Treatment of the Sexually Abused Child (From Child Sexual Abuse: A Handbook for Health Care and Legal Professionals, P 193-208, 1988, Diane H Schetky and Arthur H Green, eds. -- See NCJ-113435)

• NCJ Number: 113440
• Author(s): D H Schetky
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 16 pages
• Sale Source: Brunner/Mazel, Inc.
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper explores treatment modalities and some of the treatment issues in working with the sexually abused child and her family.

Abstract

A significant issue in the treatment of incest is the 'victim to patient process' (Rieker and Carmen, 1986), which involves addressing the fragmented identity that results from the victim's attempt to accommodate to a family's refusal to recognize the abuse. Models of intervention and treatment for victim and offender include legal intervention, child protective services, the family systems/family therapy approach to incest, group therapy, individual therapy, therapy for the nonabusing parent in incestuous families, and support for parents or foster parents in nonabusing families. Factors in treatment recommendations are whether treatment is intended to be supportive or long-term, the likelihood of sustaining treatment, the availability of community resources, the choice of a male or female therapist, and which family members to involve in treatment and in what form. This paper devotes major sections to issues in individual therapy and group therapy for child sexual abuse victims as well as issues for the therapist. 30 references.