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Survivors of Childhood Sexual,
Physical,
and Emotional
Abuse
50 years ago, doctors and psychiatrists believed the
incidence of child sexual, physical and emotional abuse to be
somewhere in the region of 1 case in every 1000 families. A
person coming to the medical profession at that time seeking
help to deal with the pain and suffering of their abuse would
most likely not have been believed. Indeed, instead of receiving
help and understanding, they in all likelihood would been
written off as delusional and prescribed anti depressant, anti
psychotic, or other medication.
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How wrong those doctors and psychiatrists turned out to
be.
In the last 15 years, there has been a growing awareness that
child abuse is not just a myth or freak occurrence. Depending
upon which of many studies one chooses to follow, the most
recent estimates are that child abuse is actually present in
somewhere between
1 and 50, to 1 in 4 homes here in the UK. Of
course it must be acknowledged that, for those who have suffered
abuse at the hands of someone who should have been a trusted adult or
carer, these types of statistics really do not matter.
Tragically however, despite these findings, many members of the
medical and psychiatric community of today still seem unable to
accept the prevalence of child abuse – whether its occurrence be
within private homes, the church, or the state childcare system.
To make matters worse for today’s survivor, despite the regular
outcries from the general public and media regarding the scale
of child abuse today and the need to stop it, when it comes to
understanding the pain and needs of adult survivors of abuse,
most people – including many
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counsellors - find it too
difficult to truly listen to such tragedy. This strange
selective deafness has the ultimate effect of once again leaving
survivors feeling confused, and very much alone with their pain.
Finding a counsellor trained to work in this area, or an
available local support group is also usually very difficult as
the amount of such trained assistance is very |
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limited. So, even with the increased
professional and public awareness of this
horrific reality, for thousands of struggling
survivors there still seems to be few, if any,
places to turn.
If you are reading this, it is most likely that
you or someone you care about has experienced
the inhumane tragedy of childhood abuse. You or
your loved one are tired of a living locked
within the prison of secrecy, self doubt, fear
and self blame
that is common amongst survivors. If this is so,
then I would like to offer you an |
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opportunity to confidentially speak
about your experiences in a healthy, safe, and understanding
environment. It is never too late to start working towards a
life in which joy and freedom are more than just words on a
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In addition to my other professional counselling
training and personal experience of these
issues, I have undergone specialist university
training through the University of Middlesex in
working with adult survivors of child sexual,
physical and emotional abuse. Here, you will
find someone who is able to listen to, and
believe your experiences without question or
judgement. Moving forward is not easy, and I do
not claim to offer up any magic potions or quick
fix solutions. However, if you finally feel that
it is time to step out from the shadows of your
childhood, then I’d like you to know that not
only is that possible, but more available to you
than you have possibly ever hoped to dare. And
also, that you need not make that journey alone.
If you would like to discuss how I might be able
to help you step out of this prison I would be
more than happy to answer any questions you have
by telephone prior to making an initial
appointment without any obligation to you.
Please feel free to call me at my Bishops
Stortford offices on 01279 83 44 67 at any time.
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