Incest: A Survivor's Story and a Therapist's Framework for Healing from Incest (From Violence Hits Home: Comprehensive Treatment Approaches to Domestic Violence, P 231-243, 1990, Sandra M. Stith, Mary Beth Williams, et al., -- See NCJ-128537)

• NCJ Number: 128550
• Author(s): L R Lawrence; M L Froning
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 13 pages
• Sale Source: Springer Publishing Co
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Therapy with survivors of incest requires special attention to the task of confirming the client's selfhood and feelings.

Abstract

The issues of survivors of parent-child incest challenge even well-trained therapists. It is imperative that all therapists be trained in this area; whether they plan to or not, they will be treating a survivor eventually. Therapists must be able to recognize the signs that incest may be part of a client's history, feel comfortable enough to ask questions to confirm incest, and be a trustworthy therapist by being competent to help their clients work out the myriad issues needing resolution. Clients sometimes come into therapy with a previous or current history of intimate, nonfamilial relationships. Unfortunately, anguish and even violence frequently have characterized the search for safe intimacy. Almost always there is a confusion between sexuality and affection that makes even the definition of intimacy difficult for these clients. The therapist must be a trustworthy person with appropriate boundaries and limits. Setting boundaries by providing alternative support systems aids recovery. Self-help support groups, as well as more traditional therapy groups, are invaluable therapeutic resources. Bibliography