NCJ Number
161006
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: (1995) Pages: 1-11
Date Published
1995
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article discusses some of the literature on factors associated with therapeutic change in traumatized children (repetition for mastery, interpretation of affect and experiences, and characteristics of the therapeutic relationship) and proposes an alternative play therapy model for sexually abused children.
Abstract
The literature indicates the course of therapy with many sexually abused children can be characterized by cycles in which the child repeatedly returns to three core processes: (1) testing the therapeutic relationship; (2) addressing traumatic experiences; and (3) undoing denial. For many children whose abuse histories are particularly extreme, the course of therapeutic progress may be better understood as a series of cycles rather than in terms of progressive improvement through a number of stages. These children appear to experience unrelenting pressure to address fundamental trust issues which seem to be directly relevant to mastery of their traumatic histories. Awareness of the cyclic nature of play therapy for sexually abused children may clarify therapist expectations for the course of therapy and increase awareness of children's needs in each phase of the cycle. Two cases are described to illustrate the cyclic nature of play therapy with sexually abused children. 27 references