Information for
Therapists
understanding the
survivor community
Listed below are some
subjects which therapists may or may not be aware that their patients
are effected by. If someone is reporting a rape they should
ask the local crisis center for a victim's
advocate who will walk them through the process. For
information on Reporting
a rape click here.
Vocabulary
Rape survivors at times develop
specific abbreviations and acronyms in their online support
groups. They also share word of mouth knowledge about current
events and the politics
of sexual assault.
A
survey by survivors for therapists- results
If you could say anything to your
therapist- what would you say?
Some issues survivors need addressed:
Self blame (why
it happens), secondary
victimization (how to deal with it), telling their story (means
of expression).
Message
boards
Related links:
What
is life like for many rape survivors?
The book/movie Speak
is a fairly typical example of the secondary victimization rape survivors
suffer. View clips.
See also: secondary
victimization testimonials
Secondary
victimization
Secondary victimization is the
re-traumatization of the sexual assault, abuse or rape victim. It is an
indirect result of assault which occurs through the responses of individuals
and institutions to the victim. The types of secondary victimization include
victim blaming, inappropriate behavior or language by medical personel
and by other organizations with access to the victim post assault. (Campbell
et. al., 1999)
See also: Training
manuals
The
effects of rape / psychology
Coping
Skills
LGBTQ
and lesbian sexual assault
Eating
disorders and sexual assault
Date
rape drugs
Victim
blame
Current
events
Online
Libraries on sexual assault- research.
Smith, Marilyn E.;
Kelly, Lillian M. (2001). Issues in Mental Health Nursing. The journey
of recovery after a rape experience. 22(4), Jun pp. 337-352. link
"The purpose
of the study was to discover the meaning of recovery from the perception
of the victim, how recovery is experienced, and what contributed to the
growth and recovery of the woman who has been raped...The thematic structure
of a woman's recovery from rape comprises 3 main themes: reaching out,
reframing the rape, and redefining the self."
Sarkar, N. N.; Sarkar, Rina,
(2005) Sexual assault on woman: Its impact on her life and living in society.
Sexual & Relationship Therapy,20 (4), 407-419
Database: Academic Search Premier
Abstract:The author's aim
is to bring forth the consequences of sexual assault on women with a view
to abate this crime against women. Data are extracted from the literature
through the computerised MEDLINE system.
Women sexually assaulted
in childhood are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted in adulthood.
Post-traumatic mental problems,
acute stress disorders, depression and other psychological problems are
found in victims of sexual assault. Women often suffer from sleep disorders,
nightmare, anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and diminishing of
sexual urge and pleasure among other disorders following sexual assault
or rape. Recovery is slower in sexual than in non-sexual assault victims.
Factors influencing recovery are emotional support from friends, relations,
social and community supports. Overall social changes in outlook and perception
towards women are needed in the modern society to curb the sexual assault
on women.
Foa, E., Rothbaum, B.,(1998)
Treating the trauma of rape: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for PTSD. New
York, NY, US: Guilford Press, xviii, 286 pp.
Database: PsycINFO
Abstract:(from the cover)
In the US alone, approximately 1.5 million adult female survivors of rape
are estimated to suffer from chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
This book provides a step-by-step guide to proven brief cognitive-behavioral
therapy techniques for treating traumatized women. Filling an urgent need
of front-line practitioners working within managed care guidelines, the
book includes numerous case examples illustrating sensitive and effective
information gathering and intervention, as well as explanations of how
to cope with common problems and complications in treatment.
Campbell, Rebecca, Tracy
Sefl, Sharon M. Wasco & Courtney E. Ahrens. (2004). Doing Community
Research without a Community: Creating Safe Space for Rape Survivors.
American Journal of Community Psychology. 33.
"Rappaport (1995) argued
that listening to the stories of people's lives should be an important
goal of community psychology. Through analysis of these narratives, researchers
can gain new insights into community phenomenon. Perhaps in a similar
manner, the narratives of the researchers themselves may shed some light
on the process of how research is actually conducted and constructed.
In the story of the UIC Women & Violence Project, our narrative focuses
on how we identified, recruited, and interviewed a community-based sample
of rape survivors. The stage of designing a sampling plan is often overlooked
and undiscussed, but in our project, this task raised practical and conceptual
problems unlike those we had ever encountered in prior work. How were
we going to find rape survivors? Who was "the community" with
whom we wanted to work? And, once we found these rape survivors, how could
we create a safe space for them to tell their stories? Wrestling with
these questions prompted us to reinterpret classic ideas of communities,
settings, and the purpose of community-based research."
Littleton, Heather; Breitkopf,
Carmen Radecki. (2006). COPING WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF RAPE. Psychology
of Women Quarterly. 30 (1). p106-116.
Abstract
The coping strategies that a victim
of a rape engages in can have a strong impact on the development and persistence
of psychological symptoms. Research provides evidence that victims who
rely heavily on avoidance strategies, such as suppression, are less likely
to recover successfully than those who rely less heavily on these strategies.
The present study utilized structural path analysis to identify predictors
of avoidance coping following rape and examined factors in the assault
itself (e.g., force, alcohol use), sequelae of the assault (e.g., self-blame,
loss of self-worth), and social support as potential direct and indirect
predictors of avoidance coping. From a sample of 1,253 university women,
the responses of 216 women who endorsed an experience of rape were examined.
Results suggested that sequelae of the assault such as feelings of self-blame
and negative reactions received from others are potentially important
predictors of avoidance coping. Implications of the results for future
rape recovery research are discussed
VanDeusen, Karen M.; Carr,
Joetta L.. (2004). Group Work at the University: A Psychoeducational Sexual
Assault Group for Women. Social Work with Groups. 27 (4). p51-64, 14p.
Abstract
This article describes an
innovative psychoeducational support group for female survivors of sexual
assault. The intervention model takes place in a University setting and
is free, confidential and easily accessible. The psychoeducational format
allows survivors at various levels of healing to gain information about
common sexual assault effects, rape myths, and coping strategies, and
to explore their feelings and thoughts in a safe environment. This article
also includes a review of theoretical and empirical literature on group
work with female sexual assault survivors. Methods for screening members
and recruitment techniques are also discussed.
French, Sandra L.. (2003). Reflections
on healing: framing strategies utilized by acquaintance rape survivors.
Journal of Applied Communication Research, 31 (4). p209, 111p.
Abstract
This study examines the stories
acquaintance rape victims tell through semi-structured interviews. Acquaintance
rape, viewed here as a particularly paradoxical crime, creates a need
for women to resolve the inconsistency of their experience. By conducting
interviews with victims and analyzing their verbal communication, this
project explores how victims frame their rape experience. Framing strategies
used by victims of sexual harassment served as a guide for the initial
identification of framing strategies for victims of acquaintance rape.
Women in this study utilized strategies of paradox management to assess
blame, define, and reframe their experiences. Recognition of these management
strategies can assist social support networks and law enforcement professionals
in identifying the communicative strategies of female victims of varying
types of violence.
Comments from sexual assault
patients on their therapy experiences:
One person expressed that
they would prefer to learn coping skills over using medication. They had
negative reactions to the medications previously prescribed.
Language sensitivity: Using particular
words sometimes triggers assault patients. Perhaps asking which term the
victim would like to use would be better than choosing a descriptive word
for them (rape, assault, incident).
Minimizing the patient's
traumatic experiences.
Telling the patient they
"should" forgive the perpetrator when no apology or amends have
been made.
References
Allen, J. (2005).
Coping with Trauma: Hope Through Understanding, 2nd ed. Washington, DC:
American Psychiatric Press.
Bremner, J. & Marmar, C., Eds.
(1998). Trauma, Memory, and Dissociation. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric
Press.
Herman, J. (1992). Trauma and Recovery.
New York: Basic Books.
Saakvitne, K., Gamble, S., Pearlman,
L., & Lev, B. (2000). Risking Connection®: A Training Curriculum
for Working with Survivors of Child Abuse, Baltimore, MD: Sidran Institute
Press.
Stamm, B.H. (Ed.) (1999) Secondary
Traumatic Stress: Self-Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers, and Educators.
2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Sidran Institute Press.
Related information:
Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Second Edition: Basic
Principles, Protocols, and Procedures
by Francine Shapiro
EMDR
: The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and Trauma
by Francine Shapiro, Margot Silk Forrest
"EMDR, or eye movement desensitization
and reprocessing, is a new, nontraditional, very short-term therapy for
treating trauma victims that utilizes rhythmical stimulation such as eye
movements or hand taps"
Related subjects
Law
enforcement toolkit |
