Child Sexual Abuse Recovery
Experiences of child sexual abuse can have a profound and lasting impact on a person’s life. For many survivors, the effects continue long after the abuse has ended, influencing relationships, self-worth, emotional wellbeing, physical health, and the way they view themselves and the world around them.
Many people carry these experiences for years before seeking support. Some have never spoken about what happened. Others may have told people in the past but felt misunderstood, unsupported, or not fully believed.
Many of the people I work with first seek support in adulthood, sometimes decades after the abuse occurred. It is common for survivors to minimise their experiences, question whether what happened was “serious enough”, or feel that they should have moved on by now.
Whatever your experiences have been, recovery is possible.
Therapy can provide a safe and supportive space to make sense of what happened, understand the impact it has had on your life, and move towards healing at a pace that feels right for you.
Common Experiences Following Child Sexual Abuse
Every person’s experience is unique. There is no “right” way to respond to trauma.
Some of the difficulties survivors may experience include:
Anxiety and panic
Depression and low mood
Shame and self-blame
Difficulties trusting others
Relationship and intimacy challenges
Emotional overwhelm or numbness
Dissociation or feeling disconnected from yourself
Intrusive memories, nightmares, or flashbacks
Difficulties with boundaries
Feelings of guilt or responsibility
Low self-worth and self-criticism
Substance use or other coping behaviours
Difficulties feeling safe
Spiritual or faith-related struggles
Some people recognise the impact of abuse immediately, while others only begin to understand the connection between past experiences and current difficulties many years later.
Why People Often Don’t Tell
Many survivors wonder why they did not disclose the abuse earlier, tell someone at the time, or seek help sooner.
There are many reasons why people do not speak about abuse, particularly when it occurs during childhood. Children may be frightened, confused, ashamed, threatened, worried about consequences for themselves or others, or unsure whether what happened was wrong. Some may have been groomed by the person who harmed them or may have cared deeply about that person.
For others, the full impact of the abuse may not become clear until later in life. It is not uncommon for survivors to spend years minimising, avoiding, or attempting to cope with the effects before seeking support.
These responses are common and understandable. They do not mean the abuse was any less significant, nor do they mean that recovery is not possible.
My Experience
Supporting survivors of trauma has been a significant focus throughout my professional career.
I completed my PhD in the field of trauma, researching how parents can support children’s recovery following traumatic experiences.
Over the course of my career, I have worked with many survivors of child sexual abuse and other forms of interpersonal trauma. This has included supporting individuals who have experienced abuse within families, institutions, faith communities, care settings, and other environments where trust and safety were violated.
I understand that experiences of abuse can affect many aspects of life and that healing often involves more than simply talking about what happened.
My Approach
Recovery from child sexual abuse is not about forcing yourself to revisit painful memories before you are ready.
I work collaboratively with clients to develop an approach that feels safe, manageable, and responsive to their individual needs.
Depending on your circumstances, therapy may focus on:
Understanding the impact of trauma
Developing emotional regulation skills
Reducing anxiety and distress
Working with shame and self-blame
Building self-compassion
Strengthening relationships and boundaries
Addressing dissociation and disconnection
Processing traumatic memories when appropriate
Reconnecting with personal values, identity, and meaning
As a Clinical Psychologist, I draw on a range of evidence-based approaches, including:
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT)
Attachment-informed approaches
Parts work and ego-state approaches
Structural dissociation-informed treatment
Compassion-focused approaches
Therapy is always tailored to the individual. There is no single “right” way to recover from trauma.
Institutional Abuse and Redress
Some survivors have experienced abuse within institutions such as schools, churches, sporting organisations, residential care settings, foster care, or other organisations entrusted with their care.
For many people, the impact of institutional abuse is compounded by experiences of betrayal, disbelief, secrecy, or inadequate responses from those who were expected to protect them.
I have experience supporting people who have experienced institutional abuse, religious trauma, and abuse within faith communities. Therapy can provide support for individuals navigating the emotional impact of these experiences, including those considering or participating in National Redress Scheme processes.
Healing Is Possible
Many survivors worry that they should be “over it by now” or question whether their experiences were significant enough to seek support.
There is no timeline for healing.
Many people do not begin processing their experiences until adulthood, sometimes many years or even decades after the abuse occurred. This does not mean it is too late to heal.
Whether your experiences occurred recently or many decades ago, therapy can provide an opportunity to better understand yourself, reduce the impact of trauma, and move towards a life that is no longer defined by what happened to you.
Appointments
Appointments are available in-person in Frankston, Somerville on the Mornington Peninsula, as well as via telehealth across Australia.
If you would like to discuss whether therapy may be helpful, please feel free to get in touch.