Recovering Process from Child Sexual Abuse During Adulthood from an Integrative Approach to Solution-Focused Therapy: A Case Study

ABSTRACT

In recent times, strengths-based recovery approaches that focus on the present and build strategies that look toward the future have become popular. However, some cases require the consideration of experiences from previous stages of the clients’ development. This single-case study explores the psychotherapeutic process of a middle-aged woman who presented with a history of child sexual abuse (incest) and a long-term adult diagnosis of depression that was treated in public health services. This psychotherapy involved an integrative approach to solution-focused therapy; specifically, the approach proposed by Yvonne Dolan to work with adult survivors of sexual abuse, in conjunction with techniques and strategies from the transtheoretical model. Measures incorporating therapeutic working alliance and outcomes were administered over sessions. Results showed positive outcomes from this therapeutic intervention, which remained at 3-month and 12-month follow-ups. Implications for practitioners’ specialist practice in health services are discussed, given the complexity of comorbid mental health conditions with a history of child sexual abuse.

KEYWORDS:

• Adult psychotherapy
• child sexual abuse
• depression
• incest survivor
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• solution-focused therapy

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in terms of clinical supervision and psychotherapeutic training by Centro Milton H. Erickson de Santiago de Chile (Milton H. Erickson Center, Santiago, Chile). The author thanks to Ramon D. Castillo and Robyne Le Brocque for their valuable comments and suggestions on earlier manuscripts.

Disclosure of interest

This article is based on the final report completed by the author to obtain accreditation as clinical psychologist. It fulfilled the guidelines required by the Sociedad Chilena de Psicología Clínica (Chilean Society of Clinical Psychology). The author declares no conflicts of interest to report.

Ethical standards and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from the patient for being included in the study.

Funding

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Funding

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes on contributors

Carolina Gonzalez

Carolina Gonzalez is a psychologist and master of mental health. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Parenting and Family Support Centre, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia.