Table Of ContentGroup Work
Sexually
with
Abused Children
Group Work
Sexually
with
Abused Children
A Practitioner's Guide
Lynn Grotsky • Carel Camerer • Lynn Damiano
/^VSage Publications, Inc.
V^ty International Educational and Professional Publisher
Thousand Oaks • London • New Delhi
Copyright © 2000 by Sage Publications, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Grotsky, Lynn.
Group work with sexually abused children : A practitioner's guide / by
Lynn Grotsky, Carel Camerer, Lynn Damiano.
p. cm. — (Interpersonal violence)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7619-2079-X (pbk: acid-free paper)
I. Title. II. Series. III. Camerer, Carel. IV. Damiano, Lynn.
1. Sexually abused children—Rehabilitation. 2. Group psychotherapy for
children—Problems, exercises, etc.
RJ507.S49 G76 2000
618.92'858360651—dc21 99-006835
00 01 02 03 04 05 06 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Acquiring Editor: Kassie Gavrilis
Production Editor: Denise Santoyo
Typesetter/Designer: Danielle Dillahunt
CONTENTS
Preface ix
Acknowledgments ix
1. Introduction 1
Who Should Use This Book 3
How to Use This Book 3
2. Therapy Groups and Support Groups:
Differences, Goals, and Group Flow 5
The Overall Flow of Groups 8
3. Special Considerations in Setting Up Groups 13
Facilitators 13
Cofacilitating Groups 15
Gender of Facilitators 16
Grqup Set-Up 16
4. Group Format 25
5. Screening Group Members 27
Purposes of Screening 27
Screening the Parents of Children Being Considered for Group 30
Screening a Child for Group 33
6. Safety and Trust Exercises 41
Imaginary Object 43
Check-In 46
Safety Rules 49
Group Mascot 53
Going Camping 57
Group Collage About the Abuse 61
Let It All Out/Sound Train 64
My Own Safe Place 66
7. Self-Esteem Exercises 69
Yes/No/Maybe Continuum 73
Ball Toss 78
Me, Through the Years (Therapy Group Only) 81
Friendship Medals 85
Sharing Our Stories (Minimal Disclosure) 88
London Bridge (The Escape Version) 92
The Parent Within (Therapy Group Only) 95
8. Internal and External Boundaries Exercises 99
Boundary Line 103
Internal/External Self (Therapy Group Only) 106
Feelings/Thoughts Mask 112
Life Vest 115
Feeling Image 119
Sentence Completion 123
Clay Faces 126
Target of the Offender 129
Animal Boundaries 133
Familiar Feelings 136
Talking to the Offender Psychodrama (Therapy Group Only) 139
My Own BASK Book (Therapy Group Only) 143
Lean on Me 152
If You're Angry and You Know It 156
9. Dynamics of Sexual Abuse Exercises 159
Letter From Angie 162
The Butterfly and the Spider 167
Personal Butterfly 171
Magic Tricks 174
The Trick Hat (Therapy Group Only) 177
Questions and Answers Box 180
Revised Cookie far Tune 183
Why People Sexually Abuse Kids 186
Letter/Video to the Offender 190
Sexual Assault Continuum (Therapy Group Only) 195
The Alligator River Story 199
Letter/Video to Nonoffending Parent(s) (Therapy Group Only) 203
10. Trigger Response Exercises 211
101 Dalmatians 213
Elizabeth's Triggers (Therapy Group Only) 216
Centering 222
Drawing Where Molested (Therapy Group Only) 225
Triggered Memories (Therapy Group Only) 229
How We Sabotage Ourselves 234
Secret Soliloquy (Therapy Group Only) 239
11. Healthy Body Image and Self-Protection Exercises 243
Body Rights and Responsibilities 245
My Safety and Comforts 249
Healing Image 253
Body Tracing 257
Safety Plan 260
Simon Says and I Say 263
Prevention Skits (Therapy Group Only) 265
Date Rape 270
12. Closing Exercises 275
Wishes 277
Debriefing and Evaluating Group 279
Completion of Group Ceremony 282
Appendix: Sample Group Outlines 289
References 309
About the Authors 311
PREFACE
W e believe it is important for you, the reader, to understand our
theoretical framework. This framework is based on our philosophy, which has formed
how we work with sexually abused children and their families and is the foundation
for the goals and objectives of our groups. The suppositions we are working under are
as follows:
• Child abuse exists.
• It is atypical for young children to lie about being sexually abused. In fact, children are more apt to
omit rather than commit information to avoid negative consequences.
• In order to treat the symptoms of sexual abuse, the therapist must treat the whole person: the
intellectual, emotional, physical, sexual, and spiritual selves.
• The entire family is affected when a member is sexually abused. Therefore, the entire family needs
and deserves treatment.
• There are no effective quick, short-term treatments for victims of ongoing sexual abuse, and a
combination of modalities is needed for treatment to be effective.
• Society is in various stages of denial about sexual abuse. Society is limited to the discovery and
assertion of only that which it sanctions.
• Abuse is perpetuated by a society that encourages people to be competitive, judgmental, and
controlling and where one or more groups of people are considered to be inferior to another. Victims
need to be educated about society's imbalance of power to minimize future victimization.
• Sexual abuse is a socially communicable disease that, if left untreated, is passed from one generation
to the next.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book, like many good things in life, is the result of a team effort. There are many
people we have learned from and been inspired by, and who have greatly influenced
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