This paper presents the second phase of a study that investigated the therapeutic engagement of incarcerated child sex offenders involved in a prototypical prison-based group treatment programme. The first phase of the study focused specifically on 'in-session' events of the programme ("Therapeutic Engagement Styles of Child Sexual Offenders in a Group Treatment Program: A Grounded Theory Study", 2004). This phase of the study explored 'out-of-group' time, the time between sessions of the treatment programme. The participants were 16 incarcerated offenders (aged 23 to 65 years), convicted of one or more sexual crimes against persons under the age of 16 years. All of the participants had volunteered for inclusion in the Kia Marama program, based at Rolleston Prison, New Zealand, where the research took place. Using a grounded theory approach, qualitative interviews that explored the participants' experiences of therapeutic engagement and the impact of out-of-group time between sessions were analysed. During the interviews the men were asked to identify what they considered to be salient events that occurred in the group treatment session. This second phase of the study was particularly interested in the men's subsequent processing of these significant events between programme sessions. The research findings show that, between the formal therapy sessions, participants made notable movement either towards or away from engagement in the therapy process. The paper outlines and discusses each stage of a six-stage model, developed to illustrate this process. The author concludes that out-of-group experiences are an important factor in men's engagement in group therapy programmes. Finally, limitations and implications of the research are discussed.

Sexual Abuse : A Journal of Research and Treatment 16(4) October 2004 : 365-380