Family Therapy and Young Abusers
Experiences from the multi-agency treatment service TVERS in Vest-Agder County, Norway
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v4i1.43Abstract
This article focuses on young abusers participating in a treatment program for families where one or more children have experienced child sexual abuse and/or have abused other children. TVERS is a multiprofessional team where the treatment is performed within a frame of control ,“care and control hand in hand”. Three trained family therapists from three different agencies come together and form the therapy. The caseworker from the child care protection service (Children`s Service) becomes a part of the TVERS-team during their therapeutic work with the young abuser and his family. The therapists are given access to all reports and documents from the police, the court and medical services. The caseworker can follow up the family between appointments as well as initiate child protection procedures if necessary. The article describes our experience of working with families where the son in the family has abused other children outside or inside their own family.
References
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Søftestad, S., Bjørtvedt, M., Haga, J., Hildèn, K.(2006): Terapi i en barnevernkontekst. Tverretatlig behandling av familier med seksuelle overgrep mot barn. Fokus på familien, 4:277-292
Thomas, J. (1997): The family in treatment. In: Ryan, G.&Lane, S.(eds.): Juvinile Sexual Offending. Causes, Consequences, and Correction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Vizard, E. (2006): Sexually Abusive Behaviour by Children and Adolescents. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, vol 11, 1: 2-8
Wulff, C. (2000): Behandling av incestutsatte familier. Erfaring med Tilman Fürniss` terapimodell. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening, 37:915-922
Blanchard, E.A.& Jones, M.(1997): Care of Clinicans Doing Trauma Work. In: M. Harris (ed): Sexual Abuse in the Lives of Women Diagnosed with Serious Mental Illness, Harwood Academic Publishers
Borduin, C.M.& Schaeffer, C.M. (2002): Multisystemic treatment of juvenile sexual offenders: A progress report. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 13: 25-42
Caffaro, J.V. & Conn-Caffaro, A. (2005): Treating sibling abuse families. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, vol 10, 5: 604-623
Finkelhor, D. (1996): Keynote address. Presented at the International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect, Dublin, Ireland in August 1996.
French, L. (2004): Assessment and treatment strategies for children with sexually abusive behaviours: A review of cognitive, development and outcome considerations. In: Calder, M.C. (ed): Children and young people who sexually abuse: New theory, research and practice developments, pp 134-142, Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing
Fürniss, Tilman (1991): The multiprofessional handbook of child sexual abuse – integrated management, therapy and legal intervention. London: Routledge
Green,L.& Masson,H. (2002): Adolescents who sexually abuse and residential accommodation: Issues of risk and vulnerability. British Journal of Social Work, 32: 149-168
Herman, J.L. (1992): Trauma and Recovery. From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, London: Pandora, River Oram Press.
Kjellgren, C. (2000): Ungdomar som förgriper seg sexuelt. In: Mossige, S. (ed): Personer som begår seksuelle overgrep mot barn. Forståelse, behandling og straff. Kunnskapsstatus og erfaringer fra de nordiske landene. TemaNord 2000:547, Nordisk Ministerråd, København, Denmark.
Ladwa-Thomas,U.& Sanders,R. (1999): Juvenile Sex Abusers: Perceptions of Social Work Practioners. Child Abuse Review, vol.8:55-62
Lee, J.K.P., Jackson, H.J., Pattison, P. & Ward, T. (2002): Developmental risks factors for sexual offending. Child Abuse and Neglect, 26: 73-92
Manocha, K.F. & Mezey, G. (1998): British adolecents who sexually abuse: a descriptive study. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry, vol 9, 3: 588-608
Nordstoga, S. (1998): Bedre samspill mellom kontroll og behandling. Embla,2:24-33
NRSB-Nasjonalt Ressurssenter for seksuelt misbrukte barn (2002): Seksuelle overgrep mot barn- utvalgte temaer, NRSB, Oslo
Pearlman, L.A. & Saakvitne, K.W. (1995): Treating therapists with vicarious and secondary traumatic stress disorders. In: C.R. Figley (ed.): Compassion Fatigue: Coping with Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorders in those who treat the traumatized, Brunner/Mazel, pp.150–177.
Pipe, M-E., Lamb, M.E, Orbach, Y. and Cederborg, A-C. (ed.) (2007): Child Sexual Abuse. Disclosure, Delay and Denial. New Jersey, London: LEA Publishers
Ryan, G., Miyoshi, T.J., Metzner, J.L., Krugman, R.D. and Fryer, G.E. (1996): Trends in a National Sample of Sexually Abusive Youths, Journal of Am. Acad. Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 35:1, 1996
Ryen, A. & Silverman, D. (2000): Marketing Boundaries: Culture as Category Work. Qualitative Inquiry, Sage, vol 6, 1:107-128
Ryan, G.(1997): Sexually Abusive Youth. Defining population. In: Ryan, G.& Lane,S.(eds.): Juvenile Sexual Offending. Causes, Consequences, and Correction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Saunders, B.E., Berlinger, L. & Hanson, R.F. (eds.) (2004): Child Physical and Sexual Abuse: Guidelines for Treatment (revised report: April 26, 2004). Charleston, SC: National Crime Victims Research and treatment Center.
Schauben, L. J.& Frazier, P.A.(1995): Vicarious Trauma – The effect on Female Counselors of Working with Sexual Violence Survivors. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19: 46-64
Søftestad, S. (2000) Pilotprosjektet ”Barn og unge med bekymringsfull seksuell atferd”. Et tverretatlig samarbeidsprosjekt i Vest-Agder. In: Mossige, S. (ed): Personer som begår seksuelle overgrep mot barn. Forståelse, behandling og straff. Kunnskapsstatus og erfaringer fra de nordiske landene. TemaNord 2000:547. Nordisk Ministerråd, København, Denmark.
Søftestad, S., Bjørtvedt, M., Haga, J., Hildèn, K.(2006): Terapi i en barnevernkontekst. Tverretatlig behandling av familier med seksuelle overgrep mot barn. Fokus på familien, 4:277-292
Thomas, J. (1997): The family in treatment. In: Ryan, G.&Lane, S.(eds.): Juvinile Sexual Offending. Causes, Consequences, and Correction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Vizard, E. (2006): Sexually Abusive Behaviour by Children and Adolescents. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, vol 11, 1: 2-8
Wulff, C. (2000): Behandling av incestutsatte familier. Erfaring med Tilman Fürniss` terapimodell. Tidsskrift for Norsk Psykologforening, 37:915-922
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Published
2009-04-01
How to Cite
Søftestad, S., Bjørtvedt, M., Haga, J., & Hildén, K. E. (2009). Family Therapy and Young Abusers: Experiences from the multi-agency treatment service TVERS in Vest-Agder County, Norway. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 4(1), 23–37. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v4i1.43
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