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Section 5
Conflicts and Issues in the Treatment of Male Child Sexual Abuse

Question 5 | Test | Table of Contents

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In the last section, we discussed the various aspects to keep in mind when including the family in off hours therapy: education of the parents; developing and understanding a client's need for security; and reestablishing good self-esteem.

In this section we will examine various challenges inherent when treating sexually abused boys such as: dependency on physical contact; drastic mood shifts; failure to remember session content; dysfunctional attempts to regain power and control; and premature disclosure of the details of the abuse. Also, we will include therapy strategies that address these challenges.

Five Challenges in Treating Sexually Abused Boys

♦ Challenge #1 - Limiting Physical Contact
As you know, young boys frequently request physical contact to secure a feeling of security. In these cases, as you know it is important to set limits regarding physical contact while at the same time validating the importance of nurturance and comfort.

Danny, age 7 who was callously abused by his babysitter, would constantly follow Charles, Danny's therapist, around during group therapy sessions. Many times he asked to sit in Charles' lap. To address Danny's overwhelming need to be close to someone, ethical limits needed to be set on physical contact. Keeping in mind that his perpetrator ignored his needs, Charles felt he needed to provide a supportive experience.

He reminded Danny of the rule of no physical contact without permission. Charles then made an agreement with Danny that he would give him a hug before and after each group session. In this way, Charles fulfilled Danny's need for nurture while still respecting his personal space. Another way that might benefit you with overly physically dependent clients is to give them regular pats or hugs of encouragement, but only after a request to do so is asked.

Your opinion may vary regarding physical contact. Then, slowly diminish the number of contacts over a number of sessions. This will make the client less and less dependent on physical contact from an authority figure for security.

♦ Challenge #2 - Mood Shifts
Another challenge you probably have encountered in therapy with sexually abused boys is when one of your clients experiences dramatic mood shifts. As you know, traumatized children can sometimes develop an inability to regulate emotions. As you are aware, without an outlet, these feelings build up until the client releases them with an explosion of activity and emotion. Ten year old Nicholas was a reclusive sexual abuse client. Generally, Nicholas didn't participate in group discussions and kept an unanimated approach to any play therapy.

Finally, in one session, his therapist William witnessed Nicholas have an explosion of emotion. He cried and lashed out at the other group members. William took Nicholas aside until he calmed down. William helped Nicholas to develop exercises to soothe himself when he feels that his emotions are going to manifest themselves in destructive ways.

Some of these exercises included: holding a stuffed animal or blanket, Nicholas had a small rubber dinosaur that he named Rex; creatively venting through drawing, painting, or writing; repeating or reading calming statements; and deep breathing. In this way, Nicholas learned to begin to deal with his emotions on his own without the assistance of a higher authority.

♦ Challenge #3 - Dissociation in Sessions
In addition to Physical contact and dramatic mood shifts, another challenge is that sometimes, clients have trouble remembering session content. John, age 11, when his therapist Henry asked him the routine question, "What was your favorite part of today's session?" he responded with, "I don't remember". In some cases, this can be the effect of the trauma. Beverly James reports evidence that memories of traumatic events is processed differently and levels of awareness can fluctuate.

However, in John's case, he was using dissociation to cope with his trauma. Some indicators that John was experiencing dissociation and not affected memory were: he appeared to be unaware of his surroundings; he would stare off as though in a trance; experiencing frequent withdrawal; he would deny behavior that the rest of the group had witnessed; and he would appear disoriented or confused.

While he went through one of his dissociative episodes, Henry would talk to John as though he could hear his therapist until his awareness of his surroundings returned. Henry then explained to John how he was trying to go somewhere safe to cope with what had happened to him.

To keep track of his episodes, Henry asked John's parents and teachers to observe John and note any of the above indicators if they occurred. Over the course of therapy, as he began to work through his abuse more successfully, the frequency of the episodes diminished.

♦ Challenge #4 - Dysfunctional Means of Regaining Power
As you are aware, in group therapy, boys will try to regain their sense of power through dysfunctional ways. Jonathan, a colleague of mine, has observed the following six key dysfunctional behaviors in his group sessions:
-- Behavior #1 - passive aggressive behavior
-- Behavior #2 - manipulation
-- Behavior #3 - provocation
-- Behavior #4 - ridicule
-- Behavior #5 - scapegoating
-- Behavior #6 - silence.

Robbie, age 13, was ridiculing some of the younger boys in the group. Jonathan discussed with the group this behavior immediately after it occurred and identified it as a dysfunctional power and control behavior. He then asked the group to discuss this behavior and how these actions made them feel. Jonathan pointed out the difference between
-- 1. self-empowerment, a positive goal, and
-- 2. exerting control, a negative goal.

During this incident, it was vital that Jonathan didn't involve himself in a power struggle in which one boy is right and the other is wrong. This of course would split the group and undo much of the trust we had established.

♦ Challenge#5 - Premature Disclosure
A challenge I have encountered is a client prematurely disclosing details of the abuse during a group session. In the early stages of group therapy, most boys are not ready to recall the details of their abuse. When one boy takes the initiative to disclose his own details, can serve to intimidate the other boys. Also, premature disclosure can result in feelings of extreme vulnerability on the part of the boy who shares.

To prevent premature disclosure, I involve the boys in activities early in therapy that build rapport, create a safe atmosphere, and clarify the purpose of the group. I ask the group to brainstorm and discuss together the rules with which they are most comfortable. I finalize the rules once they have all agreed.

However, I imposed a few that were nonnegotiable such as: no betraying confidences about what is said in the group; no substance abuse; and no hands-on behavior toward another group member. By deciding on their own rules, the group was beginning to regain their sense of control over their surroundings in a positive manner.

In this section, we discussed various challenges inherent when treating sexually abused boys such as: dependency on physical contact; drastic mood shifts; failure to remember session content; dysfunctional attempts to regain power and control; and premature disclosure of the details of the abuse.

Inthe next section, we will examine the effect of male sexual abuse on sexual identity.
Reviewed 2023

Peer-Reviewed Journal Article References:
Drioli-Phillips, P. G., Oxlad, M., LeCouteur, A., Feo, R., & Scholz, B. (2021). Men’s talk about anxiety online: Constructing an authentically anxious identity allows help-seeking. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 22(1), 77–87.

Ellis, A. E., Simiola, V., Mackintosh, M.-A., Schlaudt, V. A., & Cook, J. M. (2020). Perceived helpfulness and engagement in mental health treatment: A study of male survivors of sexual abuse. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 21(4), 632–642.

Hébert, M., Daspe, M.-È., & Cyr, M. (2018). An analysis of avoidant and approach coping as mediators of the relationship between paternal and maternal attachment security and outcomes in child victims of sexual abuse. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 10(4), 402–410.

Keller, S. M., Zoellner, L. A., & Feeny, N. C. (2010). Understanding factors associated with early therapeutic alliance in PTSD treatment: Adherence, childhood sexual abuse history, and social support. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78(6), 974–979.

Pogge, D. L., & Stone, K. (1990). Conflicts and issues in the treatment of child sexual abuse. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 21(5), 354–361.

Sorsoli, L., Kia-Keating, M., & Grossman, F. K. (2008). "I keep that hush-hush": Male survivors of sexual abuse and the challenges of disclosure. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 55(3), 333–345.

QUESTION 5
What are some challenges that you may face in therapy when treating sexually abused boys? To select and enter your answer go to Test.

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