ISSUES IN FAMILY THERAPY: CHILDHOOD ABUSE
While most parents attempt to do the best they can for their children, some either cannot or will not meet a child's most basic needs; the result is child maltreatment of which, there are several forms, e.g. physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, etc. According to Papalia and Olds (1992), the term "child abuse" is used to refer only to those cases of maltreatment involving physical injury. The authors state that, in America, approximately two million children per year suffer from some form of childhood maltreatment with at least half of these experiencing physical abuse either by itself or in addition to other forms of maltreatment.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss some of the major issues that arise in family therapy treating childhood abuse. Among the issues discussed are confidentiality, and issues of power and control.
There are several issues that family therapists must deal with in situations of child abuse. For example, Ackerman, Colapinto, Scharf and Weinshel (1991) report that in most cases family therapy for child abuse is court-ordered which means that for many of the parents, especially the abusing parent, treatment is involuntary.
In such cases, the authors report that family therapists must work with untrusting families who go through the motions of treatment without any real commitment to it. Colapinto, Scharf and Weinshel (1991) state that the key to dealing with such families is working through their issues of resistance.
Peterson and Nisenholz (1994) have discussed several issues therapists in general and family therapists in particular must deal with in situations involving child abuse, many of which involve legalities. In this regard, the authors note that in order to effective handle any situation that may arise, therapists must be knowledgeable about several legal issues ranging from the possibility of somehow being sued for mal-practice ...