'Negotiating the dance of disclosure': a grounded theory study of psychologists’ experiences of childhood sexual abuse disclosures from clients in adult mental health
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Date
26/11/2010Author
Ross, Emma M. H.
Metadata
Abstract
Hearing disclosures of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a clinical reality for many
therapists. Psychologists within mental health services are working increasingly with
clients who have traumatic histories, including the presence of CSA. Recently there
has been a drive towards improving services for adult survivors of CSA, with an
emphasis on asking health and social care service-users about abuse. Recent research
has demonstrated that the experience of talking about CSA in psychological therapy
can be a complex experience for client and clinician with varied consequences for
both parties. The research into psychologists‟ experiences of CSA disclosure has
been limited to surveys of psychologists‟ practice and knowledge and has lacked a
scientific approach.
This study aimed to expand on the scientific research into CSA disclosure with a
Constructivist Grounded Theory approach (CGT). CGT was used to explore
psychologists‟ experiences of CSA disclosure from clients in Adult Mental Health.
Eight psychologists took part in the current study and were recruited from a large
Clinical Psychology service in Scotland. Data was collected through semi-structured
interviews.
Core categories constructed in this study contributed to a model of psychologists‟
experiences of disclosure in AMH clinical practice. Core categories referred to
“Negotiating the Dance of Disclosure” and “Nurturing the Pre-conditions to
Disclosure”, which occur in parallel to the therapeutic relationship; whereas
“Growing Personally and Professionally” and “Carrying the Weight of the Work”
refer to the impact of hearing disclosures and talking about CSA with clients.
Research findings are discussed and the implications of this model in relation to
theory and areas of development for research and clinical practice are considered.