Adapting Life-Review Therapy for Elderly Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abstract

The author describes the use of life-review therapy in the resolution of childhood sexual abuse with older women through four case illustrations of older women in rural Appalachia. Therapists must take great care to preserve functional defense mechanisms for the survivor, utilize nonverbal techniques to process intense feelings and assist in the memory retrieval process, and incorporate creative techniques to address family-of-origin issues. The author discusses the importance of choice in empowering clients, even when clients reject treatment as an expression of empowerment.