When the Perpetrator is Found Not Guilty: Implications for the Treatment of Adolescent Sexual Assault Survivors

Abstract

Sexual assault survivors can experience a wide variety of psychological consequences—from none to Major Depression Disorder to Substance use and, most commonly, Acute Stress Disorder/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These clinical outcomes depend on the severity of the assault, as well as pre-assault psychological status, and post-assault social support, the effectiveness of therapy, and events that occur during therapy. This case study will focus on one particular event that can arise during the treatment of a survivor of sexual assault, namely the impact of a not guilty verdict on the survivor occurring during the course of therapy. The client in question experienced an immediate and significant increase in depressive symptoms and the course of therapy needed to be altered significantly to respond to the not guilty verdict rendered during the therapy process. This case study will explore how therapy was altered in response to this guilty verdict and the lessons that were learned from this experience in order to better prepare assault survivors who are involved in legal proceedings during their therapy. Overall, this case study demonstrated the vital need to prepare survivors who plan to testify in court against the perpetrator beforehand for all possible outcomes of the trial. Furthermore, the case study demonstrated the need to implement effective interventions in the aftermath of a trial to help buffer against the effects of a “not guilty” verdict.