MA, LP describes how introducing Hermes' Web into sex
offender treatment has impacted his work.
not want to be in therapy, but the idea of going to prison was
worse, so grudgingly, he was in my office. We finished the
preliminary paperwork and started talking about his account
of the offense and discrepancies between that and the
victim’s account. He wasn’t hostile, but close to it. I wasn’t
getting anywhere, so I took out Hermes’ Web and placed it
on my desk.
Things changed right away. I used the Web to talk about
and show how offenses work, about the function denial
serves, and what might have happened in his offense. I
said over and over that I was just speculating and didn’t
know for sure, but that I wanted to try these ideas out on
him. He offered some feedback, added his own ideas, and
appeared to find it interesting. We also used the Web to talk
about the human experience, morals, and what puts people
over the edge. These were experiences he could identify
with in his own life, so my credibility increased. I didn’t
necessarily tie them directly to his offense, but took a more
indirect approach.
Because we identified and agreed upon the basic ego-core
dynamics via Hermes’ Web, we were able to discuss in
later sessions how those very dynamics could account for
the offensive behavior or lead in that direction. We ended up
having a good interaction — at times intense — but he
seemed relieved and was cooperative at the end. I also got
a lot of information without him having to assent or verify.
His acknowledgment of the basic dynamics was more than
enough at that stage of the game. Finally, we had a
language in common and a tool whose value we could both
acknowledge.”
— Jerry Fjerkenstad, MA, LP
