IT IS NORMAL FOR CAREGIVERS TO
GO THROUGH THEIR OWN HEALING
JOURNEY ALONGSIDE
THE CHILD.

☎ TO REPORT INSTANCES
OF CHILD ABUSE:
Maryland: Call 911 and your local
department of social services’ Child
Protective Services Unit
Pennsylvania: 1-800-932-0313 (CPS
hotline, operating 24/7)
Virginia: 1-800-552-7096 (CPS hotline,
operating 24/7)
TO SPEAK WITH PROFESSIONAL
CRISIS COUNSELORS who can give
referrals for emergency services, social
services and support resources, contact
Childhelp, the 24/7 national child abuse
hotline, at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (422-4453)
SOURCES: 1. Jensen, T. K., Gulbrandsen,
W.,Mossige, S., Reichelt, S., & Tjersland,
O. A. (2005). Reporting possible
sexual abuse: A qualitative study on
children’s perspectives and the context
for disclosure. Child Abuse & Neglect,
29, 1395–1413.

child’s abuse can be extremely triggering
for them,” explains Orsino. It is normal for
caregivers to go through their own healing
journey alongside the child.

“Voicing their feelings of anger and
betrayal, and all the different emotions
that they will experience, is encouraged
and healthy. The caregiver engaging in
therapy for themselves, or in a caregiver
support group, can be extremely beneficial
so that they have a space to feel what they
need to feel and process it in a healthy man-
ner outside of the child’s presence,” Orsino
adds. After all, children will feed off their
caregiver’s emotions—good or bad.

CAREGIVERS WILL NEED TO
PROCESS THEIR OWN FEELINGS
“Children who have been abused should
also receive support and healing from a pro-
fessional therapist,” reports D’Alessandro.

“The effects of the trauma may continue to
affect the child long after the incident(s) if
they do not receive the appropriate help.”
“[Encourage and teach] children to
‘trust their gut’ if something doesn’t feel
While it is essential that parents create
calm, supportive environments for their
children, they will have extremely diffi-
cult emotions as well. “Many caregivers
unfortunately also have their own history
of victimization, and so learning of their
REBUILDING TRUST IN OTHERS
WILL BE A JOURNEY FOR FAMILIES
20 Washington FAMILY NOVEMBER 2022
good or right,” adds Orsino. “Working with
the child to identify for themselves who are
their ‘safe people’ and who can they turn
to if something happens to them, or they
have something to talk about, also gives the
child a level of control that was impacted
during their abuse.” Caregivers should
help the child establish healthy boundaries
for others based on what is comfortable.

For example, a child who has been abused
may not want to greet anyone with a hug
but would be comfortable with a high-five.

“When a child suffers abuse, it can dis-
rupt their faith that the world is a safe
place and that they can trust other people,”
explains Widen. “To rebuild your child’s
trust in adults and the world around them,
start by focusing on your relationship with
them. By being there and assuring your
child that they can trust you and that you
will protect them, they can begin to explore
the world again—in small steps—and grad-
ually learn to trust others.” T
OLIVER ROSSI/DIGITAL VISION
them that you are there to help and pro-
tect them,” says Widen. Before a child fully
opens up, they may ask hypothetical ques-
tions 2 or discuss what has happened to
“another child”: “If your child does this,
they are testing the waters to learn how
you’ll respond and whether it’s safe to tell
you more,” Widen adds.

Creating environments in which children
feel safe to disclose things that have hap-
pened to them starts early. “Establishing
with your child open communication
about any subject is key. Specific to abuse,
giving the child the proper vocabulary,
including the proper names for their pri-
vate body parts is of upmost importance,”
notes Orsino.

2. Alaggia, R. (2004). Many ways of
telling: Expanding conceptualizations
of child sexual abuse disclosure. Child
abuse & neglect, 28(11), 1213-1227.