Examining Healing Trajectories for Survivors of Rape and Sexual Assault

Date
2020
Authors
Weingarten, Christine Ann
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Baker, Charlene K.
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Psychology
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Abstract
Research on experiences after sexual violence has yet to examine the broad range of options for treatment available to survivors. While individual psychotherapy has strong support for addressing trauma-related symptoms and is the most common form of treatment, it is often not the only type of therapy accessed. This study looks to increase awareness of treatment options for survivors. Using a mixed-methods approach, an online survey was disseminated to survivor populations (n = 303) to gather information regarding victimization experiences, therapy use, and mental health symptoms (i.e., PTSD and depression). Follow-up interviews were conducted (n = 20) with volunteers from the online survey. Results from this study indicate that survivors of sexual violence frequently use individual psychotherapy (76.9%) and additionally access other forms of therapy such as yoga (50.2%), group therapy (35.9%), massage (32.1%), chiropractic medicine (31.9%), and art therapy (31.4%), among others. The average number of therapies used within this study’s sample was 3.49. Three therapy use classes were identified: the Primary Individual Psychotherapy Class (PIPC; n = 138), the Individual Psychotherapy and Bodywork Class (IPBC; n = 103), and the High Therapy Use Class (HTUC; n = 20). Connections with these classes and victimization experiences, as well as mental health symptoms were revealed. In-depth qualitative interviews were analyzed for trends related to therapy use, helpfulness of therapies, and barriers to accessing therapies to add to the field’s understanding of survivor’s perspectives of experiences in therapy. Recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.
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Clinical psychology, Psychology, Healing, Rape, Service Utilization, Sexual Assault
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142 pages
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