SEXUALLY ABUSED CHILDRENS PERCEPTIONS - HOW THEY MAY CHANGE TREATMENTFOCUS

The purpose of this study was ro assess differences in sexually abused children's self-concept and experiences of traumatic symptoms and to qualitatively examine the manner in which standardized assessment inst ruments could be used by therapists for treatment planning and case ma nagement. The results of this study suggest that not all sexually abus ed children have the same perceived level of self-concept, social supp ort, or traumatic symptoms. Sexually abused children who had high self -concept had higher perceived levels of social support. Use of the For mal assessments assisted therapists in developing individualized treat ment plans. Implications of this study are discussed.