Sexual Offense Treatment Board - Certification Information

Scope of professional practice

Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapists provide services for the treatment and rehabilitation of sexual abusers. They must have a minimum of a master's degree in the behavioral sciences and an active Oregon mental health professional license, or equivalent, to be certified in Oregon. Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapists may supervise Certified Secondary Clinical Sexual Offense Therapists, Certified Associate Sexual Offense Therapists and Certified Sexual Offense Therapist Interns.

Certified Secondary Clinical Sexual Offense Therapists provide services for the treatment and rehabilitation of sexual abusers. They must have a minimum of a master's degree in the behavioral sciences, an active mental health professional license, or equivalent, and be under the direct supervision of a Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapist to be certified in Oregon.

Certified Associate Sexual Offense Therapists provide services for the treatment and rehabilitation of sexual abusers. They must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the behavioral sciences and be under the direct supervision of a Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapist to be certified in Oregon.

Certified Sexual Offense Therapist Interns provide services for the treatment and rehabilitation of sexual abusers. They must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the behavioral sciences and be under the direct supervision of a Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapist to be certified in Oregon.

Education and training

Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapists must:

Have a minimum of a master's degree in the behavioral sciences.
Have an active Oregon mental health professional license, or equivalent license as determined by the Office.
Have a minimum of at least 2,000 hours of direct clinical contact with clients within not more than six years prior to the application date. The hours include:

1,000 hours of direct treatment services; and
500 hours of evaluations; and
500 hours of treatment-plan related activity, including report writing, clinical consultations, case management, charting, peer review and consultations, meeting with attorneys, parole and probation officers, caseworkers, families, victims and other members of the client's social network.

Have a minimum of 60 hours of formal training applicable to sexual-abuse-specific evaluation and treatment, obtained within six years prior to the application date.

Certified Secondary Clinical Sexual Offense Therapists must:

Be under the direct supervision of a Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapist.
Have a minimum of a master's degree in the behavioral sciences.
Have an active Oregon mental health professional license or equivalent license as determined by the Office or be a registered intern for a mental health professional licensed in Oregon.
Have a minimum of 15 hours of formal training applicable to sexual-abuse-specific evaluation and treatment, obtained within three years prior to the application date.

Certified Associate Sexual Offense Therapists must:

Be under the direct supervision of a Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapist.
Have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the behavioral sciences.
Have a minimum of 1,000 hours of direct clinical contact with clients.
Have a minimum of 30 hours of formal training applicable to sexual-abuse-specific evaluation and treatment, obtained within three years prior to the application date.

Certified Associate Sexual Offense Therapists must:

Be under the direct supervision of a Certified Clinical Sexual Offense Therapist.
Have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in the behavioral sciences.

Approved Behavioral Science Degrees List

Applying for certification

To obtain certification as a clinical, secondary clinical, associate, or intern, an applicant must complete and submit an application, including a professional disclosure statement, as well as pay relevant fees.

More resources

Identification requirements
Frequently asked questions from Clinical Sex Offender Therapist applicants
Frequently asked questions from Associate Sex Offender Therapist applicants

Renewal of certification

Application for certification renewal should be made in advance of the certification expiration date to avoid practicing in expired status.

Late renewals are subject to a delinquency (late) renewal fee. More detailed information is available on the fees page.

Renewal applications are mailed to certificate holders approximately six weeks prior to the certification expiration date.

To successfully renew, certificate holders must:

Be in compliance with all overarching requirements of the Health Licensing Office (HLO) and those specific to the Sexual Offense Treatment Board (SOTB)
Have completed a minimum of 15 hours of continuing education during each of the preceding years of the renewal period. The continuing education must address subject matter related to the following domains: Assessment, evaluation and treatment of clients.
Satisfy any additional requirements adopted by the SOTB.

Out-of-state applicants

Out-of-state applicants may obtain certification through reciprocity or equivalency. Applicants with a current Sexual Offense Certification in another state must have the regulatory entity submit an affidavit of licensure to HLO. Applicants without current certification in another state must provide documentation of education and experience.

See Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR) 331-810-0040 - Reciprocity for more information (scroll down to the related section).