Teenagers are more likely to disclose sexual abuse to their friends before they tell their parents or authority personnel (Powers, Ressler, Bradley, 2009). Often, the teen hearing the sexual abuse disclosure may not know how to respond to this devastating information about their friend. A healthy supportive friendship will allow Read more…
Why is emotional support a necessary part of the healing process for children and youth who are survivors of sexual abuse? Emotional support means showing empathy, compassion, and genuine concern for others; this leads to greater emotional well-being. An important aspect of the process is helping children and youth regulate Read more…
What are Some Roadblocks to Building Healthy Friendships? #1 Safety Children and youth survivors of sexual abuse (CSA) may have trouble feeling emotionally and physically safe enough to trust another person after experiencing abuse (Rosenthal, Feiring, & Taska, 2003). What constitutes safety may be perceived differently for every child based Read more…