Combining Professional Expertize and Service User Expertize: Negotiating Therapy for Sexually Abused Children

TY - JOUR

T1 - Combining Professional Expertize and Service User Expertize

T2 - Negotiating Therapy for Sexually Abused Children

AU - Hill, Andrew

N1 - © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved.

PY - 2009/3

Y1 - 2009/3

N2 - This article is based on a qualitative study of the relationships between professionals, parents and children in the context of children's therapy after child sexual abuse. Specifically, the study took place in a therapeutic team in England that has developed various ways of involving parents in children's therapy. One of the aims of the study was to develop an understanding of the complex triangular dynamics that result. In this article, concepts from discourse analysis are used to show how therapists talk about various types of 'cases'. Therapy often follows a child protection enquiry and so professionals, parents and children must negotiate sensitive issues of blame and responsibility. Second, the article draws on sociological work on expertize to show how therapists employ 'interactional expertize' as they combine their own expert view of the child's situation with the expertize held by the family, whilst being mindful of the imperatives of child protection. Only a successful resolution of these tensions can lead to a negotiated agreement over a plan for therapy for the child. It is suggested that this study highlights an example of the kind of interactional expertize that is well developed within social work and reflects its distinctive value base.

AB - This article is based on a qualitative study of the relationships between professionals, parents and children in the context of children's therapy after child sexual abuse. Specifically, the study took place in a therapeutic team in England that has developed various ways of involving parents in children's therapy. One of the aims of the study was to develop an understanding of the complex triangular dynamics that result. In this article, concepts from discourse analysis are used to show how therapists talk about various types of 'cases'. Therapy often follows a child protection enquiry and so professionals, parents and children must negotiate sensitive issues of blame and responsibility. Second, the article draws on sociological work on expertize to show how therapists employ 'interactional expertize' as they combine their own expert view of the child's situation with the expertize held by the family, whilst being mindful of the imperatives of child protection. Only a successful resolution of these tensions can lead to a negotiated agreement over a plan for therapy for the child. It is suggested that this study highlights an example of the kind of interactional expertize that is well developed within social work and reflects its distinctive value base.

KW - child protection

KW - parenting

KW - sexual abuse

KW - therapies

KW - expertize

KW - MOTHERS

KW - WORK

KW - DISCLOSURE

KW - DISTRESS

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=68349085660&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1093/bjsw/bcm120

DO - 10.1093/bjsw/bcm120

M3 - Article

SN - 1468-263X

VL - 39

SP - 261

EP - 279

JO - British Journal of Social Work

JF - British Journal of Social Work

IS - 2

ER -