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The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse As Seen Through the Eyes of Judges

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The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse As Seen Through the Eyes of Judges University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2011 The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse as Seen Through the Eyes of Judges S. Lynn Etheridge Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Etheridge, S. Lynn, "The Role of Mental Health Professionals in Cases of Child Sexual Abuse as Seen Through the Eyes of Judges" (2011). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 102. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/102 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE ROLE OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN CASES OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF JUDGES A dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education The University of Mississippi by S. Lynn Etheridge July 2011 Copyright S. Lynn Etheridge 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT The involvement of Mental Health Professionals (MHPs) in cases of child sexual abuse (CSA) is complex and intimidating. There are legal rules and academic suggestions to guide the MHP in this endeavor, but in experience, these rules and suggestions are lacking. Current literature and research indicates that there is little if any direct knowledge on how judges perceive MHPs who testify before them in court. A qualitative phenomenological inquiry that directly interviewed five judges about their perceptions of MHPs in cases of CSA was undertaken. The results indicate that MHPs should be more intentional about their choices regarding involvement in court, more proactive about educating the legal system regarding MHP involvement, more willing to advocate within the system for the best interest of the child, and more confident about the significance of MHP involvement in CSA cases. ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Peggy Russell Etheridge, in honor of her passionate dedication toward the protection of children from abuse, and finally, her belief in me. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my advisor, Dr. Marilyn Snow. I would not have thought this possible except for her wise guidance and support. I would also like to thank my committee, Dr. Timothy Letzring, Dr. Kevin Stoltz, and Dr. Lori Wolff. Their willingness to allow me to develop this project was invaluable to me. The support and guidance they gave me helped me immensely. I would also like to thank The University of Mississippi, School of Education, Department of Leadership and Counselor Education for the support and assistantships without which I would not have been able to complete this program. I would like to thank my father, Sammie C. Etheridge, for his enthusiastic support of this endeavor. His belief in the importance of this to my life and willingness to help me in any way has made this possible. I would also like to thank Jane E. Castleberry for her willingness to serve as an editor on many occasions. This helped more than I can say. I would also like to thank the participants in this study. Their willing candor led to a richer outcome than I had hoped. They were all gracious and welcoming, which I appreciate and would like to acknowledge. I would also like to acknowledge the support from my cohort. They supported me in ways that I could not have even imagined, and helped me enjoy this journey. I will be forever enriched by their support and advice. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ v CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 CHILD ABUSE ......................................................................................................................... 6 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM .................................................................................................. 8 PURPOSE STATEMENT ......................................................................................................... 8 RATIONALE AND SIGNIFICANCE ...................................................................................... 8 LIMITATIONS AND DELIMITATIONS ................................................................................ 9 DEFINITIONS ......................................................................................................................... 10 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 16 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................ 18 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 18 CHILDREN‟S RIGHTS .......................................................................................................... 18 PARENT‟S RIGHTS ............................................................................................................... 29 CLINICIAN ROLES .................................................................................................................... 34 SYSTEM EXPECTATIONS ................................................................................................... 42 CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................... 61 RESEARCH DESIGN ............................................................................................................. 61 v PARTICIPANTS ..................................................................................................................... 62 MAIN RESEARCH QUESTION ............................................................................................ 63 RESEARCHER LENS ............................................................................................................ 64 MAINTAINING CONFIDENTIALITY ................................................................................. 64 INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ..................................................................................................... 66 DATA ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................. 67 IRB PROTOCOL ..................................................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER FOUR FINDINGS ..................................................................................................... 70 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 70 STUDY REVISIONS .............................................................................................................. 70 PARTICIPANT‟S SUMMARY .............................................................................................. 71 INTERVIEW SUMMARIES................................................................................................... 75 PROCESS OF ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................... 80 EMERGING THEMES ........................................................................................................... 82 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 105 CHAPTER FIVE DISCUSSION ................................................................................................ 108 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 108 OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................... 108 DISCUSSION OF THE THEMES ........................................................................................ 110 IMPLICATIONS ................................................................................................................... 117 CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 127 vi REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 129 APPENDIX A RECRUITING EMAIL ...................................................................................... 136 APPENDIX B CONSENT FORM ............................................................................................. 137 APPENDIX C MEMBER CHECK EMAIL............................................................................... 139 APPENDIX D MEMBER CHECK SUMMARY ...................................................................... 140 VITA ..........................................................................................................................................
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