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Support Group for Sexually Abused Children

Elizabeth Lewis, Family Case Worker

Maiko Kishi, JOCV Social Worker

The Division of Human Services and Family Affairs- Saint Lucia

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Support Group for Sexually Abused Children

Background Program Description Key Guideline Modules Activities Progress and Outcomes Follow Up Resources Tasks for Next Group

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Background

High rate of Sexual Abuse in St. Lucia

Negative effects of Sexual Abuse on children

The value of group treatment

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Program Description Target

10 to 14 years old girls who were sexually abused No history of sexual promiscuities

Done or on the process of individual counseling sessions

Format12 1 hour sessions meet one day a week for 12 consecutive weeksSmall groups of girls (3 to 10 girls in a group)Closed group

ContentStep by step curriculum contains 4 general phases

Phase 1: Initial adjustment to the groupPhase 2: Preparation for variety of feelingsPhase 3: Disclosure of the molestationPhase 4: Self-Protectiveness and Self-Caring

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Key Guidelines

Documentation/ Record Keeping

Individual Consideration

Group Consideration

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Modules

Week 1: IntroductionWeek 2: Make FriendsWeek 3: Building TrustWeek 4: Feelings are OKWeek 5: Feelings are OK-2Week 6: Getting Ready to TalkWeek 7: Violence, Feeling, and MeWeek 8: Feelings about Being MolestedWeek 9: I think this happened because….Week10:Memory ContainerWeek11:Taking Care of MyselfWeek12:Closing

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Activities

Feelings List Feelings Box Worksheet: “Feeling about being

molested” Worksheet: “I think this happened

because…” Out-of-Programme activities

Each session contains at least one activity. The members experience their emotional movement and relieves through the variety of activities.

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Progress and Outcomes

Group Progress Individual Progress/ Outcomes

A (9): Express feelings, related to own experience

B(11): Tears, express her feelingsC (5): Anger and confusionD (5): Socialization, recovery from

guilty, express her feelingsF (6): Lack of concentration,

confusion, friendship

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Follow Up

Continue individual counseling

In-depth work as a group after a break

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Tasks for next groups

Needs for more peer-supportive activities Use of terminology from the beginning Consideration of Modules Court Preparation Materials and Techniques for Self-caring Assessment:

Group Progress Individual Progress

Lateness and Absence

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Resources

Group Treatment For Sexually Abused Children

Joan Golden Mandell & Linda Damon,

The Guilford Press, NY, 1989 Empowerment and Healing: Guidance to

the recovery from sexual abuse (Japanese)

Yuri Morita, Tsukijisyokan, Japan, 2002

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Thank You