Marsh Intensive Treatment Program

The Marsh Intensive Treatment Program (MIT) works with young male clients, ages 12 - 17 who have been adjudicated and have a history of sexual offending.  The MIT Program utilizes the basic Teaching-Family Model  program in a group home setting with an increased number of staff, additional specialized training in working with sex offenders and an added program component using multiple group and or individual therapeutic sessions weekly.

The focus of the MIT Program is on correcting cognitive distortions through which the offender justifies, denies or minimizes his abuse.  The daily program emphasis is on the client understanding their individual cycle of abuse, developing sincere victim empathy, learning to accept full responsibility for having abused others, and improving social skills.

Program Goals

1. To provide a positive and challenging milieu in which young offenders can deal effectively with the problems indigenous to sexual offending.

2. To offer an intensive program of behavioral intervention therapy to young offenders for the purpose of decreasing the risk of re-offending.

3. To increase the probability of a successful family reunification by requiring family involvement and including an effective after care component.

4. To provide an effective, short term program that is cost effective for referral agents by providing step down variations in treatment intensity and cost.

5. To provide timely, comprehensive documentation of client progress.

The Marsh Foundation's Intensive Treatment Program for juvenile sexual offenders is dependent on the offender's progress.  A client may spend between six and eighteen months completing the program.  Progress is made by completing the levels of treatment.  A level must be completed to the satisfaction of the treatment team before the treatment intensity is stepped down.  The family/ legal custodian and probation office representative will be involved in all major treatment decisions such as placement level and duration of stay in the program.