Written by : Kim Christiansen (9NEWS Anchor/Reporter) - 5/3/2006

There is no cure and the risk is always there. That's the opinion of Erin Dolgan, a woman who counsels sexual offenders, their victims and their families.

For 13 years, Erin has listened to the offenders. She says the people she treats "Come into therapy very, very distorted, and in denial."

Dolgan says denial and blame have many layers. For example, those offenders who use the internet to meet their victims often blame the internet. Many have told her if they didn't spend so much time on-line they would not have committed their sexual offense.

Erin says it all begins with deviant thoughts, and her goal is to get the offender to admit to the crime, accept that a pattern of deviant behavior led to their actions, and then apply what they learn in therapy. She says only a handful of her clients are still in therapy, by choice, (without a court order) because they realize they need therapy to control their behavior and lessen their risk to the community.

Erin also believes it is critical that we all understand the risks. She adds, "I don't have any sex offenders (clients) that are strangers, strangers to their victim. They all knew them, living the same house, living next door, coaches, teachers, judges, parents, and doctors, someone online."

They act when there is access and opportunity and their greatest fear is getting caught. Erin points out "The behavior is atrocious, but the thinking behind the behavior was twice as atrocious."

Erin has taken what she has learned from the offenders and turned it into a book. It is a book she hopes will help children and parents. For three years she has been writing "Please Knock." It will be published sometime next month. The book offers simple and direct messages for children, designed to teach them personal boundaries. To learn more go to www.relativedanger.com.