TIMING DISCLOSURE SESSIONS - ADDING A NARRATIVE PERSPECTIVE TO CLINICAL-WORK WITH ADULT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

Though the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of survivors of c hildhood sexual abuse has burgeoned in the last 20 years, relatively l ittle guidance is available in the popular or professional literature to assist clients or therapists about issues of disclosure of this abu se to family members. When authors explicitly focus on disclosure, the timing of such disclosure is usually framed within a psychological an d/or interpersonal perspective, In this article, we suggest that atten tion to characteristics of the sexual abuse narrative itself offers an important additional resource to guide decision making with respect t o disclosure. We also describe ways that a narrative approach to discl osure can produce empowering conversational practices. A detailed case example provides the clinical material to illustrate this narrative a pproach to disclosure.