Simon Wilson
Forensic Sexology and Forensic Psychosexual Therapy
Reducing harm and re-offending
Forensic sexology is an emerging area of practice at the intersection of psychosexual psychotherapy, forensic psychology, and criminology. It focuses on the understanding of sexual behaviour in contexts where questions of risk, harm, consent, or legality may arise. As outlined in The Handbook of Forensic Sexology, the field brings together scientific knowledge of human sexuality with legal and judicial systems (Krivacska and Money, 1994). It reflects a broader recognition that sexual behaviour must be understood within biopsychosocial frameworks that integrate physiological, psychological, and relational factors (Bancroft and Vukadinovic, 2004).
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Forensic Assessment
Forensic assessment involves the structured evaluation of sexual behaviour, risk, and associated psychological, developmental, and relational factors. This includes the development of formulation that integrates behavioural patterns, emotional regulation, attachment history, and contextual influences, alongside established forensic approaches to risk and responsivity (Ward and Beech, 2006). Assessment may also consider patterns of compulsive or dysregulated sexual behaviour, which have been described within the literature as involving difficulties in impulse control, affect regulation, and behavioural reinforcement (Kafka, 2010).
Where assessments are undertaken for legal or court purposes, they are conducted independently and cannot be combined with ongoing therapeutic work, in order to maintain appropriate professional and ethical boundaries.
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Forensic Treatment
Forensic treatment involves therapeutic work with individuals who are concerned about their sexual behaviour or interests, including those who may be at risk of crossing the line; causing harm, have a historical offence or who are seeking to understand and change patterns of behaviour. This typically involves addressing underlying processes such as emotional regulation, attachment disturbance, trauma, and behavioural reinforcement cycles (Kafka, 2010; Bancroft and Vukadinovic, 2004).
The work is formulation-led and integrates psychotherapeutic and forensic principles, including attention to risk–need–responsivity and strengths-based approaches, supporting individuals to develop greater awareness, responsibility, and behavioural control within a structured and ethically informed framework.
Court Reporting
Court reporting forms part of this work where requested by legal teams or organisations. This involves the preparation of structured, evidence-informed reports addressing sexual behaviour, risk, psychological functioning, and treatment needs. Reports draw on clinical expertise alongside relevant research and professional standards, and are intended to support decision-making within criminal, civil, and family court contexts.
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Scope of Work
This area of practice is relevant to a wide range of situations, including sexual offending, harmful or problematic sexual behaviour, and concerns about risk within relationships or communities. It may also include cases where sexual behaviour or identity is misunderstood within legal contexts, such as family court proceedings involving non-normative sexual practices (e.g. kink or consensual non-monogamy), where a sex-informed and clinically grounded perspective is required to distinguish between risk, harm, and consensual adult behaviour. Contemporary sexology emphasises the importance of avoiding pathologisation of consensual sexual variation, while maintaining clear distinctions where harm or coercion is present (Bancroft, 2009).
References
Bancroft, J. (2009) Human Sexuality and its Problems. 3rd edn. Edinburgh: Elsevier.
Bancroft, J. and Vukadinovic, Z. (2004) ‘Sexual addiction, sexual compulsivity, sexual impulsivity, or what? Toward a theoretical model’, Journal of Sex Research, 41(3), pp. 225–234.
Kafka, M.P. (2010) ‘Hypersexual disorder: A proposed diagnosis for DSM-V’, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(2), pp. 377–400.
Krivacska, J.J. and Money, J. (eds.) (1994) The Handbook of Forensic Sexology: Biomedical and Criminological Perspectives. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.
Ward, T. and Beech, A. (2006) ‘An integrated theory of sexual offending’, Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11(1), pp. 44–63.
Forensic Psychosexual Practice
​This work takes place within a wider context in which services addressing harmful sexual behaviour and related interpersonal harm remain limited and, in many areas, difficult to access. In England and Wales, police recorded over 190,000 sexual offences in the year ending March 2023, alongside over 850,000 domestic abuse-related offences (Office for National Statistics, 2023). Despite this level of need, access to specialist forensic and psychological services is often restricted, with statutory provision prioritised for the highest-risk cases and many services operating at capacity. As a result, there is an increasing recognition of the importance of accessible, specialist intervention for individuals concerned about their behaviour, as well as for those seeking assessment or support outside of formal criminal justice pathways.
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Forensic psychosexual practice is not a formally regulated profession in the same way as forensic psychology, but is typically undertaken by clinicians with a background in psychotherapy, psychology, or related mental health disciplines, who have developed specialist expertise in psychosexual and relational work. Practitioners in this area usually have a core mental health profession, are usually trained to a high level in clinical sexology or psychosexual psychotherapy, alongside additional training in the assessment and management of risk.
This work often involves the integration of psychosexual and therapeutic understanding with established forensic assessment approaches. Clinicians may be trained in the use of structured risk assessment tools relevant to sexual offending and harmful sexual behaviour, such as the Static-99R, HCR-20 (Version 3), and Stable & Acute 2007, alongside broader principles of risk–need–responsivity (RNR) and strengths-based models of intervention.
Some practitioners also hold qualifications in psychological test use, such as the British Psychological Society Register of Qualifications in Forensic Test Use (RQTU), supporting the ethical administration and interpretation of standardised measures within assessment contexts. In addition, clinicians working at this interface may undertake specialist training in expert witness practice, such as Bond Solon professional witness training, in order to contribute appropriately to legal processes.
As an emerging area of practice, forensic sexology draws on established disciplines while continuing to develop its own frameworks, requiring clinicians to work with a high degree of professional responsibility, ethical awareness, and clinical judgement when operating across therapeutic and legal domains.
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