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Survivors of childhood sexual abuse to thrive
Childhood sexual abuse can distort how you see yourself, other people, and your
affective capacities, and can frame sex as traumatic. While self-help books, inspirational
leaders, movement, and exercise are all great ways to maintain your wellbeing, very few
(if any) address the impact of CSA at every level. As a result, your mind becomes more
efficient at hiding it from your awareness while disrupting different areas of your life.
Do you suffer from compulsive eating habits, repeated physical injuries, panic attacks,
heart palpitations, insomnia, fatigue, low self-esteem, a lack of mental clarity,
self-sabotage, self-isolation, or toxic relationships? If you answered yes to three or more
of these symptoms and are a survivor, then we would really like to be there for you.
Healing Hands Counselling provides a unique approach to therapy
1 +
hours spent helping clients who trust us
We Always Ready For A Challenge
Sexual abuse in childhood leads to cognitive distortions, dysfunctional emotional responding and sometimes harmful behaviour. Due to stigmatization, lack of knowledge, shame, fear or traumatization- you may not have spoken to anyone about what has happened to you. This is ok. Our therapists are able to support you no matter where you are in your journey.
- “I can’t trust anyone”
- “No one loves me any way so why does it even matter”
- “Sex helps me get what I want, this time I’m in control”
- “How could they do that”
- “Did it really happen? They are behaving like ‘normal’. I’m so confused”
Adult survivors suffer in silence because they did not understand what was happening and were too traumatised to seek help, at the time. Due to the duration and severity of the abuse some survivors, will continue to need support throughout their lives. At Healing Hands Counselling we provide online therapy making it easier to get the help you need whenever and wherever you are*.
What is sexual abuse in childhood (CSA)
CSA is the exposure to physically intimate acts whichh, stimulate the arousal of the getnitalia. This can happen between children or is instigated by an adult with a minor. A child who Is abused may be unaware of what is happening, groomed to partake or forced to comply
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1 +
hours spent helping clients who trust us
Sexual abuse includes:
- Touching intimate and private parts of your body-directly or through clothing
- Being told to or forced to touch someone sexually
- Rape where a penis is inserted into the mouth, vagina or anus of a child,
- Penetrative assault where a body part or object is used to enter the vagina or anus, Oral sex
- Being made to watch- pornography, other children being sexually abused or adults engaging in sexual acts
- Being flashed (the person deliberately exposes their genitals or intimate body parts for their own sexual gratification)
- Being told to or made too undress (for someone else’s sexual gratification)
- Being instructed or made to look at sexual images/ take and send sexual images of yourself or other children
- Coached to speak about or made to listen to sexual acts over the phone, this includes sex texting
Why seek help now
Women who have experienced sexual abuse as a child are:
More likely to need healthcare services including support for low self-esteem or common mental health issues such as depression (Cannon 2010)
Increased danger of developing risky sexual behaviour, and substance abuse (Sachs-Ericsson 2009)
Having a therapeutic intervention such as counselling is life changing. It can help if you are physically isolated or find social situations too difficult to engage with right now.
The aim of counselling is to help you understand problematic thoughts, beliefs and behaviour so that you can function better. Having a safe and confidential space to unravel, blow off steam and gain some insight reduces the likelihood of a suicide attempt. It will also give you the necessary skills; for better communication and experience more sexual pleasure.
*We currently do not provide therapy for those living in the USA. If you are currently in an
abusive home and unable to speak confidentially at work or from a friends home, then
accessing an in-person services elsewhere could be the best option for you.
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