Among the many researched outcomes of childhood sexual abuse (‘CSA’), relational difficulties have been well documented. However, male CSA survivors may experience several outcomes that are unique to their gendered experience and yet remain largely under-represented in the literature. A gap was identified in the research around the experience of the male survivor in therapy for childhood sexual abuse, particularly where it relates to relationship building. Therefore the research aimed to explore this from the perspective of the survivors, with a focus on trust within the therapeutic relationship. To achieve this, the researcher interviewed 6 male survivors of sexual abuse, all of whom had greater than one years’ experience in a therapy that focused on their abuse. The researcher adopted a semi-structured interview format which facilitates partial guidance by the new data introduced by the participant. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenal analysis with a consistent curiosity stance that allowed the researcher to partially bracket their prior knowledge. The analysis resulted in four master themes emerging; i) Finding and Connecting; ii) Negotiating Masculine identity, iii) Accepting and Committing to the process; and iv) Trust. Findings highlighted the necessity of reducing epistemic vigilance in the early relationship and the importance of negotiating power dynamics with support for challenge by the client in order to facilitate trust. The experience of masculine social expectations in a male CSA survivor is explored with regards to the trust relationship and an unexpected finding was made in the importance of group work. These findings were linked to previous research in the area of male CSA, recommendations are made for future research and implications for practitioners were explored.

Sexual abuse of children occurs at a very high rate and most of the victims are young children who have never been taught about the possibility of being abused. Victims of abuse are not equipped with appropriate knowledge and vocabulary to enable them to explain properly when they experience abuse. Acquisition of a vocabulary and understanding of the concepts of sexuality would assist children in recognizing, resisting and reporting sexual abuse. The young age at which abuse occurs makes the study at primary school level important and relevant. There is little literature on how child sexual abuse can be identified, addressed and handled by schools or what unique role the school should play in the management of child sexual abuse cases. Educators are in a position to identify sexually abused children because of their close and ongoing contact with school-going children. Therefore, young children place a great deal of trust in their teachers and look to them for protection when they feel unsafe. Teachers are trained to observe changes in the appearance and progress of individual children. Therefore, they can also assist in uncovering and reacting appropriately to disclosures of abuse. The study was conducted in poor, disadvantaged, rural primary schools in a part of the North West Province. There is a limited access to social work services in rural areas and therefore, educators are considered to be appropriate people to educate children about sexual abuse issues because children spend most of their time at school. There is a relationship between educators, parents and children which creates a proper channel of communicating information about sexual abuse of children. That is, educators are in a position not only to educate but also to reinforce what children have learnt at home. Educators' role have been limited in the identification and dealing with sexual abuse cases and therefore, there is a need to empower them with appropriate knowledge and skills to enable them to handle sexual abuse cases at school level successfully. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)

Sexual abuse of children occurs at a very high rate and most of the victims are young children who have never been taught about the possibility of being abused. Victims of abuse are not equipped with appropriate knowledge and vocabulary to enable them to explain properly when they experience abuse. Acquisition of a vocabulary and understanding of the concepts of sexuality would assist children in recognizing, resisting and reporting sexual abuse. The young age at which abuse occurs makes the study at primary school level important and relevant. There is little literature on how child sexual abuse can be identified, addressed and handled by schools or what unique role the school should play in the management of child sexual abuse cases. Educators are in a position to identify sexually abused children because of their close and ongoing contact with school-going children. Therefore, young children place a great deal of trust in their teachers and look to them for protection when they feel unsafe. Teachers are trained to observe changes in the appearance and progress of individual children. Therefore, they can also assist in uncovering and reacting appropriately to disclosures of abuse. The study was conducted in poor, disadvantaged, rural primary schools in a part of the North West Province. There is a limited access to social work services in rural areas and therefore, educators are considered to be appropriate people to educate children about sexual abuse issues because children spend most of their time at school. There is a relationship between educators, parents and children which creates a proper channel of communicating information about sexual abuse of children. That is, educators are in a position not only to educate but also to reinforce what children have learnt at home. Educators' role have been limited in the identification and dealing with sexual abuse cases and therefore, there is a need to empower them with appropriate knowledge and skills to enable them to handle sexual abuse cases at school level successfully. / Psychology / M. A. (Psychology)