An assimilation analysis of clinician-assisted emotional disclosure therapy with survivors of intimate partner sexual assault

Abstract

This study examined clinician-assisted emotional disclosure therapy among college women with a history of intimate partner sexual assault. Assimilation analysis, a method for tracking client movement in psychotherapy, was used to document changes in dominant and submissive voices during clients’ disclosure of the trauma. Self-blame, traditional gender-role assumptions, and internalized rape myth ideology emerged as prominent themes in clients’ formations of problem statements. The two case studies presented illustrate the difficulty in clearly formulating experiences of intimate partner sexual assault as problematic, integrating submissive and dominant voices and empowering adaptive voices that speak for the well-being and self-assertion of the individual. Implications for psychotherapy with survivors of intimate partner sexual assault are discussed.

Department

Psychology, Prevention Innovations Research Center Pubs

Publication Date

5-2009

Journal Title

Psychotherapy Research

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1080/10503300902810600

Document Type

Article

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