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RESOURCES
On Site Counseling and Support
The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance offers a 10-week support group
for non-offending caregivers of sexually abused children. Caregivers receive
information and help related to the multidisciplinary approach to child
sexual abuse investigations, while specialists in different areas of law
enforcement and medical/mental health answer questions and provide additional
information. The Alliance also recognizes that caregivers who have passed
the initial crisis of their child’s disclosure may benefit from additional
support throughout the investigation and post-investigation period.Victim Services providers are always available to listen and discuss any issue that arises.
The Children’s Alliance strives not only to conduct sensitive and
impartial investigations into sexual abuse, but also to provide help to
the children and their families in their need to move forward to healthy,
productive lives and become contributing members of the community. The
Alliance conducts support and education groups several times a year, which
particularly empower clients by meeting the basic human needs of safety,
security and self-esteem. The groups empower caretakers in their investigative/judicial
processes; permit them to assert greater control over their lives; provide
an opportunity for mutual support; assure that they understand what happens
in every step of the investigation and prosecution; and ensure that they
have the information they need to move forward with their and their children’s
lives.
The children’s self-esteem building groups offer not only fun activities,
but also an opportunity for mutual support and the ability to assert control
over their lives while interacting in a positive way with others. Children
are delighted to participate in a group designed to build self-esteem
through arts and crafts, music and dance activities – and just being
a kid again! The children’s groups are held at the same time as caregiver
groups for maximum family convenience.
Victim Services support is available to any family involved in a child
sexual abuse investigation in Philadelphia, regardless of whether their
child was seen at the Children’s Alliance for an investigative interview.
Please call the Alliance at 215-387-9500 and ask to speak with the Victim Services if you would like to participate in one of the programs,
or just need to talk with someone who can provide support to you as a
result of your experience. Or email her at info@philachildrensalliance.org.
Help is also available to you if you are an adult survivor of childhood
sexual abuse. Just call or email (215-387-9500;
info@philachildrensalliance.org).
Other Resources
The following books provide information on the subject of child sexual
abuse. There are many excellent resources available, and the following
list represents a bibliography only, not an endorsement of any title.
PREVENTION
Books to Read to Children (Appropriate for a variety of age groups.)
The Right Touch: A Read-Aloud Story to Help Prevent Child Sexual Abuse
by Sandy Kleven, LCSW. ©1977. Illumination Arts Publishing Company,
Inc., Bellevue, WA.
My Body Is Private by Linda Walvoord Girard. © 1984. Albert Whitman
& Company, Morton Grove, Illinois.
No More Secrets for Me: A Book for Adults to Share with Children by
Oralee Wachter.
© 1983. Little, Brown and Company.
It’s My Body: A Book to Teach Young Children How to Resist Uncomfortable
Touch, by Lory Freeman. ©1982, Fourteenth Printing January 1990.
Parenting Press, Inc., P.O. Box 15163, Seattle, WA 98115.
Secrets That Hurt (A Sexual Abuse Activity Book), by Jim &
Joan Boulden. © 1994. Boulden Publishing, P. O. Box 1186, Weaverville,
CA 96093-1186. 800-238-8433.
Your Body Belongs to You by Cornelia Spelman © 1997. Albert
Whitman & Company, 6340 Oakton Street, Morton Grove, IL 60053-2723.
For Teen-Agers
Top Secret: Sexual Assault Information for Teenagers Only by Jennifer
J. Fay and Billie J. Flerchinger. ©1982, 1988 by King County Sexual
Assault Resource Center, P. O. Box 300, Renton, WA 98057. 206.226.5062.
Back On Track: Boys Dealing with Sexual Abuse by Leslie Bailey
Wright and Mindy B. Loiselle. © 1997. SaferSocietyPress, P.O.Box
340, Brandon, VT 05733-0340. 802-247-3132
Resources for Parents
Helping Your Child Recover from Sexual Abuse by Caren Adams and
Jennifer Fay. © 1992 by the University of Washington Press (Second
printing, 1995), Seattle, WA.
A Mother’s Nightmare – Incest: A Practical Legal Guide for
Parents and Professionals by John E. B. Myers. © 1997 by Sage
Publications, Inc., 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320.
How to Say It® To Your Child When Bad Things Happen: Good Answers
to Tough Questions by Dr. Paul Coleman. © 2002. Prentice Hall
Press (A Member of Penguin Putnam Inc.), 375 Hudson Street, New York,
NY 10014.
Children Changed by Trauma: A Healing Guide by Debra Whiting Alexander,
Ph.D. © 1999. New Harbinger Publications, Inc., 5674 Shattuck Avenue,
Oakland, CA 94609.
SOS Help For Parents (A Practical Guide for Handling Common Everyday
Behavior Problems) by Lynn Clark, Ph.D. © 1996, 1985. Parents
Press, P. O. Box 2180, Bowling Green, KY 42102-2180.
Go To Your Room! Consequences that Teach by Shari Steelsmith. ©
2000. Co-published by Raefield-Roberts, Publishers, 25415 Bellview St.,
Hemet, CA 02544 and Parenting Press, Inc., P. O. Box 75267, Seattle, WA
98125.
Recovery
How Long Does It Hurt? (A guide to recovering from incest and sexual abuse
for teenagers, their friends, and their families) by Cynthia L. Mather.
© 1994. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA.
Forgiveness Is A Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and
Restoring Hope by Robert D. Enright, Ph.D. © 2001. APA LifeTools,
American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE, Washington,
DC 20002.
These local (Philadelphia) organizations also provide support and information
to families dealing with child sexual abuse.
Women Organized Against Rape
1233 Locust Street, Suite 202
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-985-3333 (hotline)
JJ Peters Institute
100 South Broad Street
The Land Title Building, 17th floor
Philadelphia, PA
215-701-1560
Crisis
Counseling Program at the Children’s Alliance
The Need for Immediate Caretaker Support
Child sexual abuse can produce both immediate and long-term negative psychological
effects on children and their families. The manner in which the resulting
investigation is conducted, reactions to the disclosure, and the quality
of support received afterwards all affect the child and family’s
recovery. Previous research has demonstrated the ability of the non-offending
caregiver to believe his/her child and provide support has a positive
correlation to the child’s recovery.1 Additionally,
Elliott and Carnes cite previous research as having suggested “parental
support may be a better predictor of psychological adjustment than are
abuse-related factors.”2 The caregiver needs
support and information throughout the process so s/he can discuss feelings
and reactions to disclosure and be better equipped to provide support
for their child.
While it was the child who was assaulted, the parent is also left dealing
with many challenges. Most parents feel overwhelming emotional turmoil
after a disclosure of child sexual abuse, which can compromise their ability
to support their child and family throughout the investigative process.
Caretakers are dealing with enormous shock and betrayal of trust, while
at the same time having to cooperate with and trust well meaning but unknown
professionals.
Caretakers may also struggle with knowing how to understand and respond
to their child. Some of a caregiver’s responses and actions may be
helpful and supportive to the child while others may be generally unsupportive.
Immediate intervention aimed at assisting the non-offending caregiver
to believe, empathize with, and offer consistent emotional support to
his/her child may be the most effective way to reduce investigation-related
trauma to the child and effect long-term recovery.3
1. Everson, M., Hunter, W., Runyon, D., Edelsohn, G. & Coulter, M.
(1989). Maternal support following disclosure of incest. American Journal
of Orthopsychiatry 59(2), 197-207. and McCarty, L.M. (1981). Investigation
of incest: Opportunity to motivate families and seek help. Child Welfare
60(10), 679-689
2. Cited in Elliott, A.N. & C.N. Carnes (2001)(p.319). Reactions of
nonoffending parents to the sexual abuse of their child: A review of the
literature. Child Maltreatment, Vol.6 (4), 314-342.
3. Fincham, F.D., Beach, S.R.H., Moore, T. & Diener, C. (1994). The
professional
response to child sexual abuse: Whose interests are served? Family
Relations 43, 244-254.
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