Sexual trauma therapy

Sexual trauma therapy is medical and psychological interventions provided to survivors of sexual violence aiming to treat their physical injuries and cope with mental trauma caused by the event. Examples of sexual violence include any acts of unwanted sexual actions like sexual harassment, groping, rape, and circulation of sexual content without consent.[1]

Different forms of sexual trauma therapy can be applied throughout the healing process. Immediate medical treatment is given to survivors to treat injuries, collect evidence, and prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy.[1] Additionally, psychological treatment methods are applied to individuals who have mental illnesses as well as those suffering from emotional aftermath resulting from traumatic events.[2] Psychological treatments include psychodynamic psychotherapy,[3] trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT),[3] eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR),[3] play therapy,[4] and sex therapy.[5]

  1. ^ a b Garcia-Moreno, Claudia; Guedes, Alessandra; Knerr, Wendy (2012). "Sexual violence". WHO. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. ^ American Psychiatric Association (2019). "What is Psychotherapy?". www.psychiatry.org. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Devlin, James M.; Hill, Lisa; Berry, Jordan; Felder, Kerri; Wilson, Clara (2019). "Therapeutic Practices for Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents: Resources for Marriage, Family, and Couples' Counselors". The Family Journal. 27 (4): 359–365. doi:10.1177/1066480719844017. ISSN 1066-4807. S2CID 155630729.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).