Abstract: Strong voices rising: Courage to heal

What and who are the voices heard today. Reflections on 32 years of offense therapy and the ethical issues remaining before us are addressed. Attention is drawn to the intrinsic worth of the individual and the complexity of care issues. Ending with the question: When and what, if any, interventions are needed?

S. Margretta Dwyer taught school for 16 years and has been a therapist for 41 years. As therapist for 17 of those years she was faculty at the University of Minnesota, Medical School, Program in Human Sexuality. She treated people with various sexual problems for 31 years, as well as administered the sexual Offender Treatment Program during this time. She focused her research on sexual offenders and has approximately 90 published papers, as well as edited two books on sexual offenders. In February 2002, she was Guest Editor for a special journal of American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) on the issues of Sexuality and Religion.   Besides developing material for sexual offender treatment, she has also developed a Cybersex Course for those addicted to Computer Sex. Presently she conducts psychological and sexual evaluations on persons with sexual issues. She continues to engage in short term therapy with clients having various mental health issues and sexual issues.
During several sabbaticals from the University she researched and taught regarding sexual offenders to staff in Norway, Germany, Austria, and recently(2005) in Denmark. She has also lectured in The Netherlands, Spain and Venezuela on the subject of sexual offenders. While in Austria, she worked with therapy groups in Mitterstag Prison. Her latest papers were presented Paris (2000), Vienna (2002), Athens, Greece (2004) and Hamburg, Germany (2006).
She is now Faculty Emerita, of the University of Minnesota, and consulates nationally and internationally on sexual issues and sexual offenders.