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Therapy of Incest Survivors: Abuse or Support?

NCJ Number
120356
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: (1989) Pages: 549-562
Author(s)
M W Armsworth
Date Published
1989
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This preliminary study examines the self-reports of 30 adult incest survivors related to professional help received for personal concerns and incest-related problems.
Abstract
Subjects rated the helpfulness of services received from 12 categories of professionals or groups commonly sought for counsel. Subjects utilized 113 professionals (53 male, 60 female) and spent an average of 36 sessions (9 months) in helping relationships. Results indicated a significant relation between sex of professional or helper and rating of helpfulness of individual sessions. This trend suggests that male helpers were seen longer and rated lower than females. The most helpful categories of interventions included validation, advocacy, empathic understanding, and absence of derision or contempt. Practices or attitudes considered harmful were blaming the victim, lack of validation, negative or rejecting responses, and exploitation or victimization of the client. Sexual involvement with the person in the helping role was reported by 23 percent of the sample; an additional 23 percent reported other forms of exploitation or victimization. Reliving experiences, revictimization dynamics, and dissociative processes are speculated to be involved in the high incidence of exploitation of adult incest survivors by persons in helping roles. 4 tables, 33 references. (Author abstract modified)

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