The Willows Program

The Willows Program at Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System is one of the few such programs in the United States treating sexually reactive adolescent females from the ages of 9 – 17. The focus of the program is assessment, diagnosis and the completion of treatment to address sexually reactive behaviors, cycle of offense and relapse prevention. Some of the treatment goals for this specialized program are:

• Accept responsibility for sexually offending behaviors
• Commit to changing behaviors and thought processes that lead to offending behaviors
• Identify thinking errors and cognitive distortions that contribute to the offending acts
• Learn how to meet emotional and sexual needs without harming others
• Develop victim empathy
• Learn the sexual abuse cycle and identify the triggers to offending

The Willows Program includes Juvenile Sex Offender Groups, Individual, Group and Family Therapy, Nursing Education, Psychiatric Education and Activity Therapy. Each individual attends school on Lincoln Trail's campus at Heartland Academy. Staffed by Kentucky Certified Teachers, the school offers a minimum of six hours of individual instruction and study daily.

Admission Criteria:

• History of committing sexual offense or sexually reactive behaviors.
• Must be between the ages of 9 – 17.
• Full Scale IQ of 70 or above.
• May have been a sexual abuse victim.
• Potential for harm to self or others.
• Possible history of self-abusive acts.

The Willows Program has a Clinical Review Team that works closely with the Assessment and Referral Department in determining if referrals meet appropriate criteria. For this process, a completed application must be received and additional clinical history will be requested.

Click here to print an application online.

Length of Program:

The length of stay is dependent on the level of commitment to treatment from the individual. The average length of stay is approximately
6 – 9 months.