Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Mental Health Professional's Perspective
Department of Community Care and Counseling, School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University
How they used Delve
A Doctor of Education candidate in Community Care and Counseling at Liberty University used Delve to code 12 semi-structured interviews with licensed counselors, clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists in the southeastern United States, applying Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis to their lived experiences of emotional exhaustion, burnout, and vicarious trauma from treating childhood sexual abuse survivors.
“All data collected were derived from semi-structured interviews, analyzed utilizing thematic analysis, and coded using Delve, a qualitative data analysis software. Three themes and 10 subthemes were extracted from data analysis that explored mental health professionals' lived experiences of emotional exhaustion, effective coping strategies, and efficiency and effective support systems.”
- Field
- counseling; vicarious trauma and burnout in mental health professionals
- Data
- 12 semi-structured video-recorded interviews with licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists in the southeastern United States who had experienced adverse effects from treating childhood sexual abuse survivors
- Approach
- Phenomenological design; Braun & Clarke six-phase thematic analysis with deductive initial codes expanded inductively; constructivist theoretical lens
- Data types
- Interviews
Abstract
The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore mental health professionals’ lived experiences treating childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in the southeastern United States. This research uncovers the nuances of the professional’s cognitive, emotional, and professional challenges when treating this vulnerable population. The constructivist theory guided this study which entails understanding the cognitive development stages, cultural contexts, and social interactions. This qualitative study used purposive sampling to recruit 12 licensed professional counselors, licensed clinical social workers, and licensed marriage and family therapists that have experienced adverse effects due to their work with CSA survivors. All data collected were derived from semi-structured interviews, analyzed utilizing thematic analysis, and coded using Delve, a qualitative data analysis software. Three themes and 10 subthemes were extracted from data analysis that explored mental health professionals’ lived experiences of emotional exhaustion, effective coping strategies, and efficiency and effective support systems. The results indicated that mental health professionals experience a significant degree of emotional exhaustion, burnout, and vicarious trauma due to treating CSA survivors. These insights contribute to both theory and practice of the development of trauma-informed support in a mental health setting.
Citation
Octavia Victoria Sutherland (2025). Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Mental Health Professional's Perspective. Liberty University Digital Commons.