Therapeutic Practices for Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents: Resources for Marriage, Family, and Couples’ Counselors

Abstract

Marriage, family, and couple counselors should be educated in various treatment options for sexually abused adolescents, due to the frequency, and severity of this form of abuse. The long-term effects of sexual abuse can be devastating for victims. Posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression are potential issues resulting from sexual abuse. The present review analyzes three different therapeutic approaches family counselors may use for working with sexually abused children and adolescents. These approaches include trauma-focused-cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy and expressive art therapy, eye movement and desensitization, and reprocessing therapy. Implications for family, marriage, and couples’ counselors are provided recommendations as well for future research.

Therapeutic Communication for Healing Psychological Trauma Experienced by Victims of Sexual Violence: A Literature Review

“…The therapeutic approach to sexual violence requires a relationship between various contexts of social assistance, justice, and psychology to achieve the goals of social and family reorganization and psychological change for victims. According to Devlin et al (2019), similarities with what is said discuss trauma. The stages of therapeutic communication are discussed in three stages, starting at the pre-counseling stage, the counseling process stage, and the post-counseling stage.…”

“…In several studies analyzing three different therapeutic approaches that marriage counselors might use, families and couples were educated about the various treatment options for sexually abused adolescents. This approach includes trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (Devlin et al, 2019). In therapeutic communication, the companion provides solutions for the victim because the essence of therapeutic communication is to guide the patient in realizing his desires and what is needed to solve problems and achieve goals (Tiara & Pratiwi, 2018).…”

“…This opinion is very different from the stages of therapeutic communication described by (Hananah et al, 2021). Devlin et al (2019) discussed related journals that also have similarities in discussing the stages of conducting therapeutic communication in healing trauma in children using three therapeutic approaches; where the therapeutic approach can also include therapies such as trauma-focused cognitive behavior, in addition to therapies such as play and expressive arts therapy, through eye movements and desensitization and reprocessing therapy. According to Orwela (2022), the stages in therapeutic communication are divided into three stages: the first precounseling stage, the counseling process stage, and the post-counseling stage.…”