Pediatria e Terapêutica
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Escaping the “Physical Child Abuse” Pattern–Therapeutic Intervention with Victims of Violence in the Family Using the Gestalt Method

Ruth Wolf

The role of the family doctor is extensive and comprehensive. Sometimes it is needed for physical treatment of the body and sometimes for treatment of the patient’s soul and spirit as well. This article presents the therapeutic intervention of a family doctor for an adolescent who was a victim of violence at the hands of a family member. In addition, the physical treatment that was offered to the boy in this case is presented in the article as a conversation between the young patient and the doctor treating him, which emphasizes the role of the doctor in ending the cycle of family violence. This is the first attempt to shed the family’s pattern of abuse to which it had become accustomed. The article presents treatment according to the Gestalt method in which the doctor focuses the patient on his bodily sensations and emotions, and helps him achieve self-recognition and self-awareness. This is the beginning of the path to treating the victim and repairing his relationships with those around him.