In a first collaboration of its kind, The Sexual Abuse Clinic (SAC) has teamed up with Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) and its Department of Psychiatry to offer an opportunity for medical students, residents in psychiatry, and fellows in forensic psychiatry to learn first hand about the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders. This program was originally established by SAC former Director (and present consultant) Barry Maletzky, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at OHSU. It is now under the direction of OHSU faculty members Landy Sparr, M.D. and Donald Rosen, M.D., both professors in the Department of Psychiatry. The program, nationally accredited, is the first of its kind to incorporate formal training in the evaluation and treatment of sexual offenders into a residency and fellowship rotation.

By having students, residents, fellows and faculty members involved with our Clinic, SAC patients and staff will derive twin benefits: We will be able to learn about the latest advances in psychiatry and medical treatments while our patients will receive comprehensive evaluations to determine if they require medication. If so, they will be able to receive medications and follow-up on site. This unique collaboration will also allow SAC staff to acquaint psychiatrists in training with the latest advances in the assessment of risk for sexual offenders, the newest cognitive and behavioral treatment methods we utilize, and the importance of our multiple support groups. No psychiatric program in this country has, thus far, incorporated such information and experience into residency training.

As a result, we are hopeful that psychiatrists in the future will become more aware of the need to regard sexual offending as a serious but treatable problem for society. By involving physicians in the assessment and treatment of sexual offenders, we are hopeful that our Clinic can contribute further to an eventual reduction in the harm such offending can cause to victims and families in our communities.