Parallel Group Treatment of Children and Their Mothers (From Sexual Abuse of Young Children, P 244-298, 1986, Kee MacFarlane and Jill Waterman, et al, -- See NCJ-115728)

• NCJ Number: 115733
• Author(s): L Damon; J Waterman
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 55 pages
• Sale Source: Guilford Publications, Inc.
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The treatment of families in which the mothers and/or their young children were sexually abused has shown that mothers and children share many common issues and conflicts and has led to the development of a series of curriculum modules for use in parallel therapy groups for mothers and children.

Abstract

The group treatment model aims to help mothers and children to express and resolve their feelings regarding sexual molestation and to help them be more assertive in both sexual and nonsexual situations. The treatment also aims to help mothers become more aware of their children's need for protection from coercion, to help them provide appropriate protection, and to help mothers and children obtain nurturance in less sexualized and more appropriate ways. The 13 modules deal with the right to say no, private parts, anger and punishment, fault and responsibility, sex education, positive and negative feelings toward the perpetrator, and other issues. Different techniques are used with adults and with children. The mothers and children taking part in this program have increased their ability to express feelings, and children have showed increased assertion skills and the ability to express their need for nurturance in more appropriate ways. Further research is planned. Lists of resources and appended dialogues.