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June 26, 2026Criminal Justice and BehaviorOpen Access

Between Protection and Coercion: Survivor and Stakeholder Perspectives on Court-Involved Therapy for Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth in Atlanta, Georgia

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Authors

MLMaya LakshmanMBMichelle BedoyaKKKiannah N. Kossari

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Overview

Qualitative study reveals survivor engagement and family involvement in therapy for exploited youth, suggesting improvements for trauma-informed practices.

Key Points

  • The study aims to explore perspectives on court-involved therapy for sexually exploited youth, focusing on survivor autonomy and trauma.
  • Conducted thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups with 31 participants, including survivors and multidisciplinary stakeholders.
  • Engaged adult survivors, law enforcement, clinicians, and social workers in discussions to gather diverse viewpoints.
  • Explored survivor engagement methods, access to services, and the role of family in therapy.
  • Survivor engagement through peer mentorship significantly built trust.
  • Court involvement facilitated access to services but raised serious concerns about coercion and potential retraumatization.
  • Family involvement was deemed essential yet not fully utilized in therapy approaches.

Cite This Study

Lakshman et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a3e16cd030ad1a9b30907fahttps://doi.org/10.1177/00938548261459661
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Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 3 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

  1. 1Child protection as surveillance of African American families2014 · 111 citations
  2. 2Exploring Mental Health and Substance use Treatment Needs of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth Participating in a Specialty Juvenile Court2018 · 41 citations
  3. 3‘Both/And’ Not ‘Either/Or’: Reconciling Rights to Protection and Participation in Working with Child Sexual Exploitation2018 · 25 citations