Resilience is often defined by an individual’s ability to bounce back. This concept has been heavily researched and has become an important social construct in our society. Due to specific dynamics of child sexual abuse, resiliency is often difficult to measure and has vast implications for the survivors of abuse, their family, as well as the clinician working with the survivor of abuse. The label of resilience fails to take into consideration the biological impact of trauma, as well as the adaptive mechanisms inherent in human beings during times of trauma. Utilizing a case of a teenager who was sexually abused by a family member from the age of 5 through 12, this case study explores common beliefs regarding resilience, as well as a new understanding of covering one’s body, cutting, and other self-injurious behaviors as acts of resilience. Finally, this case study examines how a reconceptualization of resilience will impact the clinical interventions utilized and will greatly enhance the therapeutic experience of both the client and the clinician.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Social Work
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier (type = RULIB)
ETD
Identifier
ETD_6615
PhysicalDescription
Form (authority = gmd)
electronic resource
InternetMediaType
application/pdf
InternetMediaType
text/xml
Extent
1 online resource (17 p.)
Note (type = degree)
DSW
Note (type = bibliography)
Includes bibliographical references
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Resilience (Personality trait)
Subject (authority = ETD-LCSH)
Topic
Sexual abuse
Note (type = statement of responsibility)
by Kim Stolow
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
School of Social Work DSW Case Studies Collection
Identifier (type = local)
rucore10001900001
Location
PhysicalLocation (authority = marcorg); (displayLabel = Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.