NCJ Number
161441
Date Published
1993
Length
194 pages
Annotation
This manual presents resource information and guidelines on the design and implementation for group treatment programs for women who have experienced incest, based on the 20-week Victim to Survivor Group conducted by the Family Service Center of Ottawa-Carleton, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
The Victim to Survivor Group is a 20-week program held twice yearly. Each group consists of up to 10 participants and is closed to new members once the group begins. Sessions are held weekly for 2.5 hours and are facilitated by two female co-therapists. The manual explains the psychological impacts of incest, the benefits of group treatment, the forms of group treatment, and the model used by the Family Service Center. It discusses the model's four sequential phases: (1) establishing a safe place, (2) breaking the silence, (3) working through, and (4) reintegration and termination. Guidelines are provided for the group structure and format, including the setting, group leadership, ground rules, confidentiality, attendance and punctuality, expression of emotion, rules of communication, and the group format. Detailed guidelines and handouts for each session, guides for group discussions on specific additional topics such as conflict and intimacy, outlines of information sessions for family members and friends, guidelines for 6- month followup session, forms, and reference lists