When a child comes to Alliance For Children to disclose their abuse to one of our highly trained forensic interviewers, the protective caregiver meets with a family advocate to discuss immediate needs, including how we can help stabilize the family, and whether the child may benefit from our counseling services.
Our therapists utilize a trauma-informed approach so that children are not re-traumatized when discussing their abuse. Group counseling is suggested for children who have suffered sexual abuse, allowing the child to bond with others of the same age and gender who have also experienced this type of trauma.
Additionally, as we know abuse affects the entire family, we also hold parent and sibling groups to not only provide support for them, but to direct how to best encourage the victim. Individual counseling tends to be reserved for our children that may have experienced severe physical, medical, or chronic sexual abuse, or who may have witnessed a violent crime or been a victim of trafficking or child pornography. Sometimes counseling may take place in 20-25 sessions or longer depending on the needs of the child victim.
When a child has reached a place of healing, a small graduation ceremony is held where they receive the gift of coping tools to continue to assist them in moving past this abuse as a happy, healthy child.
