NCJ Number
224799
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 17 Issue: 3/4 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 238-254
Date Published
November 2008
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse (CPSA) on the family from the male survivors’ perspective.
Abstract
The results indicate that the Trauma Transmission and Empowerment models and the Family Adjustment and Adaptation Response (FAAR) model offer sound theoretical frameworks that could help guide further investigations. A five-phased approach to reconciliation within families and dialogue with the church community is discussed to highlight communication as a core theme to healing. The five phases include: building commitment to therapeutic objectives, framing the problem, reframing the problem, developing a healing theory, and closure and preparedness. Seven goals related to the five-phases of intervention were identified: clarifying the therapist’s role, eliminating the unwanted consequences of trauma, building family social supportiveness, developing new rules and skills of family communication, promoting self-disclosure, recapitulating traumatic events, and building a family healing theory. To accomplish these goals, the first three phases of the Empowerment Model focus on creating a therapeutic structure that includes a strong treatment alliance with clarifications of client objectives as well as examining how the family perceives the impact of CPSA in their family. References