Seeking balance between contradictory experiences - therapists treating survivors of sexual violence.

With the prevalence of sexual violence in most countries and its increase in Sweden, it is important to understand the development of secondary traumatic reactions among professionals who work with sexually violated clients. The aim of this study was to describe the meaning of therapists' personal experiences when treating survivors of sexual violence. We conducted a qualitative interview study of therapists in Sweden ( = 11) using thematic analysis and adding a phenomenological openess towards the phenomenon.