Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Healing Through Group Work - Beyond Survival

Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse is a detailed discussion of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings involved in conducting group psychotherapy with women who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Offering the practical “how to’s” of conducting a thirteen-session group, this unique book emphasizes the discovery of solutions, strengths, and internal/external resources and highlights the temporal nature of “being a victim” and “being a survivor” at theoretical and clinical levels. The book’s integration of theory and clinical intervention provides a thorough basis for addressing some of the key themes in the resolving of sexual abuse. In Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, you’ll uncover topics related to healing such as: the theoretical rationales for group treatment, which include the Ericksonian approach, the feminist perspective, narrative therapy, and the solution-oriented approach resiliency- and resource-based approaches the importance of language in recovery from sexual abuse how to deal with issues such as relationships, telling one’s story of abuse, building safety/boundaries, spirituality, cultivating a future, dealing with flashbacksA practical guide for students in counseling practicums, Women Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse provides you with a systematic method with which to conceptualize and conduct group work. Experienced counseling practitioners in psychology, social work, psychiatry, and nursing will also benefit as you gain a session-by-session account of how to conduct group work. In today’s institutional setting, private practice, and professional climate in general, there is growing interest in how to do more with less, how to maximize financial and professional resources, and how to take care of our therapist selves. This book will help you achieve these goals through leading clients to personal empowerment, self-compassion, and resourcefulness.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword (Stephen Gilligan) Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Living Through the Legacy Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Working Definition The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse Between Wellness and Pathology Childhood Sexual Abuse and University/College Women The Nature of Change in Therapy Group Work: The Rationale and Potential Benefits The Benefits of Group Work with Women Who Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse The Nature of Language: Hindrance or Healing? From Victim to Survivor Identity? Naming the Group: Beyond Survival When Language and Experience Resonate: A Look at Theoretical Frameworks Advertising and Promotion of the Group Prescreening Process and Questionnaire The Prescreening Interview Group Sessions Session One--The Journey: Getting Started Introduction The Milton Erickson Story Honoring the Group Large-Group Exercise Discussion Writing Exercise Exploring Hopes and Concerns Healing Symbols Closing Session Two--A Topography for Safety and Strength Beginning Highlights Healing symbols: Large-Group Exercise Visualization Exercise: Steps to Relaxation and Safety Solution-Focused Recovery Scale by Yvonne Dolan Accessing Safety and Security: An Exercise Journal Time: Letter to a Friend Closing Session Three--Boundaries: The Lines Between Self and Others Introduction Relaxation Group Discussion: What Is This Notion of Boundaries? Exercising Boundaries: An Exercise for Dyads Having Boundaries: What Is It All About (Mini-Lecture and Discussion) Themes in Maintaining Boundaries Visualization of a Place of Comfort and Security Closing Session Four--Building Strength: Cultivating Resourcefulness Introduction Beyond Surviving: What About Thriving? (Journal Time) Preparation for Sessions Five Through Eight Dealing with Flashbacks: A Mini Educational Presentation Giving Voice to a Personal Story Closing Sessions Five Through Eight--Giving Voice to a Personal Story Session Five Sessions Six Through Eight Session Eight: Last Session of Storytelling Session Nine--Anger and Power: Allies in the Making Introduction Debrief Exercise: Words from the “Older, Wiser” Self Read Aloud Anger and Power Some Components of Anger The Five Freedoms The Verdict: Healing Exercise Closing Session Ten--Consolidating a Sense of Self Debrief Exercise: The Verdict--Reliquishing Self-Blame, Restoring Dignity Mini-Lecture: A Sense of Self--What Does It Mean? Soul Care: A Box Closing Session Eleven--Relationships and Trust: For the Health of It Introduction Exercises Mini-Lecture: Cycle of Violence Healing Exercise: Cultivating a Future--A Collage (To Do at Home) Community Resources Closing Session Twelve--Honoring the Quest for Spirituality Introduction Markers of Spirituality Taking Inventory The Purple Stone Exercise Making Room for Spirituality Closing Session Thirteen--Celebration of Life: Cultivating a Future and Closing Ritual Introduction Debrief Exercise: A Collage of Cultivating the Future Acknowledgment of Each Other Closure Self-Care and the Therapist: Creating a Context for Renewal Introduction Signs and Wonderings: The Need for Renewal Countertransference: The Messenger of Self-Care Living from the Well: A Parable View from the Therapist’s Chair Resiliency : A Look at the Person of the Therapist Cultivating Spirituality Attending to the Soul The Preservation of Self Matters of the Mind, Body, and Soul Supervision The Personal Self Cultivating an Attitude of Self-Care Bibliography Index