Group psychotherapy with sexually abused boys: dynamics in interventions

Group psychotherapy is an important component of treatment of sexually abused children. The purpose of this article is to add to our understanding of the unique dynamics and some of the challenges encountered during the course of group treatment with this population. Specifically the dynamics of a traumatic experience (i.e., loss of power and helplessness in a context of dependency) and the accompanying defensive responses (i.e., identification with the aggressor, denial, splitting, projection, emotional isolation, and dissociation) are examined in the context of group process. The process of one group is described to detail the themes, issues, and interventions used in each phase of treatment.