NCJ Number
155458
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (1995) Pages: 63-73
Date Published
1995
Length
11 pages
Annotation
A 1993 article by Seligson contended that current intrafamilial child sexual abuse treatments are driven by legal concerns, ignore the child's needs and complex feelings, and rarely consider rapprochement.
Abstract
In order to empirically respond to Seligson's contentions, 41 therapists at a major urban outpatient clinic were surveyed; 25 percent of cases seen at the clinic involved child sexual abuse. Therapists included psychologists, social workers, masters level counselors, and an art therapist. The survey contained five primary parts: (1) rank ordering of therapeutic priorities when treating incest cases; (2) vignette describing an incest case and asking respondents to select an ultimate treatment goal; (3) list of possible reasons for a child's involvement in incest; (4) series of questions about perpetrator involvement; and (5) demographic information. Survey results did not support any of Seligson's major contentions. Most therapists ranked legal matters as lowest priority and child clinical priorities first. Therapists had a strong commitment to involving perpetrators in treatment when possible, and they were sensitive to varying degrees of cooperation or resistance and to the complexity of children's needs. 14 references