Psychosocial intervention with the adult responsible for intra-familiar sexual violence against children and adolescents

Abstract

The text has the goal to present a report of the group psychosocial intervention experience with adults responsible for intra-familiar sexual violence against children and adolescents. The treatment to the person who commits sexual violence is provided by the National Plan of Coping with the Sexual Violence against Children and Adolescents (Plano Nacional de Enfrentamento da Violência Sexual Contra Crianças e Adolescentes), and requires a change of paradigm from the institutions and society, regarding punishment versus treatment. The intervention takes place in a public health unity; a male psychologist, two female psychologists, a social assistant and a psychiatry form the team. A group experience that took place in 2014 is described, which included seventeen participants between the ages of 27 and 71. The treatment flow includes: an initial individual interview, a family interview, a psychiatric interview and nine group sessions, with the duration of two hours each. The themes presented in the sessions are: evaluation and increase of self-esteem; accountability for the suffering perpetrated to others; coping with the violent act; reflection about bonding and intimacy with others; the presence of sexual fantasies involving children and/or adolescents; recovery of the behavioral processes that happen before the sexual assault; strategy construction to avoid new sexual violence situations, and the elaboration of a future life project. The limit of the text is in the absence of other experiences narrated in a Brazilian context, which would make a wider discussion possible. Nevertheless, the presence of different areas scope, such as Law, Psychology, Psychiatry and Social Service is eagerly searched.

Keywords: sexual abuse, vitimization, crime, sex offenses.