Adult Male Sexual Assault in the Community: A Literature Review and Group Treatment Model (From Rape and Sexual Assault III, P 161-178, 1991, Wolbert Burgess, ed. -- See NCJ-134540)

• NCJ Number: 134549
• Author(s): P J Isely
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Garland Publishing, Inc.
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This paper reviews clinical literature on the sexual assault of men and describes the process and effects of a therapeutic group composed of male rape victims.

Abstract

The literature indicates that the male sexual assault victim has been virtually unrecognized by service providers and society in general. In 1987 the Gay and Lesbian Antiviolence Project ran an 8-week male rape survivors group that consisted of four men who had been raped in their adulthood or late adolescence. The intention of the group is to provide a safe environment in which consensual validation and mutual understanding of survivors' reactions to their assaults can occur. This paper describes the goals and process of each of the eight group sessions. Some of the benefits of the group were the members' experience of supportive interpersonal relationships, the resolution of power issues in relationships with other men, and the realization that the rape did not make them powerless in every aspect of their lives. After the termination of the group, the men expressed appreciation for the group experience and urged that the therapists start another group. Ideally, a long-term group that will consist of more members should be considered. 25 references