Rape crisis counsellors' experiences of working with rape survivors in Cape Town
Master Thesis
2010
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
This exploratory qualitative study documents the clinical knowledges gained by Rape Crisis counsellors working with rape survivors in Cape Town. It includes a description of the demographic profile of their clients, the rape experiences that their clients report, the psychological difficulties that clients present with, the methods of treatment being offered by the Rape Crisis counsellors, and counsellors' experiences regarding the effectiveness and/or limitations of these interventions. The research is conducted from a phenomenological hermeneutic framework. A semi-structured interview was developed for the research and was administered to eight counsellors and three counselling co-ordinators across the three Rape Crisis centres in Cape Town. Data were analysed using grounded theory analysis techniques. The research found that for the survivors of rape presenting for treatment at Rape Crisis, the experience of childhood sexual assault (CSA) was common, and that many survivors have experienced multiple traumatisation, or experience multiple ongoing stressors in addition to dealing with the impact of rape or CSA. Participants reported that survivors experience similar patterns of post-rape symptomotology as described in international literature. Treatments offered by participants were guided by the principle of empowerment and closely resembled feminist counselling models. The majority of participants' counselling work focussed on the early stages of recovery from trauma described in the literature, namely establishing physical, community, interpersonal and emotional safety. Establishing physical safety required that participants draw on an extensive network of non-government and other organisations. Treatment also focused on helping survivors to talk about their traumatic experiences and facilitating their connection with others. Participants commonly reported experiencing vicarious traumatisation as a result of their work with clients. The most commonly reported barriers to treatment were clients' conditions of poverty and the limited amount of sessions participants are able to offer due to limited resources. Despite these, the participants reported observing positive change in many of their clients following treatment.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-128).
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Gregorowski, C. 2010. Rape crisis counsellors' experiences of working with rape survivors in Cape Town. University of Cape Town.