Interventions for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Interventions for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

Project instructions:

Part 1. Discuss the interventions for survivors of sexual abuse, including group counseling, for both adults and children. What would you take into consideration when determining what type of counseling, individual or group, and what types of interventions you would use with a client who is a sexual abuse survivor? Post must be a minimum of 250 words. Use the following reference for the response, James, R., & Gilliland, B. (2013). Crisis intervention strategies. (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengagae Learning.

Part 2. Respond to the following post. In your response, include an intervention with a citation and reference from a peer-reviewed professional journal article published within the last 10 years. Use APA citations. Response must be at least 250 words.

Post: Interventions for adults and children are many and a variety. One of the interventions that would be important for either would be to get them in a psycho-educational group. This would help them understand more about their abuse as well as learn about why they think the way they do. A PTSD group would help them understand why they think and act as well as learn that they are not the only one who has been through a trauma. With an adult, it would be important for them to learn grounding. This will help the adult to be able to pull back out of the flashbacks or memories and come into reality and out of the abuse. Grounding helps the client with flashbacks by having them learn how to focus on the present and physical aspects of the here and now. Validation will help with the client-counselor relationship as the client may have denial, trust, and fear issues. Validation also helps clarify that the abuse did happen and that they can now safely talk about it (James & Gilliland, 2013, pg. 267). Other interventions for adults are made of CBT skills. Basically, having the adult victim take their old beliefs and perceptions and throwing them to the side. Then having them reconstruct new beliefs and views (not perceptions) so they can grow into a new, revised person. During this time they continue to learn about feelings and behaviors, as they are re-engaging with society and healthy supports.

For children, play therapy is used to help the child re-enact in a safe distance as well as discuss the material. This can help the therapist to decide what may be the best interventions for the child. If the child is older, the therapist can collaborate with them. This will help with affirmation and safety of the child. Children are encouraged to draw, paint, sculpt, write, and verbalize to vent feelings (2013, pg. 277). Venting these feelings should be encouraged as they help promote a sense of control or empowerment. Education will help the child to learn about sex offenders and sex crimes as well as sex education. Many victims may not have knowledge of what is normal if they are not being offended. Children would benefit in assertive training as this will help them have their own voice and learn the word ?no? and be able to use it. Group counseling can be done, but not until later in the therapy. Children would still need group eventually so they can connect with other children to know they are not alone. It will also help them to build new skills for coping, thinking, and behaving. One aspect of counseling that will be a factor is to prepare the child for court. Since child abuse is a crime it will be presented in the court and the child will be asked to testify at one point.

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Interventions for Survivors of Sexual Abuse