Interviewing Children about Sexual Abuse: Controversies and Best Practice
Interviewing children who may been sexually abused is a daunting task fraught with far-reaching consequences for the children, families, institutions, and professionals involved. With no room for error, forensic and clinical interviewers must navigate the complex and often contradictory evidence that informs their decision making.\ Here, Kathleen Coulborn Faller, a leading expert on child sexual abuse, critically analyzes the research on assessing child sexual abuse. Noting that issues such...
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Interviewing children who may been sexually abused is a daunting task fraught with far-reaching consequences for the children, families, institutions, and professionals involved. With no room for error, forensic and clinical interviewers must navigate the complex and often contradictory evidence that informs their decision making.Here, Kathleen Coulborn Faller, a leading expert on child sexual abuse, critically analyzes the research on assessing child sexual abuse. Noting that issues such as memory and suggestibility, questioning techniques, the use of media, and false allegations remain hotly contested, chapters guide readers in applying available research to professional judgment while drawing also on best practice guidelines and conceptual, clinical, and consensus-based writings. The only up-to-date resource of its kind,Interviewing Children About Sexual Abuse covers the entire interview process, showing professionals how to structure, document, and follow up on children's responses in interviews; work with children who are very young, have special needs, or come from diverse backgrounds; use standardized tests and measures; formulate conclusions about sexual abuse; and defend those decisions in a courtroom or clinical setting.Mental health, forensic, and child welfare professionals will find in this volume a wealth of expert information that will guide them through the often murky, always emotional process of interviewing children about sexual abuse.
Contributors xvForensic and Clinical Interviewer Roles in Child Sexual Abuse Kathleen Coulborn Faller 3Children's Memory and Suggestibility Erna Olafson 10Models for Assessing Child Sexual Abuse Kathleen Coulborn Faller 35Interviewer Objectivity and Allegations of Sexual Abuse Kathleen Coulborn Faller 44Number of Child Interviews Kathleen Coulborn Faller 50Documentation of the Interview Kathleen Coulborn Faller 58Interview Structure, Protocol, and Guidelines Kathleen Coulborn Faller 66Questioning Techniques Kathleen Coulborn Faller 90Media for Interviewing Children Kathleen Coulborn Faller 110Special Considerations for Cases Involving Young Children Kathleen Coulborn Faller Sandra K. Hewitt 142Interviewing Children With Special Needs Deborah Davies Kathleen Coulborn Faller 152Conducting Culturally Competent Sexual Abuse Interviews With Children From Diverse Racial, Cultural, and Socioeconomic Backgrounds Lisa A. Pontes Kathleen Coulborn Faller 164Children Who Do Not Want to Disclose Kathleen CoulbornFaller 175False Allegations of Sexual Abuse Kathleen Coulborn Faller 191Standardized Tests and Measures William N. Friedrich Erna Olafson Kathleen Coulborn Faller 207Criteria for Deciding About the Likelihood of Sexual Abuse Kathleen Coulborn Faller 226Formulating Conclusions About Sexual Abuse Kathleen Coulborn Faller 245References 255Index 299
