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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
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

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