Dr. Ted Shaw, is a Licensed Psychologist and founding partner of the ITM Group in Gainesville, Fl. He specializes in the evaluation of individuals with sexual behavior problems regarding recidivism risk, amenability to treatment, progress in treatment and future supervision and treatment needs. Pursuant to the Sexually Violent Predator Act he has, since 1999, performed more than 235 face to face evaluations and more than 400 post-detention/commitment evaluations. He is the former director of the Sex Offender Unit at NFETC with more than 25 years of experience working with adult sex offenders. Dr. Shaw started treating adolescents with sexual behavior problems in 1985 and has continuously operated a program in the community since then. He has authored numerous articles and book chapters. He is a founding member of the Marion County Sexual Abuse Intervention Network (SAIN) for adolescent offenders and has been a consultant to its members. Dr. Shaw is a Martha V. Varnes Award recipient “for achievements in services to sexual battery prevention.” He was first President and CEO of Florida ATSA (FATSA), beginning in 1996, and is a current board member. He served on the Ethics Committee of ATSA for ten years. He has presented throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Canada and South America. Dr. Shaw recently served on the Governor’s Task Force on Juvenile Sex Offenders and their Victims (appointed by Governor Bush) as well as the statewide workgroup to implement recommendations from the Task Force. He is currently involved in federally funded research through the Center for Sex Offender Management (CSOM) with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

Alvin Butler is one of the partners of The ITM Group. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from the University of Florida, a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Rollins College, and a Master of Science in Counseling from Nova University. Mr. Butler has over 25 years experience in the mental health counseling field in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Currently, he facilitates weekly sexual offender groups therapy sessions, works with individual clients in need of general counseling services, supervises the Substance Abuse Program, and is the director of the Competency Training program. Additionally, he presently supervises the northern region of the ITM outpatient treatment programs for Probation and Parole Services.

He has been involved in the development and implementation of several statewide projects serving as the intial Program Director for the privately contracted Juvenile Incompetent to Proceed Program and most recently as the Program Director of the privately contracted Sexually Violent Predator Program. He previously was a Senior Therapist and later a Unit Director at a state-run inpatient forensic facility for the criminally insane. Mr. Butler has served on the Board of Directors for several local agencies and continues to be engaged in volunteer activities in the local area. He was also primarily responsible for the development and management of the substance abuse and competency training components of the ITM program format.

Harry Spears, Ed.S., LMHC graduated from the University of Florida, Department of Counselor Education in 1980, and has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor since 1986. He was the first Chairperson for the Statewide Network of Adolescent Sex Offender Treatment Providers, and is a Clinical member of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) as well as a member of the Florida Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (FATSA). He is currently on the Board of Directors for FATSA.

Mr. Spears has worked in both in-patient and out-patient treatment settings, and spent twelve years at North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center treating sexual offenders as well as working with general psychiatric clients. While there he was instrumental in the development of a comprehensive and innovative sex offender treatment program and psychosexual assessment laboratory that became the basis for The ITM Group’s current programs. Harry has worked in community based treatment since 1986, primarily providing sex offender treatment. He is also conducting physiological assessments of sexual interest using state of the art techniques. He has offered consultation and training to various organizations including the Florida Department of Corrections, community mental health services and the Guardian ad Litem Program.