function. Professor Nick Blagden, countered, emphasizing the need to recognize the importance of social and contextual factors. The two speakers came to the consensus that what is most important is to look at the individual and what the motivating factors are for them and that there is not a one size fits all explanation. Which lead Miriam O’Callaghan to emphasize that we need to do a better job at discussing these complex issues in our efforts to educate individuals, communities and society.

 

After the first keynote, the conference continued with two sets of parallel sessions, followed by lunch. The day concluded with a roundtable debate on Extremism & Online Child Sexual Abuse. This session was chaired by Iain Drennan, head of We Protect Global Alliance, who laid out the current context of online social harms, the role of social media, and the intersection between extremism, toxic masculinity and violence against women and children. The other members of the panel Professor Ethel Quayle, University of Edinburgh, Robert Richardson, National Crime Agency, & Marcella Leonard MBE, private therapist and consultant, discussed Iain’s remarks and the questions from their research, policy and practice experience. This made for an interesting debate, which highlighted the complexity of the online world and the challenges that we have in understanding the motivations of people using and viewing sexual abuse material and how it ties to extremist, not in terms of political, social and physical violence.

 

On Friday the conference was opened by Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, the CEO of Cuan the Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV) Agency in the Republic of Ireland, who stated that the need for a better understanding of the links between child abuse, interpersonal violence, and violence within the home was more important than ever. Which led into the first keynote by Prof. Parveen Ali who discussed her new book, with Dr Michaela Rogers, on the overlaps between sexual offending and domestic violence. The presentation reinforced the importance of understanding sexual abuse in the family context and the need for a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary approaches in responding to and preventing harm. Additionally, as with Stepanie, Parveen argued that you need an informed and educated workforce to effectively intervene. After the first keynote the conference continues with two sets of parallel sessions and lunch. The day concluded with the final keynote, which focused on place-based approaches to preventing sexual abuse in children and young people (CYP). Dr. Nadine McKillop presented research, policy and practice from Australia, emphasizing that taking a place-based approach is the most effective way for protecting CYP from sexual harm, but also in upskilling communities around the issue. She was followed by Professor Carlene Firmin who discussed the role of contextual safeguarding in preventing sexual harm across the UK.

 

Their presentations dovetailed well together and reinforced the role of the community in helping to prevent and respond to sexual harm in CYP. Notably, the final keynote reinforced the messages of the opening one, that you need to focus on the individual at risk of committing or who has committed sexual harm and work with them in their context in an individualized and multi-systemic way.

 

Across Thursday and Friday, we had 38 breakout sessions covering topics as broad as research and treatment on sibling sexual abuse, harmful sexual behavior in CYP, risk assessment, sexual abuse prevention, masculinity and online harm, treatment, desistence, and updates from HMPPS on current policy as well as practice. This year, like last year, the conference had a special online edition of the Journal of Sexual Aggression curated by Dr. Nadine McKillop; readers are invited to go to the journal website and twitter account for more information.

 

In closing, the conference was a great success, and the two-day format worked, with lots of positive feedback. It was a great opportunity to reconnect and reengage with colleagues as well as learn about innovative research, policy, and practice. The next NOTA conference will be in Newcastle, England, in mid-May 2026, we hope to see you there!

Evolutions and Challenges in Preventing Online Child Sexual Abuse: A Conference Report

By Minne De Boeck, Larissa Van Puyvelde, & Kasia Uzieblo, 

Introduction

Online sexual abuse is a global issue, and traditional approaches are increasingly inadequate in addressing its evolving forms. Various stakeholders are encountering limitations in their ability to contain the exponential rise of, among others, child sexual abuse material (CSAM) (Lee et al., 2020). Over the past years, another major challenge has emerged: artificial intelligence (AI). For this reason, the University Forensic Center (UFC), together with PROTECH and funded by the European Union, organized a conference at the University of Antwerp on January 28, 2025, focusing on new evolutions and challenges in online sexual abuse. This blog presents findings from studies on individuals who have engaged in CSAM offending, hereafter referred to as CSAM offenders for brevity and clarity in presenting group-level data.

Research on CSAM Offenders

Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen from Protect Children and Hanna Lahtinen from the University of Eastern Finland presented an overview of their various studies on online child sexual abuse. The first study aimed to gain deeper insight into the motivations of CSAM offenders. More than 72,000 individuals who searched for CSAM on the dark web participated in the study. Findings showed that 70% of these individuals were searching for CSAM for the first time, 42% had previously contacted a minor, and 55% wanted to change their behavior. Given that over half expressed a desire for behavioral change, it is essential to offer accessible and appropriate support.

They also studied the channels used to access CSAM material. The study found that 77% found CSAM on the open web, 32% via pornography websites, and 29% through social media platforms. Image sharing occurred in 32% of cases via social media. These findings debunk the idea that online CSAM is mainly or exclusively found on the dark web. Moreover, contact with minors mainly took place via social media, messaging apps, and online games (Insoll et al., 2024a). 

The 2KNOW project also investigated factors contributing to illegal sexual behavior behavior. A total of 4,549 respondents completed the survey on the dark web, of whom 68% were men. Seventy percent of participants first encountered CSAM before the age of 18. Most participants sought material featuring girls between the ages of 11 and 14, and nearly half reported having contacted a minor. The study identified several contributing factors to CSAM offending behavior in individuals active on the dark web, such as motivations (e.g., paraphilias), facilitating and situational factors (e.g., pornography exposure, internet anonymity), and certain barriers (e.g., deterrence campaigns, preventative interventions). 

Finally, the 2KNOW project also explored differences among CSAM offenders (n=3782). The research distinguished between: (1) individuals convicted of sexual offenses against minors, (2) those convicted of sexual offenses against adults, and (3) individuals with no convictions. The main findings indicate that most participants sought material featuring girls, and a significant portion had a sexual interest in children between the ages of 1 and 3 years old. 

The majority of convicted offenders sought CSAM based on a sexual interest in children. The non-convicted group showed higher levels of desensitization to adult pornography, and some reported seeking inappropriate or illegal physical contact with minors. The study further confirmed distinctions between the three groups. Convicted offenders had more extensive criminal histories, were more likely to engage in grooming and direct contact with minors, and showed stronger preferences for young children (Lahtinen et al., 2025).

Investigation and Law Enforcement

Kevin Reulens from the Federal Judicial Police (FGP) elaborated on the digital evolution of online sexual abuse from an investigative standpoint. The sexual development of minors often occurs online, which is also exploited by offenders, with the internet acting as a catalyst. This leads to the rapid spread of self-generated material and the eventual loss of control by the victim, resulting in a vast amount of CSAM becoming unintentionally available.

Technological developments also involve generative AI, which is increasingly used to create CSAM, with growing realism, more extreme content, and at greater volume. Additionally, all information on how to use this technology is being shared on abuse platforms, increasing accessibility.

Extended Reality (XR) was also discussed, highlighting the rise of platforms that integrate VR devices with audio and video to simulate touch, for example. The conclusion: these technological developments are unprecedented and evolving at an extremely rapid pace, posing complex challenges for law enforcement, prevention efforts, and evidence-based responses. 

Prevention and Treatment (Innovations) in CSAM Offenders

Ida Oeverland from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation (LFF) presented their treatment approach for CSAM offenders. LFF aims to create a safe group setting, offering information about (legal) consequences, psychosocial support, and practical guidance. The content of the programs covers various topics including offending behavior models, self-care, relationships, and relapse prevention. Sessions follow a cognitive-behavioral approach, with a focus on individual responsiveness. In 2023, 296 people participated. Participants generally reported a better understanding of their own behavior patterns and progress in managing their risk of offending. A positive impact on mental health was also noted.

Hannes Gieselier from Charité explained the STOP-CSAM project, which uses therapeutic chat interventions with adult CSAM offenders. These involve four conversations covering topics such as understanding offending behavior, acceptance of sexual preferences, personal values, emotion regulation, problem management, and a safety and change plan. Research using test and control groups showed that these interventions had a positive impact on illegal viewing of CSAM. Key takeaways included the importance of targeted, accessible, and rapid therapeutic interventions to facilitate behavioral change. However, maintaining privacy and anonymity is crucial for effective reach.

Minne De Boeck from the University Forensic Center (UFC) and Stop it Now! Flanders presented their one-on-one online support approach for CSAM offenders. The Rethink project uses an AI-based chatbot linked to a deterrence message when users search for banned terms on legal porn sites. This aims to improve referral to support services. A blended care approach has been developed, linked to the online self-help module for individuals who have viewed CSAM. Topics include expectations, problem definition and insight, safety planning, and future support needs. De Boeck also explored the potential role of AI in specific interventions related to CSAM prevention. Benefits include improved accessibility, better referral, faster and more efficient care, training support, etc. However, challenges remain, such as the sensitive nature of the topic and target group, risk assessment, and various ethical dilemmas (e.g., lack of human contact, safety evaluations).

Finally, Larissa Van Puyvelde from UFC introduced the PROTECH project, which developed an app called Salus with input from CSAM offenders themselves. The app uses machine learning (an AI application) to prevent  the illegal viewing of CSAM. It is voluntarily installed on users' devices and monitors internet traffic for CSAM or, where relevant, legal porn use. When detected, a blocking message appears and the content is blocked. Built with privacy and anonymity in mind, the app was tested in four countries at treatment centers and through Stop it Now!, with 38 CSAM offenders over a period of three to six months. In addition to using the app, participants were asked to complete surveys at fixed intervals and an interview at the end of the pilot. Most participants reported that Salus functioned as expected and did not interfere with device use. Some technical difficulties were noted (e.g., issues with other apps, slow internet, false positives). Still, the majority found Salus helpful, necessary, and supportive, and believed it could be beneficial in therapy.

Conclusion

Rapidly evolving technological developments clearly present various challenges in terms of detection and prevention. But at the same time, these developments offer new opportunities in terms of innovative prevention strategies and accessing otherwise hard-to-reach groups. Since online technology knows no boundaries, it is essential that we, as professionals, also know no boundaries in developing collaborations and  exchanging ideas to strengthen each other in the fight against online sexual abuse.

References

Insoll, T., Soloveva V., Viaz Bethencourt, E., Ovaska, A. & Vaaranen-Valkonen,N. (2024a). Tech platforms Used by Online Child Sexual Abuse Offenders. Research Report. 

Insoll, T., Soloveva, V., Díaz Bethencourt, E., Nieminen, N., Leivo, K., Ovaska, A., & Vaaranen-Valkonen, N. (2024b). What Drives Online Child Sexual Abuse Offending? Understanding Motivations, Facilitators, Situational Factors, and Barriers. 2KNOW project. https://www.suojellaanlapsia.fi/en/2know-research-report.

Lahtinen, H., Honkalampi, K., Insoll, T., Nurmi, J., Quayle, E., Ovaska, A. K., & Vaaranen-Valkonen, N. (2025). Investigating the disparities among child sexual abuse material users: Anonymous self-reports from both charged and uncharged individuals. Child Abuse & Neglect, 161, 107299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107299

Lee. H-E., Ermakova, T., Ververisa, V., & Fabiana, B. (2020). ‘Detecting child sexual abuse material: A comprehensive survey’, Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation [e-journal] 34, 301022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsidi.2020.301022  

Change is Constant. So Is Our Work.

By Amber Schroeder

Many of us are feeling the weight of this moment. From economic instability and shifting policies to public attacks on higher education, research, and professional practice, the landscape is changing in ways that affect how we work—and how we support those we serve. For many of your clients and ourselves, this moment is changing how we live and look at our lives.

At ATSA, we’ve been hearing from members who are navigating real uncertainty: institutional pressures, loss of research funding, new legislative restrictions, growing concern about international collaboration, job loss, and fatigue from trying to keep up with it all. These challenges are not theoretical—they directly affect our ability to provide effective, accessible, evidence-based treatment, conduct high-quality research, and train the next generation of professionals in this field.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the circumstances were isolating, but there was a strong sense of “we’re in this together.” That collective mindset helped sustain us as individuals, as an organization, and as a field. While the pressures we’re facing now are more fragmented and often harder to name—whether it’s the chilling effect of legislative scrutiny, U.S. executive orders that complicate nonprofit operations, economic uncertainty, or a travel advisory warning international colleagues against attending U.S. conferences—we need to return and lean into that same spirit of shared purpose.

Our work is about preventing sexual harm and supporting treatment for those who have caused or are at risk to cause it and holding those who cause harm accountable for their harmful behaviors. That requires space for rigorous research, clinical flexibility, and professional development that reflects real-world diversity and nuance. It’s becoming harder to do that work when DEI initiatives and trans-inclusive practices—essential components of ethical, effective care—are increasingly politicized or restricted. It’s also harder when economic uncertainty, including trade tensions and U.S. federal policy shifts, place added strain on institutions, providers, clients, and programs.

As we prepare for our 2025 Annual Research & Treatment Conference this September, we’re focused on ensuring the event supports you—wherever you are, however you’re showing up. Whether in person or online, we’re committed to making space for continued learning, connection, and collaboration. We recognize that for some, travel is no longer straightforward, and safety is a consideration that can’t be overlooked. We hear you, and we’re adapting. Please stay tuned!

As clinicians and researchers, we know that group work can create meaningful, lasting change. It’s not always easy, but when people show up and work together with honesty, structure, and shared goals, transformation is possible. The ATSA community is no different. This group—our group—has the power to shift narratives and policies, ensuring the treatment of those who cause harm remains rooted in evidence, ethics, and effectiveness. And when we come together, even in uncertain times, we move that shift forward. 

These aren’t easy times. But the work you do matters—and ATSA is here to support it.
Creating a world where ending sexual harm is a shared responsibility and an achievable goal means staying grounded in what we know works, even when everything around us is shifting. It means being clear-eyed, flexible, and committed to showing up for each other—and for the people who rely on our expertise.

These are complex times—but this community has never shied away from complexity. And we won’t start now.

Making the invisible, VISIBLE

By Joan Tabachnick, Kieran McCartan, and David Prescott

For 30 years, each of us has struggled with this essential question: How can we make the invisible visible? How can we create good research and emerging practice in the most effective way? This is especially true when our working lives sit at the intersection of research, policy, and practice, each of which often has different ways, means, and justifications to enable making the invisible visible.

In the world of sexual violence prevention, the question is how to prove that something didn’t happen because of an essential intervention, education program, or other factors that protected against harm. Disentangling evidence from practice and “proving” the effectiveness of an intervention is difficult in any field and especially so in an emerging field like sexual violence prevention. In the last 30 years we have seen incredible change – most importantly in the general acceptance of strategies to prevent the perpetration of sexual violence from members of the public to frontline professionals, to national policy makers and transnational organizations. In the wake of ATSA’s name change, with new funding for prevention, more acceptance of this perspective from the victim advocacy community, and new research emphasizing the importance of primary prevention on preventing the perpetration of sexual abuse, we were all feeling optimistic.  

Unfortunately, in the USA at this moment, we are now heading in the totally opposite direction and diametrically opposed to international trends, especially those in other anglophone, westernized countries (i.e., UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway, to name a few). 

Last week, this question of how we make things visible became even more important, Ironically, April is sexual violence awareness month, and yet in early April the US Center s for Disease Control’s Office of Violence Prevention was gutted, leaving research funding, national organizations, and local sexual violence prevention programs adrift (NPR, 2025).  More than two-thirds of the staff lost their jobs, jeopardizing essential programs to prevent child abuse, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and gun violence. 

Except for one or two articles and a few organizational statements (including one from ATSA), the world has been silent.  In fact, it seems that the public has not become aware of these changes and their impact.  Much of this is due to the onslaught of political and social change and commentary going on in the USA and its reverberations around the world. Yet the impact of these cuts and layoffs will be felt by countless numbers of people for many years to come. 

Again, how do we make the invisible, visible?  How can we help people feel these changes today, this week, this month. How do we highlight the importance of prevention, its messaging and investment to communities and individuals, when the people that sexual violence prevention activities support do not often bring attention to themselves, and the topic is uncomfortable and challenging for society.

The people who benefit the most from our prevention efforts may never know anything about our efforts  because we have been successful and they have never experienced harm. More than ever, we need to shine a light on this.

What exactly are we losing?  For decades, the CDC has offered research about the risk and protective factors for those who have been sexually abused or those who have perpetrated sexual abuse.  They have also offered critical surveillance data, strategies for preventing sexual abuse, and the funding and guidance to evaluate the results.  And for decades they offered funding for research and for programs specifically through Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) funding that has been essential for the victim advocacy movement.  Again, removing this funding and these staff will not be immediately felt in the next days or weeks ahead. However, it all signals a shift in societal (or at least governmental) perspectives on the importance of sex and relationship education as well as sexual violence prevention. It will doubtless take years to re-focus communities’ attention on the scope of these issues.

While we don’t have that key strategic advice about what is the one thing that would make a huge difference.  We do know it is important to do something and look for hope in what others are doing. We need to look to our international colleagues, as well as those in related fields, for help, support, and direction.

We find hope in the courage and tenacity of our colleagues.  ATSA did not just issue a statement, they issued a call to all ATSA members in the US to contact their elected officials to emphasize the importance of research-informed policymaking in the effort to eliminate sexual violence.  If you have not done this yet, please make those calls. 

We find hope in movies and stories that take the risk to expand the narrow narrative of sexual violence, perpetrated by monsters lurking in the shadows.  Look for a new thoughtful documentary film called “Predator” that is really an expose on the salacious TV show called “To Catch a Predator”.  According to the film’s director, this offers insights into the complex experiences of those whose thoughts and desires do not match who they are on the inside.

We find hope when people begin to talk about institutional courage rather than institutional betrayal.  This challenges us to think about what we can do when we hear stories of sexual abuse and what can do within our institutions whether they are campuses or youth serving organizations or faith-based communities or government agencies.  How we can come together as communities to argue for and establish the need for sexual abuse prevention and the impact that it has across society. When leaders choose to face the harms that have happened and take the time to listen, that alone can make a difference.  And when leaders choose to ask what can be done to repair the harm, that can be incredibly healing for everyone.  The Center for Institutional Courage is collecting the research and hopefully make these stories of courage more visible. 

The CDC and the Division of Violence Prevention are essential to our work.  We cannot remain silent.  We need to find ways to talk about the importance of their work, their research, and their funding to continue our efforts on behalf of society.  Please don’t give up; look for places of hope that can help sustain us in the weeks and months and possibly years ahead. 

The role of sudden insights in making difficult changes

By David S. Prescott, LCSW, LICSW

“I know it sounds funny, but I changed that night when I got arrested. Nobody would ever believe it, but when I was in the back of the cop car… That was it. I knew I would never hurt anyone again. That’s when I really changed.”  Many professionals will hear these words and assume that this individual was engaging in impression management, putting himself into the best light he could under the circumstances.

In fact, this person (whose progress in treatment I was asked to assess) went on to describe how everyone assumed that he needed treatment in order to change (meaning to manage risks and lead a better life). His perspective was that although he had already changed, he needed treatment to help make those changes solid and durable. He also appreciated the opportunity to reflect on his life with therapists and group members.

It was an interesting way to look at the treatment process, one that our field rarely discusses. From the perspective of treatment planning, he sought to demonstrate in his actions who he had become in his identity. It was certainly a different pathway to completing treatment, although the end game was the same: the development of a lifestyle incompatible with harming others. What helped this client move forward, however, was that by viewing himself as a different person he could more easily maintain a better outlook on his future.

Another client was asked to reflect on what made him get himself together and participate meaningfully in treatment. He had made a sudden turn for the better in every respect, surprising everyone in his multidisciplinary team. He resided in one of two treatment programs located on the same campus. One night, a client into his program became highly aggressive, to the point where he overcame a staff person. The other staff member shouted out for help, telling the client to run and get help from the program next door.  While many will recognize this as reflecting several problems with program staffing, the client did what he was told.

He later recalled, “When I saw the look on the staff’s face in the doorway as I told her they needed help next door, that’s when it all made sense. I did not want to spend the rest of my life in places where all this could happen. I knew I had to do something different.” He did; he went on to make meaningful changes in his life and returned to living independently in the community. Arguably, his life changed quickly, with treatment being a means to become in his life who he now was in his heart. The clients in these cases went on to live successfully, all things considered.

How is it that these sudden insights so infrequently receive attention? We tend to structure treatment programs in a stepwise fashion to help clients change their lives slowly, and for good reason. Living one’s life differently is a lot of work. Often, our attempts to reduce risk don’t easily mesh with many clients’ progress, which can proceed in fits and starts. Nonetheless, whether we call them sudden insights, quantum changes, or epiphanies, they do happen and can be cause for celebration. They also illustrate how no one treatment plan or program is a perfect fit for every individual.

Perhaps one reason these sudden changes don’t garner more discussion is that professionals so often have a wait-and-see attitude. There was a conference presenter who observed with sarcasm that, “I’ve seen more people suddenly find God in the back seat of a police cruiser than in any chapel.” Many have seen some variation of this observations in their own practice. With that kind of attitude,  it is no surprise that professionals are very cautious. On the other hand, if we remain too skeptical, we may miss the opportunity to help clients consolidate their motivations to change and weather the storms of generalizing treatment insights into daily behaviors. As always, change can be messy and sporadic, and therapists need to work hard to make sure that they hear, understand, and respect their clients as fellow human beings. 

 

The use of TV drama ‘adolescence’ in schools: why simple solutions to complex problems don’t work

 By Kieran McCartan, PhD., & Sophie King-Hill, PhD.

Editor’s note: This blog follows up on Sophie King-Hill's last week’s blog on the Netflix show Adolescence. It was originally posted on the UWE Bristol research and enterprise blog. Kieran.

Recently, there has been a lot of debate about the Netflix show Adolescence. It tells a fictional story of a 13-year-old boy who is rejected by a female classmate and because of the influence of incel counterculture goes on to stab and kill her. The narrative of the four-episode story is that children and young people are being influenced by harmful online social media, which is radicalising them into accepting extreme misogynistic beliefs, which they then unwittingly internalise and act on. The drama touches upon how exposure to unfiltered, problematic social media may change children and young people’s perceptions of, and engagement with each other.

The drama skirts many issues about misogyny that involve hate crime, violence against women and girls, gender-based violence and Incel culture, mental health, wellbeing, radicalisation, risk management, education, radicalisation, knife crime, counterculture, the collapse of parental engagement, issues with family systems, and growing societal disengagement.

This is where the drama falls short as an educational resource.  Four hours over the episodes is not enough time to unpack these issues in any meaningful way. The programme signals the need for an informed debate and conversations about all these issues yet does not cover these in any great depth. Adolescence is not the answer to the issues posed and it is dangerous to think of it as such, for it offers no solutions. The show has sparked a national debate in the UK, with the Prime Minister stepping in to say that adolescence should be screened in schools to educate, and raise awareness with children and young people about the realities of harmful online social media and misogynistic hate crime. This sensationalist, knee-jerk reaction to a range of complex and endemic problems and issues that are faced by children and young people in society is problematic. Although across the political spectrum in the UK there is not a considered evidence-based response to this with Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition, although not having seen Adolescence believes that removing phones from children and young people in schools is one of the most effective responses. It is important to remember that under the last Conversative government the issue of Relationships and Sex Education in schools was a challenging issue and unresolved debate.

The show, given its short run time and structure which includes an episode about a different aspect of the story - the arrest, the school based follow up, the risk assessment, and the consequence, delves into parts of this story but does not offer a rounded in-depth perspective. No understanding of how and why the young boy was “radicalised” into accepting Incel culture as is implied. The complex social interactions between the boy, his friends, his family, his community or the victim are not explored. This is problematic, especially if the show is to be used as a teaching and critical reflection tool in schools.

No points of intervention and what those interventions look like are offered, as this was not designed as an educational resource. What is implied is that there is a problematic online community that are out there influencing children and young people, but no explanation is given as to how or why. Additionally, the show indicates that online misogyny, Incel culture and violence against women and girls is omnipresent in the lives of children and young people and that children and young people are accepting of this. This approach takes away the autonomy and agency of children and young people. This is problematic and works against the prevention of sexual abuse and violent behaviour. A multi-level approach is needed to tackle social issues being targeted at individuals and the community and society in which they sit. In preventing radicalisation, how the individual is affected needs exploring, which cannot be done with ‘Adolescence’.

Wanting to introduce this into schools is naïve. Adolescence is a fictional story, designed for TV/streaming and therefore its content, although based in real world issues, is fictionalised. Its aim, although to raise awareness of social issues, is to increase viewership and ratings. It is important to state that teen murders are rare and that most online hate crimes and misogyny do not result in fatalities. TV shows are not always realistic and can often adapt knowledge and practice to fit the needs to the story. Which means that the evidence based, research informed and even practice consultation which may be part of the development and writing of the screenplay can get lost of the needs of the story as they can get in the get in the way of the drama.

The best example of this flaw in Adolescence is the admission in episode four that the main character is going to change their plea from not guilty to guilty. Which goes against the narrative of episode one and three, and there is no real discussion of change of heart in episode four. It seems out of place, but it wraps the story up nicely in the last episode. Which means that the psychological or behavioural change in the character is not seen and therefore learning cannot take place from their experience. The arc of the story and the story telling approach do not allow a nuanced debate about the reality of the offence committed, the thinking and motivation behind it or the best way to understand it.

‘Adolescence’ does not help understanding of Incel culture or online hate crime better. It does not help understanding knife crime and harmful behaviour between children and young people better. It sets out that children and young people are at risk but does not offer any solutions to the problem.

The UK government want to screen it in schools as a prevention and desistence tool to educate children and young people about the issues of radicalisation, online hate and synonym. Which is problematic, as this is not what it was designed to do and does not offer those insights. What does is say then? The main discussion piece from the show detracts from the main narrative, that understanding and engagement with young people is needed to better understand these issues. In episode four where the parents recognise that they could have done, and maybe should have done more, is where the real message is. The showing of adolescence in schools to GCSE and A-Level students (as its rated 15) will not help pre-teens and younger teenagers understanding and engage with these issues better and it will not help their parents understand the issues or how to engage with them better on it. In the UK it would be better to have a conversation about the reality of growing up online, the intersection between the online and offline worlds and how they impact the mental health and wellbeing og children and young people and how we as adults, and parents, can better support them in this transition. There are pockets of work being carried out that do this with young men and boys that are evidence based and well evaluated. Why is the upscaling of these not the focus.

The period of adolescence is a point of transition and liminality in the lives of children and young people how can we support them in becoming well rounded, thoughtful and critically engaged adults. By engaging with children and young people, talking and communicating directly and thoughtfully we can learn how to best fit their individual needs. This cannot be done by simply showing them a fictionalised TV show.