"It’s those moments that make the long days, the hard sessions, and heaviness of the work that we do so much more worth it. We cannot change the abuse unfortunately, but when a child is able to see beyond their abuse and process it in a healthy, productive way then we know we have done well."
These are words from Alliance For Children Clinical Supervisor, Angelica Noel, in response to the healing journey she witnessed from a teenager who experienced sexual abuse at the hands of family members. When her counseling began at Alliance For Children, she would barely engage or speak during the sessions. But as their therapeutic relationship grew, she appeared more comfortable and finally opened up about the trauma she had endured. During the last counseling session, the teenager thanked Angelica for helping her realize that she was not ‘broken’ and that the abuse was not her fault, as she had once believed. She conveyed how relieved she felt having shared this secret she had held for so many years.
