Citation

McCarthy BW. J. Sex Marital Ther. 1997; 23(2): 118-125.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC 20016-8602, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9230492

Abstract

The field of sexual victimization and trauma has generated incompatible paradigms that confuse conceptualization, assessment, and treatment for adult survivors of child sexual abuse. It is crucial to be aware of potential iatrogenic concepts and interventions, especially those involving litigation, obscessing about past trauma, self-esteem as a victim, quest for external validation, identification with the victim movement, exploration of repressed memories as a goal in itself, and focus on the past at the expense of being a survivor in the present. Core therapeutic concepts are accepting oneself as a survivor; experiencing adult sexuality as voluntary, mutual, and pleasure-oriented, and feeling deserving of healthy sexuality; and focusing on living well in personal, sexual, marital, and parenting roles.

Language: en