Preferred registration deadline: October 9th

3 CEs

This workshop provides social workers and other helping professionals with a clinically grounded understanding of problematic sexual behavior and sexual offending as part of a broader behavioral continuum. Participants will explore key terminology, typologies, and current research to better differentiate between patterns of behavior, levels of risk, and underlying contributing factors.

We will challenge common myths and misconceptions while examining how problematic sexual behavior presents across diverse populations and settings. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the roles that deviant sexual interests, antisocial orientation, developmental experiences, and environmental influences can play in shaping behavior. Emphasis will be placed on viewing problematic sexual behavior through a nuanced, evidence-informed lens rather than relying on stereotypes or assumptions. We will also introduce foundational concepts in sexual offense risk assessment, including the distinction between static and dynamic risk factors, the limitations of clinical judgment alone, and the value of structured, empirically supported assessment approaches. Through case examples and applied discussion, participants will examine how individuals may move along the continuum from problematic sexual behavior to sexual offending, and how risk can fluctuate over time based on individual functioning and contextual factors. By the end of the workshop, participants will be better equipped to identify, conceptualize, and respond to problematic sexual behavior with greater confidence, clinical precision, and an appreciation for evidence-based assessment and intervention practices.

This is an in-person workshop that will be held on Washington University’s Danforth Campus. The exact location and directions will be emailed to registered participants before the course date.

General Admission: $65**
**Eligible discounts can be applied during checkout.

Class size is limited to 30.

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Course Outline

Content Level: Intermediate

Target Audiences: Social workers, Clinical Social Workers, Counselors, and other Helping Professionals

Agenda:

• Introduction - 5 mins
• Engagement and continuum framework - 5 mins
• Problematic sexual behavior vs sexual offending, terminology, and typologies - 25 mins
• Diagnostic considerations across the continuum; paraphilic disorders, compulsive sexual behavior, and non-paraphilic offending - 25 mins
• Prevalence, myths, and stigma - 30 mins
• Understanding risk: factors and dynamics - 35 mins
• Structured risk assessment vs clinical judgement - 35 mins
• Case application: continuum, risk, and misconceptions - 10 mins
• Summary; Q&A - 15 mins

Learner Outcomes

• Describe and differentiate problematic sexual behavior and sexual offending, including key terminology and typologies.
• Identify and determine empirically supported risk factors associated with sexual offending, including static and dynamic variables.
• Apply structured risk assessment to case examples to distinguish between stigma-driven beliefs and evidence-based risk factors in clinical decision-making.

Course Completion Requirements:

• The Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, Professional Development, provider #2130, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/24/2025 – 9/24/2028. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.
• The Brown School is also an approved provider of Social Work CEs in Missouri and Illinois.
• To earn ACE credit, attendees must arrive at the scheduled time, attend the entire course, and complete an online course evaluation. ACE credit is not provided for partial attendance.  However, you may still qualify for partial Social Work Missouri and Illinois CEs provided by the Brown School.
• Brown School CE Certificates will be available online within 10 business days of course completion by visiting your learner profile at https://ce.wustl.edu/portal/logon.do?method=load&parentSite=brown.  You will receive an email notification with specific instructions for accessing the online certificate when it is available. ACE CE Certificates, if requested in your evaluation survey, will be emailed within 10 business days of course completion.
• For more information about CEs, accessibility, refund/cancellation policy, our grievance policy, or other inquiries, please visit our About Us page or email brownprofdev@wustl.edu.