 Defining Rape  Multiple definitions  May be a discrepancy between the legal definition and common definition  Definition used by this textbook-an unwanted act of oral, vaginal, or anal penetration committed though the use of force, threat of force, or when incapacitated  Benchmark Study: National Violence Against Women Survey (National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control, 1998)  1 in 6 (17%) women and 1 in 33 (3%) men have experienced an attempted or completed rape (in the United States)

 Underreporting  Other studies report 15-33% of women and 10-15% of men experienced an attempted or completed rape (in the United States)  3 out of 5 sexual assault victims stated the offender was an intimate, relative, friend, or acquaintance which leads to underreporting  Sexual abuse of children under the age of 12 is rarely reported  The Unique Situation of Sexual Abuse/Rape Survivors  Crises resulting from sexual abuse and rape differ in nature, intensity, and extent from other forms of crisis

 Social/Cultural Factors  Four different factors:  Gender inequality  Pornography  Social disorganization  Legitimization of violence  Historically, the crime of rape has been seen as:  A crime against the woman’s father or her husband  Psychosocial means by which the victors in wars reward themselves and humiliate their opponents

 Personal and Psychological Factors of Rapists  Acts hostile but often feels weak  Lacks interpersonal skills  May need to exercise power  May show sadistic patterns  Sees women as sexual objects  Holds stereotypical and rigid views of males and females  Harbors chronic feelings of anger toward women and seeks to control them  Rape as an exercise in power and control  Four categories of rapists:  Anger  Power exploitative  Power reassurance  Sadistic

 Rape is just rough sex.  Equating rape and sex is perhaps the most destructive myth of all.  Women “cry rape” to gain revenge.  People do not want to believe that rape really occurs  Serves to focus the blame for sexual violence on victims rather than perpetrators  Easier to believe than knowing rape can happen to anyone  Rape is motivated by lust.  Rapists are psychotic or weird.  Survivors of rape provoked the rape.  Only bad women are raped.

 Rape happens only in bad parts of town, at night, or by strangers with weapons.  If the woman does not resist, she must have wanted it.  Males cannot be victims.  Homosexuals are usually the perpetrators of sexual abuse of boys.  Boys are less traumatized than girls.  Boys abused by males will later become homosexual or rapists.  If a person experiences sexual arousal, this means it is not rape.  A female can not rape a male.

 Date Rape Risk  Child sexual abuse is a risk factor for both heightened sexual activity and sexual victimization in dating.  Alcohol and drug use (by both the survivor and the perpetrator) is a risk factor for acquaintance rape.  Preventing Date, Acquaintance, and Other Forms of Rape  Educational programs, especially at the secondary school level, have been recommended as preventive measures in reducing acquaintance rape.  Results show changes are only short-term.

 Empathy  Build a Working Alliance  Use Support Systems  Stop Secondary Victimization  Police, medical professionals, significant others  Responses  May exhibit no emotions  May feel humiliated  May suffer immediate and long-term trauma  May blame themselves  May be reluctant to go to the police or rape crisis center

 Critical Needs  Continuing medical treatment  Support system (family, friends, work, etc.)  Understanding without pressure regarding further sexual contact  Critical Supports  Understanding mood swings  Ensuring safety without overprotection  Allowing the victim to make decisions regarding reporting the rape  Allowing the victim to talk about the trauma without disclosing the information to others  Recognize that loved ones also exhibit issues

 Assessment  Can be difficult to assess and diagnose due to multiple ways it may manifest  Treatment of Adults  Treat in a similar way to PTSD  Grounding  Have the client focus on the therapist and the “here and now”  Ask the client to describe current INTERNAL experiences  Orient the client to the current environment  Use relaxation techniques  Validation  Validate that the trauma did occur even if it is denied by the client’s family  Advocate for the client  Reinforce the resourcefulness of the client  Be a role model to help the client with childhood developmental tasks

 Extinguishing Trauma  The reduction or termination of a conditioned response as a result of the absence of the reinforcement  Prolonged Exposure/Cognitive Restructuring  Reframing and relearning feelings  Grief Resolution  Confrontation  Changing behavior through skill building and reconnecting  Support Groups for Adult Survivors

 Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Childhood  Dynamics of Sexual Abuse in Families  Intergenerational transmission of sexual abuse  Female abusers  Phases of Child Sexual Abuse  Engagement Phase  Sexual Interaction Phase  Secrecy Phase  Disclosure Phase  Suppression Phase  Survival Phase

 Assessment  Therapeutic Options  Play Therapy  Cognitive-behavioral Therapy  Trauma Systems approach  Affirmation and Safety  Regaining a Sense of Control  Education  Assertiveness Training

 Interviewing the Child  Ensure safety  Collect appropriate evidence  Carl Perkins model  Preparing the Child for Testimony  Education on the process  Role play possible situations  Orientation of the courtroom  Aftermath  Counseling  Placement of the child

 Group Counseling  Boundary Issues  Group Support Work With Non-offending Parents  Preventing Re-victimization  Individual Counseling  Session 1: Establishing safe ground  Session 2: Introducing traumatic material  Crisis session  Last sessions: Transcending