Agency Description

Our program was created in 1995 and began offering services in San Francisco in response to community need. Two psychologists, Dr. Mary-Perry Miller and Dr. Tom Tobin, drew upon their many years of public-sector experience providing administration and direct services in forensic settings to create SHARPER FUTURE. The Los Angeles clinic was opened in 1999, the San Diego clinic in 2002, and the Inland Empire clinic in 2003. We have since opened other clinics in California. In 2004, we created a residential substance program for women in Long Beach. We are a private-sector forensic psychology agency incorporated in 1999 as Pacific Forensic Psychology Associates, Inc., (PFPA, Inc.). SHARPER FUTURE is a forensic treatment center specializing in sex offender specific assessment and treatment, substance abuse treatment and dual diagnosis treatment. The Los Angeles area clinics currently support contracts for clients on federal pre-trial services for an arrested sexual offense; federal probation for convicted sexual offenders; and a state High Risk Sex Offender Contract. The Los Angeles clinic primarily provides services for state High Risk Sex Offender parolees. These services include assessment and treatment for High Risk and Non-High Risk sex offenders who are referred by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Agency Mission

At SHARPER FUTURE, we believe that every individual is entitled to live in a safe community and to have opportunities for a satisfying life. To assist in attaining these goals, we strive to be Expert Resources in providing Social Habilitation And Relapse Prevention services to a diverse population, including individuals involved in the criminal justice system. In close collaboration with relevant agencies, we provide intensive, research-based assessment and treatment programs to manage, contain, and reduce anti-social, abusive and self-damaging behavior. We are a team of inter-disciplinary, licensed mental-health professionals and associates who treat substance abusers, sex offenders and others involved with the criminal justice system, individuals with mental health issues and associated behavior problems, and others at risk of engaging in activities potentially harmful to other persons or to themselves and in need of improving their capacity for self-management. While there are no cures for many of the conditions we address, our containment and treatment approaches use techniques proven to increase accountability, improve self-control, and reduce criminal and other undesired behavior.

Population

Currently Sharper Future in Los Angeles has contracts that serve state offenders classified as high risk sex offenders and passive (non-high risk) offenders. Also, offenders who have committed a sexual offense and are on county probation are present and served. Common diagnoses for our population includes substance abuse disorders, personality disorders, and impulse control disorders. The majority of the population is adult males many of whom are from low SES backgrounds. We also serve a small population of female and transgender sex offenders. Ethnicity includes Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Other.

Staff (#, Degree, Prof. Lic.)

# of Psychologists: 5

# of LMFT: 1

Required days and times

WED. 4pm - 6pm. for training and supervision

Training and Education Offered

At SHARPER FUTURE, we train pre-doctoral interns who are looking to work in forensic psychology in order to encourage fresh minds to the field to challenge themselves by working with a population that are often eschewed by the greater public. By doing so, we seek to educate these budding clinicians about the myths and realities of working with sex offenders and other forensic populations. Predoctoral interns will be trained in: 1) conducting sex offender specific evaluations, 2) providing effective sex offense specific group treatment, and 3) interfacing with parole and probation per the Containment Model. The assessment and treatment that Sharper Future provides allows for the reduction of recidivism of individual clients, thereby increasing community safety. The ultimate goal of the placement is to prepare to prepare the trainee for practice as a psychologist in the areas of professionalism, legal/ethics, assessment and diagnosis, diversity, intervention and knowledge and understanding when providing treatment to forensic clients. the trainee will receive weekly individual supervision as well as group supervision to review a client progress and intervention support, and present conceptualizations and topic presentation relevant to the site and population served. Individual supervision will emphasize the trainee's level of experience, with early supervision involving more training and direction. As the trainee's experience and familiarity increases emphasis will be shifted toward critical thinking, decision making, and a process focus by the trainee. The supervisor will assume full responsibility for the trainee's schedule, program, professional development, and evaluation. The trainee's clinical work will be directly observed through live observation and review in supervision sessions.

X-Cultural Training

Responsibilities

Interns will co-facilitate treatment groups for sexual offenders. Groups typically range in size from 6-9 and are 1.5 hours in duration. Individual intakes and assessments are done on an ongoing basis. Psychological evaluations comprise a clinical interview, a measure of sexual interest, risk assessment measures, personality measures, and psychophysiological measures. Although most treatment is in a group format, there is an opportunity to do some individual therapy. There are also opportunities to observe and take part in polygraph debriefing sessions as well as occasional interactions with parole agents. The trainee will be expected to co-facilitate group therapy sessions, conduct consent signing interviews, complete monthly treatment reports, engage in treatment planning, and assist in formulating relapse prevention plans for registered sex offenders. The trainee will also conduct individual and group group therapy sessions for the mandated offenders. The trainee will be expected to develop a clear understanding and working knowledge of psychological pathology. The trainee will also be expected to remain abreast of the current information regarding work and treatment with sex offenders and apply that knowledge toward work with their clients. This includes areas and topics such as cognitive distortions, core beliefs, and scripts/schemas, identifying healthy relationships, and victim awareness and victim empathy. The trainee will receive didactic training on the treatment and assessment of forensic clients. Supervision will focus on case conceptualization, developing critical thinking skills and appropriate decision -making skills and awareness of client dynamics in the group setting. The supervisor will also supervise the trainee on cases and other direct activities. Emphasis will be placed on CBT therapy and interventions, as well as sex offender specific curriculum. There will be a weekly meeting focusing on professional issues and consultation.

Prerequisites

Application Procedures