Incest resolution therapy and the objectification of sexual abuse

Incest resolution therapy and the objectification of sexual abuse

Critiques current literature and clinical practices in the area of incest resolution therapy from a feminist psychoanalytic perspective. Incest resolution therapy risks over-objectifying incest in that the incest becomes the unifying event around which the patient's symptomatology and difficulties are organized. Pitfalls include overreliance on catharsis, neglect of specific developmental and object-relational factors, and countertransference reactions based on overidentification with the survivor. The sociopolitical context of incest resolution therapy is explored.

Clinical Psychology, Psychiatry and Mental health