Waking up from a nightmare – a mother’s story
“On July 12, 2018, my entire world came crashing down around me. My 11 year old daughter, Emily, revealed to a camp counselor that she was being sexually abused by her older sibling, and the abuse had been ongoing for two years. As I sat in the camp director’s office, I felt like I was swept up into a nightmare I so desperately wanted to wake up from.
Her father and I began calling different counselors and therapists to get her into counseling immediately. No one was returning our calls. Frustration grew quickly. Finally, CARE House was recommended and, even though we live an hour away, we got her into therapy right away. She was reluctant at first to talk about her abuse, but when she met with a CARE House psychologist, right away, Emily was very comfortable. Soon, she joined group therapy for girls between the ages of 11-13, and I joined a parent support group.
I can’t begin to tell you how much these groups meant to my daughter and me. She was able to see that she wasn’t alone; that there were other girls who had been through the same abuse. For me, the parent group was my safe haven for an hour and a half a week. It was the one place I could go and be surrounded by other parents who knew what I was feeling. We could talk and cry through the pain that we all felt.
We are now almost nine months past Emily’s disclosure. She is still in therapy, and she is thriving. She has been able to work through many of her fears and feelings about the things she has been through. We are so thankful for CARE House and the incredible staff – they have helped my daughter and me through this extremely difficult time. Because of CARE House and all those who donate their time, expertise and funding to keep this resource in our community, we have been able heal and move forward in a way that I would have never thought possible nine months ago.”
With deep gratitude,
Michelle, Emily’s mom*
Here are some alarming statistics:
- 40% of children who are sexually abused are abused by older, or more powerful children, just like Emily was.
- 73% of child victims do not tell anyone about the abuse for at least one year.
- Survivors of childhood sexual abuse are 10 to 13 times more likely to attempt suicide.
Thank you for being a friend and supporter of CARE House and all of our kids and families. This month and always, we need people like you who will help us lead the way in the prevention of child abuse.
*Names have been changed for the privacy of the family.