A Psychological Tool Box
| Author | Judith Daylen, Wendy van Tongeren Harvey, and Dennis O'Toole |
| Pages | 137-180 |
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A Psychological Tool Box
Vignette Five
Alma, aged thirty, is bathing her six-year-old daughter. When the girl gets
out of the tub to be dried, the sight of her naked body su ddenly and un-
expectedly triggers a powerful reaction in Alma. She thinks, ”This is the
age I was when George rst star ted touching me. How could he do that
to such a vulnerable little girl?“ Alma’s mother married Geo rge (not Alma’s
biological father), when Alma was two years old. Be ginning at the age of
six and continuing until the age of nine, George frequently tou ched and
caressed Alma’s genitals, sometimes putting his mouth on her vagina. At
the time George had told Alma that “This is the way dad dies show their
daughters how much they love them.” Alma had put the abuse in the back
of her mind and avoided thinking about it, but now that her daughter is
six years old, Alma’s perspective suddenly shif ts. Her mother is still mar-
ried to George and Alma fears that her daughter could be in dange r from
“grandpa.” Fear for her daughter’s safety galvanizes her resolve and Alma
confronts George privately. George minimizes the abuse, saying he did
nothing wrong and suggesting that Alma is being “hysterical.” This en-
counter only escalates Alma’s fears that George is a danger and she de-
cides, for the rst time, to take someone e lse into her condence. With
great apprehension, she talks to her husband, dis closes her own abuse,
and explains her concerns about their daughter.
, focus on short-term coping techniques and specic
stress-reduction strategies that will help you address the symptoms (fear,
anxiety, depression, anger, and interpersonal distrust or social isolation)
that we discussed in Chapter . We also discuss the issue of resilience, and
138 , ,
long-term strategies for dealing with adversity and for promoting personal
growth. Most of the coping strategies presented in this chapter are straight-
forward and transferable; you can use them in a wide variety of situations,
such as dealing with everyday issues in l iving, as well as when preparing for
and attending court.
In Chapter we discussed many psychological symptoms that could
arise in response to a sexual assau lt, some of which can signicantly inter-
fere with a pe rson’s daily function ing. e rst order of business for people
suering from psychological distress is to develop coping skills that will
meet their immediate and basic needs. In th is chapter, you will read about
a variety of coping techniques that can help you reduce emotional distress
and regain some control over your life. It is likely that some of these meth-
ods will not appeal to you nor be successful for you, but you should nd at
least some that will be benecial. As is true with many endeavours in life,
the value of coping strategies is in the regular application of them. What
might r st impress you as a si mplistic, ine ectual exercis e can prove to be a
valuable tool when put into consistent practice. Decide which approaches
discussed in th is chapter resonate best with you, and give them a try. Some
techniques w ill be more usef ul or necessar y than others are; con sider them
all and see which best meet your needs. Later in the chapter, we will broaden
our perspective and focus on strategies that go beyond coping with acute
problems to address long-term personal cha nge. None of these strategies
should be seen as advice for specic problems but as general mental health
tools. Speci c problems need to be treated on an individual basis , and we
recommend that you see a mental health professional.
For ease of presentation, we have organized the various strategies into
categories, as shown below, even though individual strate gies may result in
benets in more than one category.
Basic health-care, including strategies to help you sleep
Fear reduction and safety enhancement strategies
Stress reduct ion strategies
Containment strategies that help you contain or moderate the ex-
pression of an upsetting feeling or reaction, such as anger or some
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms
Distraction techniques to help you focus your attention away from
upsetting thoughts and images
Chapter 5: A Psychologica l Toolbox 139
Grounding techniques to help you stay in the present, focus, and
minimize unwanted distraction
Mood altering strategies, including ways to counter periodic thoughts
of self-harm or suicide
Strategies for the development of supportive relationships
Strategies for building resilience
BASIC HEALTHCAR E
many of the o-repeated recommendations
for good health, but since these principles become particularly important
during pe riods of extreme stre ss, we will out line them once more.
Eat regular meals t hat are nutritionally balanced and healthy.
Get adequate rest and sleep.
Exercise on a regular basis or engage in some type of healthy physical ex-
ertion, such as housework, yard work, or playing with children or pets.
Get regular medical check-ups.
Be part icularly carefu l to follow prescribed me dical regimes and/or
take medications for diagnosed medical problems.
Drink an adequate amount of water throughout the day.
When you nd you rself emotionally d rained or stressed, you are more
likely to neglect your basic needs. During court proceedings , or other peri-
ods of emotional intensity, you may need to schedule routine physical self-
care into your d aily routine . For example, you may nee d to schedule reg ular
meals to ensure that you eat adequately. When attending court, it is a good
idea to take along some healthy snacks so that you do not inadvertently go
too long without eating. You also may need to schedule regular exercise
breaks, such as a brisk walk. Even twenty minutes of moderate physical
exertion per day can have tremendous physical and psychological benets.
In our busy day-to-day lives, the essentials for good health oen fall by
the wayside, and we neglect, or ignore, our physical needs. On the other
hand, anxiety and stress can make us extremely sensitive to some bodily
functions and needs . In an attempt to ignore or suppress emotiona l re-
sponses, some people experience he ightened physical re actions, and become
focused on such things as physical pain. Owing to the close relationship
between our emotional and physical well-being, observing the principles of
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