Special ambulatory - CAISM: Psychology action to sexual violence victims

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines violence against women as any threat or act that causes or may cause damage of physical, sexual, mental nature, including coercion or deprivation of freedom, occurring on the public or private life. The sexual violence is characterized by any sexual act without consent, unrealized or tried, having consequences such as: pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, gynecologic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, eating and sleeping disorders, anxiety, suicide attempts, sexual and mood disorders. The Special Service Ambulatory was created in 2003 at Hospital da Mulher Prof. Dr. José Aristodemo Pinotti – CAISM, which serves adult and teenager girls older than 12 years old who suffered sexual violence, for a 6-month period. The service is performed by a multidisciplinary team, made up by physician, nursing, social worker, psychologist and psychiatrist. This work's purpose is to present the Psychology action on the service to the woman victim of sexual violence. The Psychology carries out individual psychological service to the woman and her relatives during the ambulatory follow-up. It is observed that the victims of sexual violence present an important psychic suffering, needing a listening and welcoming space, which enables the development of confrontation resources and traumatic event resignifying. Given the emotional demands caused by the violence, the psychologic follow-up is necessary, since through this is possible to assess issues mobilized after the sexual violence, therefore, offering emotional support to victims.