Harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) is a universal issue transcending class, race and economic status. The harm that HSB causes to individuals, families, and society cannot be overstated. However, the shame and secrecy around it make it a universal taboo, creating difficulties in discovering the true extent. As something which causes so much harm, it is vital that we have the tools to be able to intervene and to treat this behaviour to be able to create societies that are free from sexual abuse. The AIM3 is the tool that is used by specialist clinicians to assess the HSB exhibited by CYP, and to help establish goals for their clinical intervention. It does this by scoring the young person (YP) across five domains: sexual behaviour; general behaviour; developmental; environmental; self-regulation. This study explored the lived experience of clinicians who specialise in treating HSB, and their use of the AIM3 model of assessment in this work.

Six clinicians agreed to participate in this study, exploring their experiences of using the AIM3 in their work. Semi-structured interviews were used to look at their perspectives on this assessment model. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data that was collected from the interviews. Six key themes were identified which were then discussed in relation to current research on HSB and its occurrence in a New Zealand context. It was discovered that the clinicians had a very favourable view of the AIM3, although there were some areas of concern. Clinicians noted that cultural issues were sometimes invisible, and there was sometimes a risk of bias or subjectivity in scoring. Most of the clinicians felt as though those potential issues could be mitigated through their own experience, or through co-working.