Many people don't know what to do when children behave in sexual ways. This slideshow provides important information.

1. Childhood Sexuality
& Children’s Sexual
Behavior Issues
Jane F. Gilgun, PhD, LICSW
School of Social Work
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
jgilgun@umn.edu
October 30, 2004

2. Topics
• Sexual Development of Children
• Typologies of Children with Sexual
Behavior Issues
• Family Issues Related to Children’s
Sexual Behaviors

3. Children’s Sexual Behaviors
• Begin in womb
• Continue over the life course

4. Children’s Sexual Behaviors
• Sex in the US culture
–Taboo
–Fascinating

5. Children’s Sexual Behaviors
• Sex in US culture
–Taboo
–Fascinating
–Linked to violence
–Rarely life-enhancing

6. A Continuum of Child Sexual
Behaviors
• Developmentally Appropriate
• Inappropriate but Easily Correctable
• Inappropriate and Problematic
–Origin not known
–Abuse-reactive
• Sexually manipulative
• Sexually abusive

7. Johnson’s Clinical Typology
of Child Sexual Behaviors
• Natural and Healthy
• Of Concern
• Seek Professional Help
Source: Johnson, Toni Cavanagh (n.d.). Understanding children’s
sexual behaviors: What’s natural and healthy. www.TCavJohn.com

8. Johnson’s Clinical Continuum
of Child Sexual Behaviors
• Natural and healthy
• Sexually reactive
• Children who molest
Source: Johnson, Toni Cavanagh (n.d.). Understanding
children’s sexual behaviors: What’s natural and healthy.
www.TCavJohn.com

9. Johnson’s Clinical Continuum
of Child Sexual Behaviors
• Natural and healthy
• Sexually reactive
• Children who molest
Source: Johnson, Toni Cavanagh (n.d.). Understanding
children’s sexual behaviors: What’s natural and healthy.
www.TCavJohn.com

10. A Clinical Continuum
of Sexualized Behaviors
Normal Sexual Sexually Extensive Mutual Children
Exploration Reactive Sexual Behaviors Who Molest
Source: Gil & Johnson (1993)

11. A General Guideline
for Assessment
• Assess child, family, and other
ecologies
– Identify risks
– Identify protective processes

12. A General Guideline
for Assessment
• Assess child, family, and other ecologies
• Identify risks
• Identify protective processes
• How can treatment build on protective
processes to manage risks?

13. Assessment
• Initial Considerations
– What is being assessed?
– Who does assessments?
– Are assessments in different settings the
same?
– Sharing information so as to not duplicate and
harm children and their families

14. Information Needed
from Multiple Sources
• See Johnson (2004) assessment
• Schroeder & Gordon (2004)
• For Childhood Sexual Issues
– Assessment must have a major component on
development and course of the behaviors
– Treatment must focus on sexual issues and other
issues that directly affect the difficulties related to the
sexual issues

15. Children with Sexual Behavior
Issues: Treatment
• Psychoeducation and Group Treatment
• Comprehensive Programs
• Treatment Exercises
• Indicators that Children are Learning to
Manage Their Sexual Behaviors
• Emotional Costs of Work with Families
Where Children Have Sexual Behavior
Issues

16. Comprehensive Programs
• Individual treatment
– With parental involvement
• Peer group
– With parental involvement
• Family Therapy
• Couples Therapy
• Case Management
• Multiple Family Groups
• Psychoeducation throughout

17. Family Therapy
– Can do assessment of family dynamics
– Can teach family new ways of interacting
• Direct instruction
• Practice
• By their observation of you

18. Family Therapy
• Kids can’t do what parents can’t do.
– Mother:
• You told me Daddy was touching you sexually. I
thought you were imagining it. I was wrong. I’m
so sorry.

19. Some Treatment Exercises
for Children’s Psychoeducation
• Anger pyramid.
• Feelings charades.
• Collages.
• Empathy letters.
• Apology letters.
• Reconciliation sessions.

20. Indicators that Children are Learning
to Manage Their Sexual Behaviors
• Children show assertiveness.
• Previous taboo topics are on the table.
• Children can ask questions that they
were too ashamed to ask in the past.
• Children tell on themselves.
• Humor

21. Indicators that Children are Learning
to Manage Their Sexual Behaviors
• Signs of attachment to others
• Affect becomes more animated.
• Emotions and cognitions are connected.
• Takes responsibility for their behaviors
• Empathy for victims.
• Parents set limits.

22. Some Therapeutic Issues
• Importance of “Neutrality”
– What does the term mean?
• Lot of case management
• Need for on-going consultation

23. Some Therapeutic Issues
• We’re good at soothing and comforting
• How much training do we have in dealing
with clients who
– sexualize us?
– manipulate us?
– trigger anger, fear, dread in us?

24. Self-Reflection
• Memories related to sexuality
– Early
– Funny
– Confusing
– Evokes strong emotions
• Who taught you the difference between
sex as a way of “getting rocks off” and
communicating intimacy
• What are the multiple meanings of
sexuality?

25. Emotional Costs of Work
with Families Where Children
Have Issues Related
to Sexual Abuse
• Sometimes there is nothing you can do
• You don’t know longer-term outcome
• Own “soul wounds” are stirred up