TIRIT

Trauma Informed Reintegration Treatment Model (TIRIT) is an alternative treatment program to the currently used sex offender treatment programs that are based on the Containment Model. The primary focus of forensic mental health care is on public safety. This aspect becomes even more salient when it comes to treatment of individuals convicted of a sexual offense. TIRIT proposes movement away from the current punitive model to a more compassionate trauma informed model whose goal is for individuals to experience long-term growth and change.

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TIRIT shifts the focus from the question, “What’s wrong with you?” which often exacerbates the already painful experience of shame and heightens defenses, to the more humane question,“What happened to you?” This approach begins to telegraph safety and sets up the exploration of offending behavior from a trauma informed perspective. 

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The goal of TIRIT is to reduce shame, to explore one’s basic needs, and to develop pro-social ways to satisfy those needs. Additionally, TIRIT provides clients with tools and strategies to cope with reintegration into society while they negotiate the obstacles, they face on a daily basis due to a relentless and unforgiving sex offender registry.