Containing the secret: Time-limited groups for women who were sexually abused as children

Abstract

Time-limited groups for women who have been sexually abused as children can use the sexual abuse as a metaphor for the ongoing relationship difficulties that bring women into therapy. Foulkes's concepts, such as mirroring and translation, help to show how group interactions are therapeutically helpful. The groups help women move from defining themselves through the sexual abuse to defining themselves as people who had been sexually abused as children.