Workshop Description:

Identifying children who have been sexually abused may present a difficult challenge for child therapists and evaluators. Although the prevalence of child sexual abuse in the general community is high, it is often difficult to make a determination of sexual abuse due to common myths and misperceptions that abound. In this workshop we will identify the best procedures for assessing sexual abuse in children and identify the reasoning, flaws, and myths that often interfere with accurate assessment. Participants will learn to identify the most common signs and symptoms that are indicative of child sexual abuse, and the importance of assessing sexualized behavior.  The aversive outcomes for sexually abuse children will be identified and key factors that minimize risk. The workshop will cover some of the difficult ethical challenges that confront therapists when the presence of sexual abuse is unclear.

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Learning Objectives:

1. Identify 3 common misconceptions that interfere with accurate assessment of sexual abuse in children.

2. Identify 3 sexualized behaviors that are more often associated with abuse rather than developmentally normal behavior.

3. Describe how a protective caregiver can help children cope with a history of sexual abuse to help minimize long-term risk.