Answers to Consumer Questions
Question 12: "I
am looking for a sex offender treatment provider. How can I find one
in the Seattle or Eastside area?"
Sex Offender Treatment Providers
I searched the Washington State
Department of Health web site for information about sex offender
treatment and certified sex offender treatment providers and couldn’t come up with any answers. In desperation, I emailed the
Washington State Library's “Ask a Librarian” service, asking,
“How can the courts sentence people to treatment that no one can find?”
Floyd Else, Webmaster
|
[ The Washington State Library responded. ]
"Sex offender treatment providers in WA are licensed by the WA Dept. of Health's Health Professions Quality Assurance
Sex Offender Treatment Provider Program.
"While the Dept. of Health does have a
Provider Credential Lookup System on their website, they do not
have lists of credentialed providers. In order to use the lookup
system you need to know the name or credential number of an individual provider."
-Find
a sex offender treatment provider / counselor--
The Health Professions Quality Assurance Customer Service Center has a booklet that contains a
list of credentialed sex offender treatment providers. To request a copy of the booklet, contact them directly at
(360) 236-4700 (press 6 to speak to a customer service representative) or email Customer Service at: hpqu.csc[AT]doh.wa.gov.
NOTE:
Sex offenders should request treatment information from the court that sentenced
them or from their probation officers.
Also see "Need a Referral?" on the
Washington Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (WATSA)
website. WATSA also provides
information for victims of sexual assault or domestic violence--see:
Community Sexual Assault Programs in Washington State
To assist the public in
understanding professional jargon used by sexual offender treatment
providers see the "
Glossary of Terms Used in the Management and Treatment of Sexual Offenders."
The Washington
Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs web site offers additional
resources for the public in The Washington
Sex Offender Information Center, with a page of "Frequently
Asked Questions."