Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a devastating phenomenon with documented long-term effects (such as mental health problems, problems with self-esteem, difficulties in building trust in relationships and sexual problems) bridging into adulthood. Many CSA victims go untreated & thus may face persistent problems in adulthood.
The bulk of science researching CSA is devoted to healing and repairing the trauma damage using a disease or deficit model. These traditional dominant approaches almost exclusively attend to pathology and neglect the idea that building strengths after such a trauma is indeed possible and perhaps the most potent weapon in any arsenal of treatment for survivors of CSA.
To address this imbalance, helping professionals must work to bring the building of strengths to the forefront as the change agent in the treatment and prevention of CSA. The aim of such a strengths-based approach is to catalyse a change in treatment from a preoccupation with only repairing the “wrong” things in the experience of CSA to also building in the “strong” qualities borne from the struggle to cope and live as a CSA survivor. Thus, the strengths-based approach poses new questions from those of traditional treatment approaches; rather than only focusing on negative outcomes or disease and deficits, it asserts that positive changes can often emerge from the struggle to cope with the aftermath of childhood sexual trauma.
This is defined as posttraumatic growth (PTG) or “positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life crises (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996; 2004 a; b). These changes often emerge as an enhanced sense of personal strength; improved relationships; a greater appreciation for life; experiencing new life possibilities as well as a deepened sense of spirituality. Women who experience posttraumatic growth make an active choice not to remain victims; they do not opt for suffering but instead invest in surviving and then transitioning to a “thriver” role where life again becomes manageable, understandable and meaningful.
PTG results from a specific coping process aimed at restructuring or rebuilding an understandable post trauma life narrative or story. Through doing this survivors experience a change in functioning which includes a future perspective or being able to envision the future with possible positive outcomes despite the harsh childhood sexual trauma.
A newly developed strengths-based group intervention programme called “S2T” - from ‘survivor to thriver’ - aims at enabling such posttraumatic growth in the extended treatment of female survivors of CSA. The S2T supports a balanced approach and draws on a collaborative mix of traditional (what’s wrong) and strengths-based (what’s strong) theories. It aims to re-author trauma stories in a safe healing group context, where women witness each other’s healing and where there is reflection on individual strengths and capacities borne from the struggle to cope with childhood trauma. The group context becomes the vehicle for healing and the “expert facilitator” (a facilitator who collaborates and sees the women as being the expert of her own life) the navigator towards healing. Research of the S2T is relatively in its infancy and is ongoing so as to inform practice guidelines.
S2T highlights the fact that the mission of the helping profession is thus not solely fixing what is broken but also recognising what is strong within the individual. Such an intervention should be advocated through community engagement and policy development.
About the Authors:
Dr Hayley Walker-Williams
Hayley Walker-Williams is subject Head of the Psychology Department of the North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, South Africa. She is a practicing Clinical Psychologist and serves as a researcher in the sub-programme “Pathways to Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth” within the Optentia Research Programme. She is principal-investigator in the research project entitled “Survivor to Thriver” (S2T) aimed at facilitating posttraumatic growth in women who experienced childhood sexual abuse in South Africa.
Prof Ansie Fouché
Anise Fouché is an associate professor and a registered Social Worker of the North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, South Africa. Ansie is a researcher and sub-programme leader of the “Pathways to Resilience and Post-Traumatic Growth” sub-programme within the Optentia Research Programme. She is the co-investigator in the research project entitled “Survivor to Thriver” (S2T) aimed at facilitating posttraumatic growth in women who experienced childhood sexual abuse in South Africa. Ansie is also a collaborator in the World University Network (WUN) ‘Resilience in Service Providers in Public Health Project’ Studies Working Group.
References and further reading
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (1996). The posttraumatic growth inventory: Measuring the positive legacy of trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 9, 455-471. doi:10.1002/jts.2490090305
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004a). Posttraumatic growth: Conceptual foundations and empirical evidence. Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1-18. doi:10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01
Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004b). A clinical approach to posttraumatic growth. In P. A. Linley & S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive psychology in practice (pp. 405–419). Mahwah, NJ: Wiley.
Walker-Williams, H. J., & Fouché, A. (2015). A strengths-based group intervention for women who experienced child sexual abuse. Research on Social Work Practice. Online. doi:10.1177/1049731515581627
Fouché, A. & Walker-Williams, H. J. (2016). A group intervention programme for adults survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Social Work / Maatskaplike Werk. In press.
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