Beyond "survivor": How childhood sexual abuse informs the identity of adult women at the end of the therapeutic process

A qualitative method was used to explore how adult women experienced their identity after extensive therapy to deal with childhood sexual abuse. Seven women shared their healing journeys and their perceptions of the role of the abuse in their current life and self-perceptions. Phenomenological analysis of the interview data revealed 5 common themes related to participants' self-definition and self-acceptance, sense of visibility and connection to others, current worldview, and residual losses. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for trauma counselors.