Learning from experience: psychologists’ inquiry into child sexual abuse in therapeutic settings

ABSTRACT

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has devastating psychological and emotional consequences for survivors. Many clients who attend therapy have experienced CSA, however spontaneous disclosure of CSA during therapy is rare and psychologists often fail to inquire. This study seeks to explore experiences of inquiry from psychologists with specific knowledge and experience in CSA. Seven psychologists across Australia were interviewed to explore their experiences of inquiry into CSA. De-identified transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. When and how psychologists inquired varied depending on client factors and therapist factors, with some participants opting for direct inquiry whereas others utilised indirect inquiry. Psychologists were similar in their responses to disclosure of CSA, with all participants advocating for an empathetic response, while managing their own emotions. Participants described learning how to inquire about and respond to CSA from their experience of working with clients, supervision, and further research and training.

Practice impact statement

Many clients who attend therapy have experienced CSA, however spontaneous disclosure of CSA is rare, and psychologists often fail to inquire. Improving access to information from psychologists experienced in CSA is essential to build confidence and professional competence, particularly for early career psychologists.

KEYWORDS:

• Psychologist’s experiences
• child sexual abuse inquiry
• qualitative
• child sexual abuse
• IPA

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the wonderful psychologists who generously gave their time to reflect on their clinical practice and share their experiences, and more importantly for the work that they do every day to support survivors of child sexual abuse.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).