Essay Sample about Therapeutic Interventions for Sexually Abused Girls

Working with teenage females who are victims of human sex trafficking, understandably requires more sensitivity taking into consideration their experiences in exploitative environments. Sexual exploitation has detrimental effects on victims who have undergone such traumatic experiences (Adam, Webb & Al-Mateen, 2017). Practitioners working with this special group you should have in mind the societal prejudice, stigma, mood disorder, aggression, and hopelessness that these children have as a result of bad experiences. It is important to increase one's awareness of the vulnerabilities that place teenage females at risk of being trafficked. Sexually traumatized teenage females have become increasingly visible in the counseling field. As a therapist, it is critical that you have an awareness of effective practices and interventions for treating sexually traumatized adolescent females.

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Cognitive Behavior Therapy

I noticed that in dealing with sexually exploited teens you categorize the girls under one umbrella due to shared experiences. Well, you should understand that individuals respond differently to stressful events and their responses are influenced by their personality traits. For instance, neurotic people may experience negative emotions and anxiety disorders in response to stressor events. It is important to take into consideration individual differences in stress response. While some girls may show a maladaptive response to sexual trauma others may show resilience to the same stressor. Cognitive Behavior Therapy is a psychotherapeutic intervention that seeks to modify dysfunctional emotions and behaviors by changing thought patterns (Kazantzis et.al, 2018). In dealing with sexually abused teenage females in human sex trafficking CBT might be used to address symptoms of emotional distress, behavior problems, and anxiety. In recent years, CBT has been the choice of treatment for children with anxiety in the United States. Research findings have proven that its effectiveness is far-reaching in terms of practical application. Using this therapy technique will enable you to equip the girls with relaxation skills, emotional expression skills, and cognitive coping skills. In reducing anxiety, CBT enables individuals to recognize stimuli that trigger anxiety and how they can replace their maladaptive responses with adaptive ones thus preventing relapse.

Solution Focus Therapy

Throughout your therapy sessions, I also realized that you seem to assume that you know the cause of your client's trauma even though it may seem obvious from a brief background check. You do not need to know the cause of a problem in order to find their solutions. Not all sexually exploited girls might want to reveal details of their dehumanizing experiences. Focusing on your client's problems can be detrimental to the healing process. A solution-based approach is essential because it boosts the client's self-confidence, decision making, and problem-solving skills. Solution Focus Therapy approach is tailored to increase clients aware of how they can bring about change to the lives. This technique has been found to assist sexually abused clients in regaining their sense of freedom and empowerment (Froerer, Cziffra-Bergs, Kim & Connie, 2018). The healing process for these traumatized teenagers requires a collaborative partnership in which you cooperate with them in a positive context to achieve evolution of their sexual self.

Motivational Interviewing

Sexually abused teenage females need to find the motivation that would assist them in making positive decisions. Motivational interviewing is an ideal approach for this special group. This psychotherapeutic intervention method seeks to remove individuals from a state of irresoluteness. Once trust is built with the client you might consider confronting them by listing a number of reasons why they need to get over their situation. State the positives associated with change as a means to encourage them to stay motivated. According to Gagnon et.al 2018, there are a lot of ethical conflicts arise in using MI spirit because of the thin line between autonomy and benevolence.

Group Psychodynamic approach

This intervention entails grouping clients according to their diagnoses. Female teenage Victims of human sex trafficking might share similar experiences. Putting them in a single group will allow them to learn how to cope by learning how their peers are fairing on. Every member of the group is allowed to take the role of a mental healer by providing suggestions on how to deal with certain behaviors. The groups simulate a micro-society where a therapist is able to pinpoint the weaknesses and strengths of every individual (Walker-Williams & Fouche, 2017). Previous research has proven that this approach is fruitful to individuals in substance abuse.

The gap that separates research from therapeutic practice has been a point of contention for the efficacy of treatments. To bridge this gap I have recommended the above alternative treatment methods that would enable you to achieve fruitful sessions with your clients.

References

Adam, B. S., Webb, S., & Al-Mateen, C. S. (2017). 10.0 Human Sex Trafficking: A Modern Day Slavery. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(10), S15.

Froerer, A., von Cziffra-Bergs, J., Kim, J., & Connie, E. (Eds.). (2018). Solution-Focused Brief Therapy with Clients Managing Trauma. Oxford University Press.

Gagnon, J. C., Fortier, M., McFadden, T., & Plante, Y. (2018). Investigating the behaviour change techniques and Motivational Interviewing techniques in Physical Activity Counselling sessions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 36, 90-99.

Kazantzis, N., Luong, H. K., Usatoff, A. S., Impala, T., Yew, R. Y., & Hofmann, S. G. (2018). The processes of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 42(4), 349-357.

Walker-Williams, H. J., & Fouche, A. (2017). A strengths-based group intervention for women who experienced child sexual abuse. Research on social work practice, 27(2), 194-205.