Intellectual Disabilities and Sexually Inappropriate Behaviors: A Brief Review for Professionals   (MEMBERS ONLY)

Webinar Objectives:

• Become familiar with the causes, signs, and symptoms of intellectual disabilities
• Learn about the neurobiopsychosocial factors that can contribute to problematic behaviors among persons diagnosed with an intellectual disability
• Consider how co-occurring conditions (e.g., trauma and substance use) impact the screening and intervention planning of individuals with intellectual disabilities and sexually inappropriate behaviors
• Review evidence-based treatments, interventions, and case management strategies to address intellectual disabilities and sexually inappropriate behaviors in persons with intellectual disabilities
• Briefly review the current state of research along with gaps in knowledge in this area

Description:

Intellectual disabilities are deficits in intellectual functioning such as the capacity to learn, reason, and solve problems that originate in childhood. These deficits directly contribute to impairments in adaptive functioning that are observable in different settings including home, school, work, and social situations. In some instances, individuals with an intellectual disability may become tangled in the criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal systems for a variety of reasons, including situations involving sexually inappropriate behaviors. When individuals with intellectual disabilities become involved in these systems, they are often misunderstood and do not receive adequate assessment, treatment, and case management services. This introductory training is designed to improve understanding of this group among professionals working with clients with a history of sexually inappropriate behaviors. Empirically-based research findings and case study examples will be discussed during this training.

 

Presenter Biography:

Amanda (Mandy) Fenrich, Ph.D., M-CAPS, obtained her Master of Arts degree in Human Services with an emphasis in Forensic Mental Health and her Bachelor of Criminal Justice from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota.  She completed her Ph.D. in the Advanced Studies of Human Behavior from Capella University. Mandy is the Associate Director for Project Pathfinder, Inc., a community sex offender treatment program. Previously, she worked for the Minnesota Sex Offender Program with individuals who are a "sexual psychopathic personality," a "sexually dangerous person," or both.  She also worked as a Psychology Associate for the Washington State Department of Corrections Sex Offender Treatment and Assessment Program (SOTAP) providing sex offender treatment to individuals at the Special Offender Unit (SOU), a residential treatment unit for individuals with serious mental illness. She also has experience providing treatment to sex offenders with intellectual disabilities and is one of the authors who created an adapted sex offender treatment manual for this population.  Mandy’s previous experience includes working as a Community Corrections Officer, where she supervised offenders in the Special Needs Unit with various mental health needs.

Jerrod Brown, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor for Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota and has extensive experience teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Jerrod has also been employed with Pathways Counseling Center in St. Paul, Minnesota for the past seventeen years. Pathways provides programs and services benefiting individuals impacted by mental illness and addictions. Jerrod is also the founder and CEO of the American Institute for the Advancement of Forensic Studies (AIAFS) and the Editor-in-Chief of Forensic Scholars Today (FST). Jerrod has completed four separate master’s degree programs and holds graduate certificates in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Other Health Disabilities (OHD), and Traumatic-Brain Injuries (TBI). Jerrod is also certified as a Youth Firesetting Prevention/Intervention Specialist, an Anger Resolution Therapist (CART), a Thinking for a Change (T4C) Facilitator, a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Trainer, an Autism Specialist, and a Mental Health Integrative Medicine Provider (CMHIMP). Email: Jerrod01234Brown@live.com

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