Empowering Adolescent Survivors of Sexual Abuse: Application of a Solution-Focused Ericksonian Counseling Group

This article describes a solution-focused and Ericksonian group counseling model that can be used with adolescent girls who have been sexually abused. An overview of the components of this approach is provided. A postintervention focus group provided additional results and ideas for the future development of the group counseling model. ********** Current prevalence studies report that between 15% and 38% of females are sexually abused as children (Corey & Leslie, 1997; Finkelhor, Moore, Hamby, & Straus, 1997; Green, 1993). Furthermore, Kumar, Steer, and Deblinger (1996) indicated a 67% prevalence rate of sexual abuse among female adolescent inpatients receiving psychological/psychiatric care. Despite the prevalence and recognition that sexual abuse has serious psychological consequences, the treatment literature has offered minimal guidance in determining what treatment interventions are effective in supporting this population. The need for continued treatment efficacy research is clear (Saywitz, Mannarino, & Berliner, 2000). Many survivors of sexual abuse believe they are defective, damaged, or otherwise flawed (Courtois, 1988). After sexual abuse, survivors often blame themselves for the occurrence of sexual abuse, and they may struggle to build or rebuild a positive self-identity (Courtois, 1988). In the aftermath of sexual abuse, it is common for the survivors to struggle with a positive self-esteem and a sense of self-efficacy in managing and coping with life's struggles. An important treatment goal from any theoretical perspective is to help survivors of sexual abuse integrate the abuse experience while preserving their self-esteem (Courtois, 1988). Moving beyond a focus on the maintenance of self-esteem, in this article, we provide a model that is intended to actively highlight and help clients connect with their personal strengths and resources and facilitate their growth and development (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 2006). In the following section of this article, a brief review is provided of the research related to counseling sexually abused adolescents. A description of the tenets of a literature-based, group counseling model that focuses on client empowerment is discussed. To provide readers with information that may help them apply the model, the interventions associated with the presented group model are detailed. Finally, the results of a focus group used to assess the adolescent group members' perceptions of the group and its personal impacts are presented. COUNSELING ADOLESCENT SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE: LITERATURE REVIEW Group counseling may best meet adolescents' developmental and therapeutic needs, and it is sometimes considered the intervention modality of choice when counseling adolescents (Corder, 2000; Gerrity & Mathews, 2006; Kruczek & Vitanza, 1999). According to Erikson (1959), adolescence is a time when one's primary tasks are to develop a sense of independence and autonomy from one's family while establishing a stable self-concept and identity. Groups provide a safe place for the adolescent to practice implementing his or her emerging identity while also facilitating the separation-individuation process and a subsequent increase in autonomy (Glodich & Allen, 1998). Consistent with the idea that adolescents need to separate from their families and develop into autonomous individuals, adolescents are more likely to accept feedback from peers than they are from adults, as is the case in an individual or family counseling context (Chaffin, Bonner, Worley, & Lawson, 1996). As it is true with other counseling groups, adolescents' feelings of isolation and being different from others can be decreased through interactions with same-age peers in a group setting (Glodich & Allen, 1998). Because adolescents identify with their peers, groups provide an outlet for participants not only to identify with others' problems but also to identify with their solutions. …