Dr Valerie Sheehan

Dr Valerie Sheehan is Clinical Director with New Ways Safeguarding Ltd (NWS). She holds a Doctorate in Forensic Criminology from the London Metropolitan University, a Masters in Education, a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Higher Diploma in Education. She has Post-Graduate Diplomas in Counselling for Sexual Abuse and Integrative Psychotherapy and has undertaken training in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (TF-CBT). She also holds a Diploma in Applied Behavioural Analysis. In addition, she has undertaken training in AIM3, MEGA and the Good Lives Model, all frameworks for understanding young people displaying problematic sexual behaviour (PSB).

For over twenty-five years, Valerie has undertaken assessments, therapeutic intervention and educative work with children, adults and family members where there are concerns about trauma, child sexual exploitation (CSA) and PSB. She regularly provides consultancy and training to the Child and Family Agency Irl., Local Authorities, Guardian ad Litum and other professionals and organisations working with children. She is the Clinical Director of Programme Delivery with Compass Children’s Homes and Specialist Foster Care provisions, a UK based organisation which provides specialist services for children who have experienced various early life trauma.

Her doctoral research looked at the psychological and behavioural characteristics and trajectories of individuals who sexually offended against children. Her work focused in particular on those who produced child sexual exploitation material (indecent images & video) as part of this behaviour and sought to examine the early life aetiology and development of their offending process. This research informs her work with victims and in devising safeguarding strategies at both individual and organisational levels.

Valerie worked as a Senior Therapist for the Lucy Faithfull Foundation from July 1999 until February 2005. She was based at the Foundation’s Wolvercote Clinic, the only specialist residential sex offender assessment and treatment programme of its kind in Europe, until its closure in July 2002. Her work there involved programme delivery, case management and consultancy to statutory and non-statutory organisations such as Police, Probation, Social Services, the Judiciary and Faith Groups. In addition, she created and developed new training packages for the Foundation in particular in relation to sexual offending via the internet and was a contributor to the Home Office Task Forces on child protection in this regard. During her time with the Lucy Faithful Foundation, she worked extensively with wives/partners of those who had sexually abused children, undertaking assessments of their ability to protect their children for civil court proceedings as well as educative/intervention work to help them attain and develop skills to enhance child protection.

Prior to her appointment as a therapist for the Lucy Faithful Foundation, Valerie worked for six years as a therapist in the Cork Rape Crisis Centre, Ireland. Her work there involved individual and group therapy facilitation, preparing victim impact reports for courts, liaising with police and other professional agencies and the planning, and presenting of educational programmes in the area of sexual abuse.

Some of her recent publications are;

• Sheehan, V. (2018). Young People Displaying Problematic Sexual Behaviour. The Research and their Words in Vincent B. Van Hasselt and Michael L. Bourke (Eds): Handbook of Behaviour Criminology: Contemporary Strategies and Issues, Springer, USA 978-3-319-61623-0, 323221_1_En, (15)
• Sullivan, J., & Sheehan, V. (2016). What motivates sexual abusers of children? A qualitative examination of the Spiral of Sexual Abuse. Aggression and Violent Behavior.