Booster Session with “Sex Education”

June 2, 2022

Dr. Sam and Dr. Fran bring back Sex Education for a Booster Mini-Session this week!

When we first evaluated Sex Education, we reviewed the fake therapy conducted by Otis. This time around, the doctors review therapy sessions between Dr. Jean Milburn (Otis’ mother) and Aimee. They listen to Aimee discuss her trauma and chat about the portrayal of trauma in the show. Do Aimee’s descriptions of her thoughts and feelings seem in line with what we may expect following a trauma? Finally, the doctors review Dr. Milburn’s treatment approach. Does Dr. Milburn’s approach seem like it would be helpful?

Dr. Sam and Dr. Fran’s waitlists are too long and you need to talk to a therapist – who do you schedule an appointment with, Otis or Jean…?

Content warning: sexual assault

Glossary of Terms

Booster session (in therapy) – an occasional session after the main sessions have ended focused on reinforcing progress and problem-solving any obstacles to progress

Sexual assault – any nonconsensual sexual act

Validate – the recognition and acceptance of a client’s thoughts, feelings, sensations, and behaviors as understandable

Generalization – the tendency for a new situation to evoke responses or behaviors similar to those elicited by another situation. Following trauma, for example, new situations (e.g., being in a crowd at the mall) may evoke fear similar to when exposed to the location where the trauma happened (e.g., at a party)

Trauma cognitions– beliefs or thoughts resulting from a traumatic experience about one’s self, others, or the world (e.g., no one can be trusted, I’m a bad person)

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) – an evidence-based psychological treatment for children and adolescents experiencing trauma-related stressors and symptoms

References

We briefly touch on the the importance of seeking support during times of increased stress and trauma. See some of the following resources for general and stressor-specific supports:

A major theme of this session was Aimee’s experience of sexual assault. Learn more about rates of sexual assault among children and adolescents here.

We also discuss the importance of receiving support following disclosure of sexual assault. Check out these resources for tips on how to respond to someone disclosing assault.

Learn more about common reactions to assault here and here.