Abstract

Disclosure difficulties are common, with approximately 80% of abused children and adolescents waiting until adulthood to disclose past sexual abuse (Alaggia et al., 2019). Disclosure may occur immediately following a traumatic event, it may be partially disclosed, or it may never be disclosed ((McElvaney, 2015). Lack of disclosure is significantly related to increased psychological distress and pathology that often persists without any relief (Alaggia et al., 2019; Vrana & Lauterbach, 1994). Unfortunately, disclosure does not always lead to positive outcomes, with many suffering even more distress after disclosure (Kearns et al., 2010). Frequently, shame and self-blame are intertwined within the relationship with the perpetrator (Alaggia et al., 2019); which may lead to diminished self-esteem and self-efficacy. This increases disclosure difficulty. As well, poor emotional support during disclosure may intensify trauma-related symptoms; a sense of safety is further eroded (Bonnan-White et al., 2018). Childhood emotional and physical neglect are also significantly associated with disclosure difficulty. This dynamic is less frequently examined in research and clinical practice (Schein et al., 2021).

The focus of this webinar is to examine the limitations of disclosure ability, the potential negative effects associated with disclosure (retribution, rejection, victim blaming), clinical approaches that may worsen disclosure outcomes, and how to navigate the interpersonal, therapeutic, and legal landmines associated with disclosure. Clinical factors will be directly examined and include attachment states of mind and lack of memory, dissociation and compartmentalizing, toxic shame patterns and behaviors, grooming and its long-term effects, cultural, religious, and sex-related differences and complications, and cumulative effects of complex trauma as they relate to disclosure difficulty. 

The webinar will also address effective clinical treatment that requires an awareness that many have never disclosed a traumatic event until they were asked in a therapeutic setting. Managing all the factors associated with disclosure difficulty will require a multi-level clinical approach, including garnering direct or indirect support from family, community, and educational environments (Alaggia et al., 2019). Therapists will need to provide an ability to listen with compassion and without judgement and help clients recover and understand their memories. The long process of integrating fragmented pieces within the therapeutic context will also need to expand beyond the individual client’s perception of self and include an awareness of their relational field with other family members, partners, and colleagues. These re-claimed (disclosed) traumatic events may result in either positive or negative or mixed valence over time. This will necessitate a more complex need to understand the interpersonal relationships that evolve over time and how they move into the future (i.e., grappling with a new partner’s response to the client’s past abuse) (Reitsema & Grietens, 2016; Roberts et al., 2010). Difficulty with disclosure is understandable and requires a clinical approach that is rooted in respect, patience, and an awareness that the healing operates at a multi-level socio-ecological approach.