annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

The research findings support the value of the group format, but also indicate that clientsadopt certain disclosure strategies, which influence therapeutic engagement. Moreover,considerable potential therapeutic value appears to be unrealised during clinical sessionsthemselves. Interestingly however, some of the most profitable experiences, it seems, occuroutside the formal therapy group context. Four distinct disclosure orientations are described,with implications for both in-session and out-of-session engagement.The outcome of the study challenges the widespread notion that the ‘resistance’ commonlyexhibited by these clients is an intrinsic feature of those who offend sexually against children.Instead, resistance is re-framed as a feature of disclosure orientation, emerging as a dynamicrelational element in response to the challenges of therapy.Source: Author’s abstractFrost, A. (2004). Therapeutic engagement styles of child sexual offenders in a group treatmentprogram: A grounded theory study. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment,16(3), 191-208.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13100.pubTopic Areas: Child abuse and neglect, Sexual abuse, Perpetrators/offenders, Social services,Prevention/intervention/treatment, Demographics/statisticsAbstract: The aim of this paper is to present a research study that investigated incarceratedchild sex offenders’ experiences of the self-disclosure of their offence process in aprototypical group treatment programme. The research was conducted at Kia Maramaprogramme, based at Rolleston Prison, New Zealand. The participants were 16 incarceratedoffenders (aged between 23 and 56 years) who had been convicted of one or more sexualcrimes against persons under the age of 16 years.Data was collected and analysed using a grounded theory method. With their consent,participants were video-taped during a group therapy session, and this was followed by anindividual interview to inquire about a participant’s personal experience of the session. Theresearch participants were asked to identify significant events that they experienced in thecontext of the group treatment, and these were the basis of a further follow-up session.The research findings identify four distinct management styles to disclosure orientation:exploratory style, oppositional style, evasive style, and placatory style. The latter three areseen as unfavourable in terms of effective management in treatment. The author discusses thelimitations of the current research, and the implications of the four styles of disclosuremanagement are examined. The article concludes with suggestions for further research.Frost, A., & Connolly, M. (2004). Reflexivity, reflection, and the change process in offender work.Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 16(4), 365-380.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13063.pubTopic Areas: Child abuse and neglect, Sexual abuse, Perpetrators/offenders, Social services,Prevention/intervention/treatment, Demographics/statisticsAbstract: This paper presents the second phase of a study that investigated the therapeuticengagement of incarcerated child sex offenders involved in a prototypical prison-based grouptreatment programme. The first phase of the study focused specifically on ‘in-session’ eventsof the programme ("Therapeutic Engagement Styles of Child Sexual Offenders in a GroupTreatment Program: A Grounded Theory Study", 2004). This phase of the study explored‘out-of-group’ time, the time between sessions of the treatment programme. The participants69