Organized abuse in adulthood: Survivor and professional perspectives
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Date
2017-03-21
Authors
Salter, Michael
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a qualitative
study of Australian women disclosing organized abuse in adulthood
and the mental health professionals who treat them.
Drawing on interviews with survivors and mental health professionals,
the paper analyses the fraught relationship between
mental health and physical safety for adults subject to organized
abuse. The therapeutic progress of adult organized abuse victims
can be disrupted by ongoing threats, stalking, and group violence,
which in turn reinforces the dissociative responses and pathological
attachments that render them vulnerable to revictimization.
The paper argues that breaking this cycle requires intervention
from multiple agencies, and describes the responses of police,
medical services, and child protection services to adult organized
abuse from the perspective of survivors and mental health practitioners.
Highlighting systemic failures but also opportunities, the
paper calls for a coordinated response to organized abuse in
adulthood, including inter-agency partnerships to support safety
and bolster the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.
Description
14 pages
Keywords
organized abuse, adulthood, therapy, safety
Citation
Michael Salter (2017) Organized abuse in adulthood: Survivor and professional perspectives, Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 18:3, 441-453, DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2017.1295426