Medical Neoliberalism in Rape Crisis Center Counseling: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Clinicians' Understandings of Survivor Distress

A neoliberal medicalized framework shapes society's understanding of distress as a disease or disorder and places the responsibility on individuals to "fix" themselves, situating the problem within a person, rather than in a sociopolitical context. This framework has become increasingly prevalent in Western society and has permeated rape crisis centers (RCCs), which play a vital role supporting sexual violence survivors. The goal of the present study was to explore the impact of a neoliberal medicalized discourse on RCC clinicians' understandings of survivor distress. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed. Six RCC clinicians were interviewed. Analysis revealed four master themes: Wielding the Double-Edged Sword of the Medical Model, Navigating the Healing Process with Survivors, Stay in Your Lane: The Role of the RCC, and Understanding and Honoring Survivor Shame. Recommendations for researchers and clinicians working with survivors are provided pertaining to how to (1) critically adopt medical neoliberalism, (2) empower survivors with medication information, and (3) employ alternatives to individual counseling to foster healing. Suggestions for future research are also provided.