Therapist’s Overview

SURVIVOR

GOALS OF THE EXERCISE

1. Identify and express feelings connected with the abuse through drawings.
2. Verbally express the experience of the abuse.
3. Rebuild a sense of self-worth and remove the sense of fear, shame, and sadness.
4. Verbalize feelings associated with the abuse.

ADDITIONAL HOMEWORK THAT MAY BE APPLICABLE TO SEXUAL ABUSE

• Anger Management Anger Control Page 31

• Anger Management Anger Management Page 36
• Anxiety Relaxation Page 63
• Self-Esteem Recognizing the Wonderful Page 286
Things about You
• Self-Esteem Bill of Rights Page 305
• Self-Esteem Wishes Page 308
• Physical and Emotional Abuse My Experience Page 248
• Physical and Emotional Abuse Safety Page 253
• PTSD Impact Page 259
• PTSD Coping with Trauma Page 264
• PTSD What Happened? Page 268

ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS FOR WHICH THIS EXERCISE MAY BE USEFUL

• Physical and Emotional Abuse

• PTSD

SUGGESTIONS FOR PROCESSING THIS EXERCISE WITH CLIENT

Sexual abuse can have long-term effects on a child’s feeling of self-worth and on future
relationships. It is imperative for the therapist to be respectful of the child’s feelings and the
child’s pace for expressing the experience of abuse. Pressuring a child to express feelings can
revictimize the child.

It is imperative that the therapist using this assignment have adequate experience working with
children who have been sexually abused. Working outside of one’s clinical expertise can be
dangerous to the client and is unethical.
 Therapist’s Overview

This assignment can help the skilled clinician to work with a child who has a history of sexual
abuse. For this assignment the child will complete two drawings. The first drawing will depict
the location where the abuse occurred. Instruct the child to draw a picture of the location where
the abuse occurred.

The second drawing will be a picture of himself/herself before and after the abuse.

These drawings will help the child begin to verbalize feelings about the abuse in the therapy
session. Instruct the child to complete the drawings and bring them to the therapy session. The
drawings can be used to initiate discussion of feelings associated with the abuse.

The therapist should also use his/her best clinical judgment to determine whether this assignment
should be completed in the session instead of as a homework assignment.
 EXERCISE XXIII.A

SURVIVOR

Draw a picture of the location where the abuse occurred.

 EXERCISE XXIII.A

Draw a picture of yourself before the abuse.

Draw a picture of yourself now.