Working Together: the role of the therapeutic relationship in overcoming the effects of sexual abuse
Social Workers at the Child Protection Unit, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick NSW, offer a diversity of practices. Crisis work, advocacy, brief to long term counselling and court preparation and support are part of the services offered to clients of CPU.
In presenting 2 cases of sexual abuse, we will demonstrate how social work interventions can be best used to assist individuals and families in overcoming the legacies of abuse. One of these cases we will describe, involves a single incident of rape whilst the other will focus on a young person who was abused over a period of several years.
Interventions offered to these young people and their families began at the point of crisis. Crisis service in the Health system includes medical intervention and crisis counselling/debriefing with the individual and non-offending family members as well as advocating on the child’s behalf.
Once the abuse was confirmed by JIRT, and a formal referral was accepted by the Child Protection Unit, counselling was offered to the young person and their non-offending family members. Despite the differences in circumstances of the abuse,
therapy for both these girls has included individual, family and group interventions.
The presentation will focus on the specific interventions used during the therapeutic relationship.