Understanding Stalking Behavior: Assessment and Treatment Implications for Sex Offender Treatment Providers and Probation Officers
July 30th 8:30am – 12:45pm ET
VIRTUAL via Zoom
Understanding Stalking Behavior: Assessment and Treatment Implications for Sex Offender Treatment Providers and Probation Officers
Kim Spence, Ph.D. & Eric A. Imhof, Psy.D.
Stalking is a complex and evolving form of interpersonal violence that has gained increasing scholarly and legal attention over the past three decades. Historically, stalking was often minimized or romanticized in popular culture or portrayed as persistent affection rather than a pattern of unwanted coercive and intrusive behavior. However, as research and advocacy have advanced, stalking has become recognized as a serious social and psychological concern with profound consequences for victims and stalkers alike. Early literature on stalking emerged in the 1980s and 1990s within forensic psychiatry and criminology, focusing primarily on celebrity and ex-partner cases. Since then, the field has broadened to include diverse victim–offender relationships, risk assessment models, and typologies of stalkers. Distinguishing stalking from related behaviors such as harassment has been a focal point of both research and policy, with stalking now understood as a persistent pattern of surveillance and control rather than isolated incidents of annoyance or intimidation. Typological analyses have identified several recurring offender categories, including the rejected, resentful, intimacy-seeking, incompetent, and predatory stalkers—each driven by distinct psychological motivations or “drivers”. This presentation will focus on evidence-based assessment of stalking behavior and recommended treatments that emphasize a dual focus on victim protection and offender rehabilitation. Implications related to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) will be discussed along with a review of specific behavior that should merit additional support for a victim. Definitions, cognitive-behavioral interventions, structured risk management approaches, and structured clinical judgements will be reviewed using case examples.
Cost: $125
CEs: 4 hours – Applications pending with the MN Board of Psychology, MN Board of Social Work, MN Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy, and MN Board of Marriage and Family Therapy.
