Women survivors of sexual violence: Their experiences with therapeutic intervention

This thesis explores the impact of sexual violence on women's lives; particularly the experiences and impact of therapeutic interventions for survivors of sexual abuse in childhood and/or adolescence. The findings are the result of intensive interviews with 14 women. All 14 women had been in traditional therapy; for the most part, traditional therapists continued the collective denial of women's histories of sexual abuse, failed to probe for such histories, and pathologized abuse's effects. Most women (n = 13) reported a progression away from traditional therapy towards feminist modalities. In contrast with traditional interventions, women found feminist therapy to consist of empowering therapeutic alliances where their histories of sexual abuse were probed, discussed and contextualized. Results are discussed in terms of the implications for the recovery process and the importance of recognizing, validating and exploring women's histories of sexual violence and the effects of such histories, particularly within the therapeutic milieu.