Child Sexual Abuse: Intervention and Treatment Issues

This manual describes professional practices in intervention and treatment of sexual abuse and discusses how to address the problems of sexually abused children and their families. It makes an assumption that the reader has basic information about sexual abuse. The discussion focuses primarily on the child's guardian as the abuser. The manual contains the following chapters: (1) Working in the Field of Child Sexual Abuse, which discusses the professional as a person and elements of a victim-centered approach; (2) Definitions, Scope, and Effects of Child Sexual Abuse, which provides clinical and statutory definitions, prevalence and incidence rates, and a review of the impact of abuse on its victims; (3) Indicators of Child Sexual Abuse, which outlines medical and psychosocial indicators; (4) Investigation of Child Sexual Abuse, which examines the role of child protective services, the medical examination, interviews, and risk assessment; (5) Techniques for the Child Interview and a Methodology for Substantiating Sexual Abuse, which analyzes questioning techniques, use of anatomically explicit dolls, and research on the reliability and suggestibility of child witnesses; (6) Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse, which describes case management considerations, causal models of sexual abuse, and treatment issues for the parties involved. The manual also provides a glossary, a 30-item bibliography, a list of organizational resources, and four evaluation protocols. (.JDD) ******************************************************************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************