Factors Influencing the Degree and Pattern of Parental Involvement in Play Therapy for Sexually Abused Children

Abstract

Although much has been written about the role of therapists in children's recovery from child sexual abuse, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of nonoffending parents. This study investigated the work of a team of therapists who sometimes included such parents in therapy sessions with children. The study sought to understand what factors were influencing the degree and pattern of parental involvement and to understand what effect these patterns of parental involvement were having on the process and outcomes of therapy. The study successfully identified a range of factors influencing the patterns of parental involvement, but more research will be needed to understand the effect on outcomes.

The Effect of Group Play Therapy on Social-Emotional Skills in Pre-School Children

“…Our study revealed group game therapy significantly improves cognitive development. Our findings were conformed with the results of previous studies about the roles of group play therapy on behavioral and emotional performance of children ( Jager & Ryan, 2007 ; Hill, 2009 ; van Breemen, 2009 ).…”

Children's and carers' perspectives of a therapeutic intervention for children affected by sexual abuse

“…The only negative aspect of the intervention reported by children was their sadness at its ending. Some carers felt excluded, even threatened, by the strength of their child's bond with the CSP, echoing the experience of parents in previous studies (Hill 2009b;Jensen et al 2010). The fears and concerns of carers in this study appear to have assuaged by seeing their children begin to engage in and benefit from the intervention, good communication with the CSP over the children's progress and the provision of advice and support directly to carers.…”

“…Carers' views of such services are also important as they are likely to influence children's access and attendance. A qualitative study on the impact of carer involvement in a therapeutic service for children affected by CSA reviewed 13 cases from one team of therapists in the UK (Hill ; Hill ). Eighteen interviews were undertaken with parents, four of which included fathers.…”

Untitled

“…Hill (2009) expresses this genuine and empathetic understanding of parents' positions by therapists as "holding" or "containing," through which child practitioners simultaneously feel the pain and experiences of the parents. Ashley mentioned her work starting from understanding parents; she shared, "I think that because the mom has a lot of knowledge, but for her important thing is nobody understands mom.…”

“…At the position of consultant, therapists shared how child counseling sessions went as well as changes or improvements that the child clients presented. Hill (2009) asserts parents need this information sharing and feedback from an expert's perspective because they lack confidence in their own tentative conclusions about the development of their child's issues. Carly's comment is an exemplar segment as a therapist of consultant.…”