Child Abuse Description
description of child abuse
Overcoming Their Past:
- Know that they are not alone: Millions of today’s adults were abused as children. Read books on the subject. Get support from people ready and willing to help.
- Recognize what happened: Let the memories surface, despite the pain. Don’t downplay the abuse (“it only happened twice”). Events that seem minor in adult eyes could have been major to a child.
- Place the responsibility for the abuse where it belongs: on the abuser, not on the child. Don’t make excuses for the abuser (“he was under a lot of stress”).
- Acknowledge the survivors’ courage: It was hard work to survive a terrible time in their life. Now they can use that energy to move toward a positive future.
- Deal with the anger: They can: talk to a therapist or a good friend. Write their feelings in a journal. Exercise to reduce tension.
- Try something new: Do things they never had a chance to do as a child: ride a horse, take music lessons, go fishing, play, etc. They may learn to take risks in the process.
- Be patient with themselves: Just talking about the pain and anger won’t change things overnight. Healing takes time.
- Identify their strengths: As a child, they may not have received the praise they deserved. Recognize their strengths.
Footnotes:
- Child Abuse Prevention, Adoption and Family Services Act of 1988
- Protective Behaviors Handbook, Center Against Sexual & Domestic Abuse, WI
- Let’s Prevent Abuse, PACER Center, MN
- Protective Behaviors Handbook, Center Against Sexual & Domestic Abuse, WI
- Let’s Prevent Abuse, PACER Center, MN
- Paper presented at August 1989 American Psychological Association, New Orleans, LA
- John Crewdson, By Silence Betrayed, Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1988, pp. 36-37
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