Support Group for Sexually Abused Children

1. Support Groupfor Sexually Abused Children Elizabeth Lewis, Family Case Worker Maiko Kishi, JOCV Social Worker The Division of Human Services and Family Affairs- Saint Lucia

2. Support Group for Sexually Abused Children • Background • Program Description • Key Guideline • Modules • Activities • Progress and Outcomes • Follow Up • Resources • Tasks for Next Group

3. Background • High rate of Sexual Abuse in St. Lucia • Negative effects of Sexual Abuse on children • The value of group treatment

4. Program Description • Target 10 to 14 years old girls who were sexually abused No history of sexual promiscuities Done or on the process of individual counseling sessions • Format 12 1 hour sessions meet one day a week for 12 consecutive weeks Small groups of girls (3 to 10 girls in a group) Closed group • Content Step by step curriculum contains 4 general phases Phase 1: Initial adjustment to the group Phase 2: Preparation for variety of feelings Phase 3: Disclosure of the molestation Phase 4: Self-Protectiveness and Self-Caring

5. Key Guidelines • Documentation/ Record Keeping • Individual Consideration • Group Consideration

6. Modules Week 1: Introduction Week 2: Make Friends Week 3: Building Trust Week 4: Feelings are OK Week 5: Feelings are OK-2 Week 6: Getting Ready to Talk Week 7: Violence, Feeling, and Me Week 8: Feelings about Being Molested Week 9: I think this happened because…. Week10: Memory Container Week11: Taking Care of Myself Week12: Closing

7. Activities • Feelings List • Feelings Box • Worksheet: “Feeling about being molested” • Worksheet: “I think this happened because…” • Out-of-Programme activities Each session contains at least one activity. The members experience their emotional movement and relieves through the variety of activities.

10. Progress and Outcomes • Group Progress • Individual Progress/ Outcomes A (9): Express feelings, related to own experience B(11): Tears, express her feelings C (5): Anger and confusion D (5): Socialization, recovery from guilty, express her feelings F (6): Lack of concentration, confusion, friendship

11. Follow Up • Continue individual counseling • In-depth work as a group after a break

12. Tasks for next groups • Needs for more peer-supportive activities • Use of terminology from the beginning • Consideration of Modules • Court Preparation • Materials and Techniques for Self-caring • Assessment: • Group Progress • Individual Progress • Lateness and Absence

13. Resources • Group Treatment For Sexually Abused Children Joan Golden Mandell & Linda Damon, The Guilford Press, NY, 1989 • Empowerment and Healing: Guidance to the recovery from sexual abuse (Japanese) Yuri Morita, Tsukijisyokan, Japan, 2002

14. Thank You