“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.” -Hippocrates
It may be very difficult for a survivor of child sexual abuse to talk about what happened to them. Many survivors cannot or do not talk about the abuse right away, and sometimes they can’t even remember about the abuse until they are adults. Some adult survivors think that because the abuse happened when they were a child that it is too late to begin talking about what happened and to heal. This is not true! It is never too late to begin to heal.
Abuse impacts different people in different ways, and there may be some survivors who feel little impact in their adult lives. Other people may experience some negative impacts, such as generalized anxiety or fear, depression, difficulty with intimate relationships, difficulty trusting themselves or others and an increased risk for using drugs or alcohol.
Each person does things to cope in their own way, and each person does what they need to in order to survive the abuse.
Healing for Children
Children sometimes deny that bad or scary things are happening because they are too hard to deal with or understand. Therapy can be a crucial part of a child’s healing and recovery. It is important that children receive services from individuals that specialize in treatment of children and also have experience with sexual abuse victims. The groups/resources below specialize in issues of sexual abuse and trauma.
Boulder County Therapy Referral List – find a therapist that specializes in healing from sexual trauma.
Mental Health Partners – offers sliding scale counseling and serves all ages.
Child Advocacy Centers – This website has a locator to find a child advocacy center in your area. Child advocacy centers not only provide child friendly interviews around sexual assault investigation, they have resources and referrals to child therapists trained in the area of recovery from sexual assault.
Family/guardians of a child victim ?– Blue Sky Bridge offers regular non-offending family member support groups in Boulder County. Call Blue Sky Bridge for more information. 303-444-1388.
Mother’s of Sexually Abused Children-The MOSAC site is designed specifically for mothers who have experienced the sexual abuse of one of their children. The site provides information, resources and support.
Healing for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Assault
Wings Foundation-Their mission is to break the cycle and heal the wounds of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) by providing education, advocacy and support to adult survivors, loved ones,
1in6 – Website dedicated to male survivors.
The Younique Foundation-We inspire hope in women who were sexually abused as children or adolescents by providing healing services through educational retreats, support groups, and online resources.
Survivor Manual – The Survivor Manual’s mission is to educate, empower, and enhance the conversation around sexual assault and its survivors. We create short films illuminating the strength and resiliency of sexual assault survivors. Also has online healing courses.
Making Daughters Safe Again (MDSA) – MDSA offers a chat room and message board for adult women who were victims of mother-daughter sexual abuse providing opportunities for women to share their experiences in order to help the healing process.
RAINN – Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network – RANN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline and offers resources and referral for survivors.
SNAP – Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests – An online community providing information, resources and support for those abused by an individual in the faith community.
After Silence – an online support group, message board, and chat room for rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse survivors. You are not alone, you are not broken, and you can heal.
Incestaware – A website devoted entirely to incest.
Survivors of Incest Anonymous– Provide information on how to find incest survivor support groups in your area.
GirlThrive– Honors teen girls and young women who have survived incest and all sex abuse through thriverships (scholarships), opportunity and education.
Sidran Institute -Resources to help people understand, treat and manage trauma and disassociation.
iSurvive -Offers resources and forums where adult survivors of child abuse and their loved ones can seek support.