A Qualitative Exploration of Fear and Safety with Child Victims of Sexual Abuse

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Foster ◽  
W. Hagedorn
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Narrative Approach ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
Societal Problem ◽  
Counseling Interventions ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Qualitative Exploration

Although child sexual abuse (CSA) is a pervasive societal problem that is estimated to affect 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys before the age of 18 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005), little is known about CSA from the perspective of the victims themselves. To address this gap in the research, this study used a narrative approach to explore children's perceptions of their abuse experiences. Analysis of 21 narratives written during Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy revealed a meta-theme, which was entitled Fear and Safety. Children's descriptions of past and current fears and concerns about their safety and the safety of others were evident in all 21 narratives. The article delineates counseling interventions that mental health counselors can use to target fear and enhance safety.

Resilience to Child Sexual Abuse in Male College Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth G. Graves ◽  
L. DiAnne Borders ◽  
Terry A. Ackerman
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Male Survivors ◽  
Recovery Processes ◽  
Male College ◽  
Effective Counseling ◽  
Self Acceptance

Little is known about men's experiences in the aftermath of child sexual abuse (CSA). Consistent themes from qualitative studies were operationalized and tested for their impact on resilience. For the sample of college-enrolled men (n = 55), the themes of mattering and of traditional male attitudes were not related to resilience, but the theme of gender self-acceptance significantly predicted 23% of the variance in resilience scores. Importantly, the men's perceptions of the CSA events they experienced, whether they described these events as abusive or consensual, were not related to the men's resilience scores. The results indicated that effective counseling approaches to support men's recovery processes differ from those supporting women's recovery. These results suggest that mental health counselors should focus on encouraging male survivors' gender self-acceptance, exploring what it means to be a man in modern society, and examining points of connection with and disconnection from that cultural portrayal.

Searching for a Good Night's Sleep: What Mental Health Counselors Can Do About the Epidemic of Poor Sleep

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolores Puterbaugh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Behavioral Counseling

Sleep problems are epidemic in the United States. Many adults complain of poor sleep yet engage in behaviors that are counterproductive to sleep. This article briefly reviews recent research on the treatment of insomnia and discusses application of mental health counseling strategies for treatment. Case studies illustrate the application of current research within counselor areas of expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral counseling.

Wilderness Therapy as a Treatment Modality for At-Risk Youth: A Primer for Mental Health Counselors

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Hill
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Alternative Treatment ◽  
Treatment Modality ◽  
Wilderness Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
At Risk Youth ◽  
Counseling Interventions ◽  
Traditional Counseling ◽  
Adventure Based Counseling

Many mental health counselors identify adolescent clients as the most "difficult" clients with which to work because it is a challenge to engage them in the counseling experience (Church, 1994; Hanna et al., 1999; Gil, 1996). At-risk youth tend to be ill equipped to engage in traditional counseling interventions, which require them to be verbal and to disclose thoughts and feelings (Hanna et al., 1999; Davis-Berman & Berman, 1994). Wilderness therapy, a specialized approach within adventure-based counseling (Fletcher & Hinkle, 2002), provides an alternative treatment modality that maximizes the client's tendency to spontaneously self-disclose in environments outside the counseling office (Hanna et al.). This article provides an overview of wilderness therapy as a treatment modality and identifies the associated therapeutic factors in an effort to inform mental health counselors.

Recovered Memory Debate Revisited: Practice Implications for Mental Health Counselors

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Colangelo
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Childhood Sexual Abuse ◽  
Memory Retrieval ◽  
Treatment Protocol ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Recovered Memory ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Recovered Memories ◽  
High Incidence

With the high incidence of childhood sexual abuse and the attendant serious negative consequences resulting from it clearly documented, there is a high probability that many mental health counselors will at some point in their career provide treatment to members of this population. Since memory retrieval is an integral part of the treatment protocol when working with such clients, it is imperative that clinicians have a good understanding of the controversy over recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. This article revisits the controversy, provides a detailed discussion of the issues involved, and offers practice implications for mental health counselors.

scholarly journals Mental Health Epigenetics: A Primer With Implications for Counselors

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-121
Author(s):  
David E. Jones ◽  
Jennifer S. Park ◽  
Katie Gamby ◽  
Taylor M. Bigelow ◽  
Tesfaye B. Mersha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Counseling Profession ◽  
Psychosocial Experiences ◽  
Diet And Exercise ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Counseling Interventions ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Epigenetic Research

Epigenetics is the study of modifications to gene expression without an alteration to the DNA sequence. Currently there is limited translation of epigenetics to the counseling profession. The purpose of this article is to inform counseling practitioners and counselor educators about the potential role epigenetics plays in mental health. Current mental health epigenetic research supports that adverse psychosocial experiences are associated with mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and addiction. There are also positive epigenetic associations with counseling interventions, including cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, diet, and exercise. These mental health epigenetic findings have implications for the counseling profession such as engaging in early life span health prevention and wellness, attending to micro and macro environmental influences during assessment and treatment, collaborating with other health professionals in epigenetic research, and incorporating epigenetic findings into counselor education curricula that meet the standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).

A Compassion-Focused Approach to Nonsuicidal Self-Injury

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Van Vliet ◽  
Genevieve Kalnins
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Compassion Focused Therapy ◽  
Counseling Clients ◽  
Nonsuicidal Self Injury

Mental health counselors working with adolescents and young adults often encounter nonsuicidal self-injury. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT), a form of cognitive behavioral therapy designed to help people relate to themselves with greater compassion, is proposed as an approach for addressing the most common underlying functions of nonsuicidal self-injury. This article reviews the theoretical underpinnings and goals of CFT and discusses how it can be used in counseling clients who self-injure. It describes strategies and techniques that target client attention, imagery, feeling, thinking, and behaviors and offers guidelines and considerations for using compassion-focused interventions for nonsuicidal self-injury.

Childhood Sexual Abuse, Mental Health, and Sex Motives Among Males: A Pathway to Sexual Risk?

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor J. Schraufnagel ◽  
Kelly Cue Davis ◽  
William H. George ◽  
Jeanette Norris
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Childhood Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Risk

Right to Protection against Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asha Bajpai
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Commercial Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Child Victims ◽  
Sexual Offences ◽  
Minor Children ◽  
Marriage Laws ◽  
Education Act ◽  
International Instruments

Child sexual abuse and exploitation covers the sexual maltreatment of both children and young people. Part A deals with child sexual abuse (CSA) in India, its magnitude, and child sexual abuse in institutions. It deals with the national legal regime relating to CSA including the constitutional provisions, Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO). Law reform relating to some provisions in POCSO, child marriage laws, Right to Education Act and, and child victims and witnesses is recommended. Part B deals with commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of minor children in the context of organized exploitation for commercial gain. The Indian laws dealing with commercial sexual exploitation and pornography are included. Important judgements and international instruments dealing with child sexual abuse and exploitation and the important role played by NGOs and government in dealing with cases of CSA and exploitation are included.

scholarly journals Maternal History of Child Sexual Abuse and Maladaptive Outcomes in Sexually Abused Children: The Role of Maternal Mental Health

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110139
Author(s):  
Rachel Langevin ◽  
Martine Hébert ◽  
Audrey Kern
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Sexually Abused ◽  
Maternal Mental Health ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Abused Children ◽  
Maternal History ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sexually Abused Children

The effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) have been found to surpass generations as maternal history of CSA is associated with increased difficulties in sexually abused children. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. The present study aimed to test maternal mental health symptoms including psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and dissociation as mediators of the relationship between maternal CSA and children’s internalizing, externalizing, and dissociation symptoms in a large sample of sexually abused children. A total of 997 sexually abused children aged 3-14 years old and their mothers were recruited at five specialized intervention centers offering services to sexually abused children and their families. The children were divided into two groups depending on their mothers’ self-reported history of CSA. Mothers completed a series of questionnaires assessing their mental health and children’s functioning. Maternal history of CSA was associated with increased maternal psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, and dissociation following children’s disclosure of CSA. In turn, maternal psychological distress and maternal dissociation were associated with increased child internalizing, externalizing, and dissociation symptoms. Maternal PTSD symptoms were associated with child internalizing symptoms. Maternal mental health difficulties mediated the association between maternal CSA and sexually abused children’s maladaptive outcomes. Clinicians should assess for possible history of CSA in mothers of sexually abused children and determine how best to support them to cope with the aftermaths of their child’s disclosure and with their own traumatic past.

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