2018 Annual WATSA Conference

Click here for Angela Eke's presentation handout and Franca Cortoni's presentation handout (Power Point) or Franca Cortoni's presentation handout (pdf). Please print a personal copy to bring to the conference. 

Click  HERE  for the agenda of the weekend conference

This year's presenters and topics include:    

Friday 2/23/2018

Presenter   Angela Eke Ph.D.

Topic:         Individuals Involved with Child Sexual Exploitation Material

Description of presentation:

This session will focus on individuals involved with child sexual exploitation material. It will include a discussion about online and collecting behaviors, tying this information into individual assessment and the evaluation of risk to reoffend. As part of this session there will be a review and update on the Child Pornography Offender Risk Tool (CPORT) and the related Correlates of Admission of Sexual Interest in Children (CASIC) scale.

Saturday 2/24/2018

Presenter - Franca Cortoni Ph.D. C.Psych.

Topic:         Women Who Sexually Offend -  Assessment, Treatment & Management

Description of presentation:

Women who sexually offend constitute a small yet significant proportion of all sexual offenders. In recent years, increased empirical attention has focused on this special subgroup of sexual offenders and has revealed a number of gender-specific issues related to female offending. As such, female sexual offenders require gender-informed assessment, treatment, and management practices.

This presentation will provide a review of the current knowledge in the area of risk of recidivism, assessment, and treatment needs of women who sexually offend, and provide directions for their assessment and treatment. First, the proportion of sexual offenders who are women will be reviewed. Second, the recidivism rates and related risk factors of female sexual offenders will be presented and the implications for risk assessment discussed. Third, the latest research findings on the factors related to sexually offending behavior in women will be presented. Finally, gender-relevant treatment approaches will be detailed. As needed, a contrast and comparison between male and female offenders will be provided.

Sunday 2/25/2018

Presenters:  Richard Packard and Michael O'Connell MSW, Ph.D.

Topic:    The Neurology of Sex Offending: Clinical Practices

Description of Presentation:

For most of the 20th and 21st Centuries, the dominant set of ideas and beliefs about crime and sexual offending have largely revolved around moral, biological, and behavioral perspectives. Societal responses have largely mirrored these notions and have included punishment, ostracism, behavior therapy, and medical interventions including both physical and “chemical” castration as well as other medications. Yet, it is only relatively recently that science and technology has developed to the point where it is possible to observe and analyze the living human brain, often in real time. These developments are now creating a profound change in perspective across many areas, including violence and sexual offending.

This session will briefly review the development of these perspectives, provide some examples of the neurobiological influences we are seeing, and how they are manifested in overt sexual offending. We will use several case examples to illustrate these influences and discuss how the observations have altered both case formulation and recommended interventions.

We will then offer suggestions as to how clinicians and corrections personnel can access relatively simple tools to determine whether these influences may be important to consider in specific cases.

Here are the bios of our presenters

WATSA prefers that you register and pay on-line.   We have provided a copy of the REGISTRATION FORM  if you want to register by mail or fax and then pay by check.  If you want to register  using the paper form and pay with a credit card please contact Maureen Saylor for details regarding how to do this.

Registration Fees Include:  Admission to all sessions; access to all handouts; dinner on Friday night; lunch on Saturday and a Continental Breakfast on Saturday & Sunday, as well as the opportunity to network with colleagues! Coffee, tea & other beverages will be provided for scheduled breaks for all conference attendees.

Accommodations:  

 SEMIAHMOO RESORT

You are responsible for obtaining your own room registration.  Call as soon as possible, there are a limited number of rooms available at Semiahmoo Resort.   

Call: 1-360 318-2000 for reservations.  Be sure to identify you are reserving for the WATSA conference.  (Please call us if you have problems obtaining a room.)

Room Rates:  Classic courtyard King or double Queen - $129.00

               Waterfront King or double Queen       - $149.00

Cancellation Policy:  There will be a $50.00 fee charged for each cancellation until February 3, 2018. There will be no refunds after February 3, 2018 for “no shows”.  Substitutions will be allowed. These are conference cancellation policies.  Please contact Resort Semiahmoo directly for  their cancellation policies regarding lodging.

Want to Register as a Group?  Single agencies registering three or more participants will receive a $10.00 per person discount.  

All group registrants must submit paper registration forms and make a payment in the same envelope (or in one electronic payment) and  provide registration forms together to be eligible for this group discount.  Please use a separate  registration form for each person.

WATSA is continuing to be green this year, and will make conference handouts available for download from our website. Check back at the website approximately 1-2  weeks prior to the conference.

Have more questions? Contact our Conference Chair:

Maureen Saylor, RNMA 

3516 So. 47th. St., Suite 201

Tacoma WA. 98409

Phone: (253) 475-0326 Cell:  (253) 312-3961

Fax:     (253) 475-0328

Email:   msaylor@msn.com