(BQ) Part 2 book “The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of group psychotherapy” has contents: Group therapy with children, a spiritually informed approach to group psychotherapy, group psychotherapy as my career path, my development as a group therapist, and other contents. | 21 Group Therapy For Females Molested In Girlhood Shoshana Ben-Noam Introduction Clinical Illustration Moira1 was sexually abused by her father since the age of 9. For the first several weeks, he playfully tickled her and she giggled. Then, the tickling changed to gentle fondling between her legs. She didn’t understand the sensations in her body and was afraid to move. Gradually, the caressing became rough and she felt sore. Her father told her she was his special little girl and she better keep their special time secret to avoid trouble. She was confused and scared. The abuse stopped at the age of 11 when her parents were divorced. Moira didn’t understand her sexual arousal and the father’s actions. She was confused by her father shifting from playful, seductive behavior to rough fondling. She was also constantly petrified he would return to inflict more pain. Even worse, she was afraid he would abandon her if she didn’t keep the secret. “The horror . . . [was] not in the sexual act, but in the exploitation . . . and the corruption of parental love” (Herman, 2000: ). Characteristics of Child Sexual Abuse Child sexual abuse is the misuse of a child by an adult for the sexual needs and gratification of the perpetrator. To be legally determined abuse, the sexual act has to be 1 No real names are used in the chapter. The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Group Psychotherapy, First Edition. Edited by Jeffrey L. Kleinberg. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 410 Groups for Adults between a child under the age of 18 (Doll, et al., 2004; Finkelhor, 2008) and an adult who has power over them (Gartner, 1999; Herman, 2000). This power leads to the child’s compliance out of fear of rejection, punishment and abandonment, particularly in incestuous relationships. The sexual abuser may be a member of the child’s nuclear or extended family, or a non-family member as a teacher, coach or clergy. It is often that the abuser is known to the .
