Child Abuse Observation

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Recommended: How child abuse effects mental health

Interaction: I observed a woman in her mid-thirties and she discussed the child abuse she experienced as a twelve-year-old that was in the 8th grade. The perpetrator in this situation was her 8th grade teacher that taught religious education. The child abuse victim noted that she felt the teacher noticed her but thought the teacher was spending extra time with her because he cared about her. The teacher would often talk to her during class time and make time for additional sessions with her. At some point, the child abuse victim noted that she began to feel uncomfortable with the inordinate amount of time that the religious teacher devoted towards her. However, she was unwilling to make this point known because she did not want to make the …show more content…

The child abuse victim stated that she “participated” in the relationship but that she hurt him because she could not always please him or make him happy. In recounting the events that occurred to her, the child abuse victim also noted that she believed the man in question took advantage of her because of her young age. The child abuse victim stated that, as a child, she felt all of the things that went wrong in the relationship was her fault.
Observations: The child abuse victim was actively attempting to reframe her situation. Despite her childhood feelings being that she was a participant in the relationship, the reality is that she was involved in coercive rape and that the man was a predator. The coping mechanism used by this victim of child abuse is that she is taking responsibility for actions that were not her fault. The child abuse victim needs to more actively work towards reframing this situation in a manner that is more reflective of the reality of the situation. Once the child abuse victim understands that she was a child and not capable of making the sophisticated decisions to extricate herself from this situation, then she will be able to begin the process towards healing and overcoming her fearful and shameful feelings. The resources the child abuse victim has at her disposal is becoming a part of rape survival groups or continuing to seek therapy for the child abuse that she experienced. The key to resolving her feelings will be for her to understand that her healing will not be quick and it is likely to have long-lasting impacts on her life. However, if she remains hopeful and open to therapy, recognizing the love and support of her family, she will be able to function and heal from this unfortunate

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