| Sex Offender Treatment in Oregon |
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| Scope of Professional Practice |
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Clinical sex offender therapists provide services for the treatment and rehabilitation of sex offenders. They must have a minimum of a master's degree in the behavioral sciences and an active Oregon mental health professional license, or equivalent, to be certified in Oregon. Clinical sex offender therapists may supervise certified associate sex offender therapists.
Associate sex offender therapists provide services for the treatment and rehabilitation of sex offenders. They must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the behavioral sciences and be under the direct supervision of a clinical sex offender therapist to be certified in Oregon.
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| Authorizing Statutes & Rules |
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Regulations governing the practice of sex offender treatment in Oregon are currently contained in Oregon Laws 2007, Chapter 841, the temporary designation given to the enrolled version of House Bill 3233 (PDF). The law will later be codified into Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS).
For more information, including a glossary of terms, click here.
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Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) for sex offender treatment have yet to be established. OARs will be established for this new regulatory program after members of the Sex Offender Treatment Board (SOTB) have been appointed and confirmed.
Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) central agency statutes and rules related to procedural, administrative, licensing and enforcement requirements for all OHLA-regulated professions are found in ORS Chapter 676.600-676.625 and 676.992 and OAR Chapter 331, Divisions 001-030 (effective 02-13-2004).
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| Number of Therapists Certified |
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Professional certification in this new regulatory program will begin after members of the Sex Offender Treatment Board (SOTB) have been appointed and confirmed, and after Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) specifying the requirements of the profession have been established.
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| Certification Duration, Fees |
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Duration of Certification
Certification Fees
Certification fees for this new regulatory program will be set after members of the Sex Offender Treatment Board (SOTB) have been appointed and confirmed, and after Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) specifying the requirements of the profession have been established.
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| Education & Training Required |
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Clinical sex offender therapists must have a minimum of a master's degree in the behavioral sciences and an active Oregon mental health professional license, or equivalent, to be certified in Oregon.
They are also required to have had a minimum of 2,000 hours of direct clinical contact with sex offenders within not less than three years nor more than six years prior to application. Clinical contact includes:
- 1,000 hours of direct treatment services
- 500 hours of evaluations
- A minimum of 60 hours of formal training applicable to sex offender treatment and evaluation, achieved within the three years prior to application
Associate sex offender therapists must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the behavioral sciences and be under the direct supervision of a clinical sex offender therapist to be certified in Oregon. They are also required to have had:
- A minimum of 1,000 hours of direct clinical contact with sex offenders
- A minimum of 30 hours of formal training applicable to sex offender treatment, achieved within the three years prior to application
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| Regulatory Prohibitions |
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Mental health professionals who are not certified as clinical or associate sex offender therapists are not prohibited from providing services to treat sex offenders. However, only those certified by the state may represent the designated titles of certified clinical or associate sex offender therapist to the public.
Adult and juvenile parole and probation authorities and the Department of Human Services may restrict their referrals only to those providers who are certified as a clinical or associate sex offender therapist.
At the direction of the Sex Offender Treatment Board, the Oregon Health Licensing Agency (OHLA) may impose disciplinary sanctions against a certified sex offender therapist for any of the following reasons:
- The person was convicted of violating provisions of this law pertaining to disclosure of client communication during the course of treatment (see Section 9 of HB 3233), or of a felony or misdemeanor that brings into question the person's competence or integrity as a certified sex offender therapist.
- The person's mental health professional license, or equivalent license, has been revoked, suspended or restricted by the issuing authority.
- The person has attempted to obtain a certificate or renewal of a certificate by bribery or fraudulent representation, or purported to the public to be engaged in the practice of sex offender treatment under the title clinical sex offender therapist or associate sex offender therapist unless the person possesses a valid certification.
- The person has failed to file or has filed a false, misleading or incomplete professional disclosure statement with OHLA.
- The person has practiced beyond the scope of the person's OHLA-issued certification.
Additional prohibited acts are described in Section 15 of HB 3233.
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