Recent surveys in the United States and Canada show that relapse prevention programs have grown in popularity over the past 10 years. Although many sex offender treatment programs use some relapse prevention elements in their treatment packages, however, most are probably not truly relapse prevention-based programs. The continuing problem of mixing relapse prevention elements with other cognitive-behavioral interventions is illustrated, and examples of stand-alone relapse prevention programs are cited. Central elements in a cognitive-behavioral model of relapse prevention are described, including the cognitive-behavioral chain, the sexual abuse cycle, seemingly irrelevant decisions, high-risk situations and risk factors, offense precursors, coping responses, and the use of reminder cards. The author concludes that, while relapse prevention programs have become quite popular, empirical evidence does not indicate they are more effective than traditional cognitive- behavioral interventions. Continued testing of the relapse prevention model with sex offenders is encouraged. 43 references and 3 figures