Therapy for child sexual abuse:women talk about helpful and unhelpful therapy experiences

Women with histories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) were asked to describe what was helpful and unhelpful to them in therapy. From 191 completed postal questionnaires, a subsample of 20 participants was interviewed. This paper focuses on three specific areas of therapy raised by interviewees: (1) Establishing a therapeutic relationship; (2) talking about experiences and effects of CSA; and (3) dealing with errors in therapy. Findings suggest that to avoid making serious therapy errors, therapists (1) need special skills to be aware of the dynamics and effects of CSA and of abuse-focused therapy and to deal with abuse-related material, and (2) need to develop an equal and open therapy relationship that includes ongoing consultation with clients about their experiences of therapy. doi:10.1300/J070v15n04_03.