Psychotherapy With Sexually Abused Boys (From Child Abuse: New Directions in Prevention and Treatment Across the Lifespan, P 205-222, 1997, David A. Wolfe, Robert J. McMahon, et al., eds. - See NCJ-172926)

• NCJ Number: 172935
• Author(s): W Friedrich
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter reviews the nature and course of psychotherapy with sexually abused boys.

Abstract

The integrated model of psychotherapy presented in this chapter borrows from attachment theory, behavior/emotion regulation, and self-perception/concept. The effects of abuse are reflected in each of these three broad domains. Of even more importance clinically is the fact that treatment approaches specific to individual, group, and family treatment can be derived from this model. The model subsumes both the traumagenic factors and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) models and provides an additional developmental and family context. The traumatic nature of child abuse affects the child's ability to regulate emotions, thoughts, and behaviors -- all pertinent to the PTSD model. Stigmatization and powerlessness have behavioral and psychological sequelae (e.g., reduced self-efficacy, distorted view of self) that are directly related to self-perception. The chapter outlines the three elements of this integrated model -- attachment, dysregulation, and self-perception -- and elaborates on their specific relevance to the treatment of boy victims. References