Sometime after you get a grasp on life after your child discloses their sexual abuse, you should start looking for a therapist. Don’t go over board. You will get lots of recommendations. We listened to what we were told and did everything. Therapy for our daughter, individual therapy for each of us, couples therapy and family therapy. We actually got to a point where our therapy sessions were conflicting with one another. They also conflicted on other levels. Different people will tell you different things. You can have too much of a good thing. There have also been studies that have shown that therapy can be harmful in many cases as well. Dredging up repressed memories can often do more harm than good. You situation will vary so it’s important to educate yourself and have input into the treatment options for your family.
Things to pay attention to
All psychologists and therapists are not created equally. Try to find someone who specializes in children’s sexual abuse issues. Even just finding a child therapist may not do the trick. Some will immediately want to jump to ADD /ADHD medication options. Do some research before you go down this path. In many cases it just masks symptoms.
Check out the facilities where therapy will take place. Many therapist who specialize in child sexual abuse will have areas of their office setup specific ways. Some children want to be able to keep their back to a wall, others may want to surround themselves with stuffed animals, And some may want to look out the window at flowers. There are lots of variations in preference that may be difference depending on the nature of the abuse.
Let us know if we can help you dealing with your family’s sexual abuse situation. For ideas to get started please check out our book on what to do during the early days after disclosure.
