Bridging the Gaps: Our Roles in Systemic Coordination with Families (Part 1 of 2)
Research suggests that up to 50% of interfamilial childhood sexual abuse is committed by a sibling. Most children who experience this type of abuse want the abuse to stop but don't want to lose their sibling. This type of abuse often tears families apart as they try to support both the person offended and the person who offended. Treatment for adolescents who have committed sexual abuse often takes upward of two years and in many cases the siblings are estranged during this time only to then have the opportunity to engage in clarification, reunification and possibly reintegration. This workshop will address the traditional model and propose a new model geared toward assisting the healing of all family members in a timelier manner with the emphasis being survivor centered. This involves the coordination of all the therapists involved in the family system (we are not forgetting about the non-offended siblings either!), child welfare workers involved with the family, the probation officers overseeing the youth with legal involvement, the victim advocate, and sometimes the schools and the courts. This workshop will also lay out what the difference is between clarification (and what constitutes a good clarification letter), reunification and reintegration and how to assess readiness in addition to safety concerns. Unfortunately there is not a lot of research about sibling sexual abuse and reunification but what is available will be shared. The presenters have participated in many successful and some disastrous clarification sessions and will be sharing case studies.
(This is a 3 hour presentation)