Cognitive-Behavioral Approach to the Treatment of Incestuous Families (From Violence Hits Home: Comprehensive Treatment Approaches to Domestic Violence, P 179-193, 1990, Sandra M. Stith, Mary Beth Williams, et al., -- See NCJ-128537)

• NCJ Number: 128547
• Author(s): B W McCarthy
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: Springer Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The cognitive-behavioral treatment model for the intact incest family is at major variance with the traditional therapeutic models for treating incest.

Abstract

Some major guidelines of the cognitive-behavioral approach to treating incest families are: (1) The incest is viewed as a family problem in terms of assessment and intervention; (2) The approach is therapeutic, not legal or adversarial; (3) The perpetrator leaves the home, not the child; and (4) The key concept is open channels of communication so that the incest cannot be repeated. This model provides strategies and techniques to enhance individual and family functioning. At a minimum, it is crucial that the intervention be effective in stopping the incest. It is of great importance to help the child or children see themselves as survivors rather than stigmatized victims. Whether or not a family stays together, subsystems and individuals have practical and psychological needs that must be attended to. Incest is a major insult to the family system and to the individual family members. It must be dealt with therapeutically in a respectful, concerned, and helpful manner to facilitate the process of being a survivor rather than a victim of incest. 14 references