We describe and examine the experience of close supervision of therapists working in time-limited therapy with girls aged 6-14 who have been sexually abused. The therapy, taking place in the framework of a research project, was uniformly difficult because of the level of disturbance in the girls and because of the particular nature of the cases. The focus of supervision included dealing with technical issues pertinent to treating this client group, the impact of the cases on the therapists and the implications of time-limited work with this population. Issues specifically related to child sexual abuse are discussed and the conclusion drawn is that supervision is an essential feature of the successful use of psychoanalytical psychotherapy in the treatment of sexually abused children.
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