ABSTRACT
It is exceedingly difficult to adequately convey through the written word the intricacies of conducting psychotherapy with individuals whose formative years were riddled with instances of maltreatment and whose social environments inadequately prepared them for competent daily living. In order to be effective, treatment for survivors of prolonged child abuse (PCA) must be grounded in a well thought-out, systematized plan of action. At the same time, therapy will not only fail to be productive, but runs the risk of causing considerable harm when preconceptions and a predetermined program of intervention are adhered to in a way that ignores the need to be mindful of and accommodate individual differences.
