Counseling Sexual Abuse Survivors and Caregivers

This qualitative study examined licensed professional counselors’ (LPCs) experiences counseling survivors of child sexual abuse and nonoffending caregivers (N=10). The researchers used a phenomenological approach for the study. Using semistructured interviews and method of trustworthiness, the researchers identified four emergent themes: Clients’ Life Circumstances (subthemes: Relational Factors and Environmental Factors), Professional Orientation (subthemes: Training/Education, Theoretical Approach, and Conceptualization), Awareness (subthemes: Textural Awareness and Structural Awareness), and Coping Strategies (subthemes: Self-care, Consultation/Supervision, and Reflecting on Experience). Implications for counseling practice, counselor education and supervision, and future research are discussed.