Why Support for Non-Offending Caregivers is Vital
By: Amy Ramsey, Director of Community Outreach & Education
When speaking about non-offending caregivers, we are speaking about victims of child sexual abuse or physical abuse and about those caregivers that did not offend against them and are providing care now that the child has made an outcry of their abuse. They are often over looked in the process. It is important to realize and understand why their mental health and support is important. These are services we provide at the Hunt County Children’s Advocacy Center.
When a child makes an outcry of sexual or physical abuse it is shocking to the family and, in particular, the caregivers that did not offend on the child. They are immediately thrust into a world in which they know very little about and how to care for this child that they are now in charge of their primary care. As statistics clearly show, parents are known to be a large percentage of alleged offenders. Therefore, the child will then be removed from the alleged offenders home or the offender is moved out of the home and the non-offending caregivers now must face a myriad of emotions from the child and from their own shift into a new reality.
As child victims need therapy to help recover and get back to a sense of normalcy, as does the caregivers. Non-offending caregivers must first learn why and how this could have happened and then, more importantly, how to deal with the child victims feelings and emotions. These emotions can range from rage, sullen, sad, hyper-activity, clinginess, no real emotions, and many others.
With all of this new and unfamiliar emotions and feelings both child victims and their non-offending caregivers need guidance, patience, and therapy. Many caregivers do not want to even talk with the child or anyone about the alleged offense. Many caregivers want to talk too much. This is why therapy is so vital to the healing, education, and action plan for non-offending caregivers.
At the Hunt County Children’s Advocacy Center we provide those services for free to all victims and their non-offending caregivers. Research has shown that therapy for both dramatically improves the mental health of all involved for the short term and long term.
If you are a non-offending caregiver of a child sexual or physical abuse victim and have not received therapy because perhaps you weren’t ready, or did not feel it was necessary…let me assure you, it is necessary for your mental health, but more importantly the mental health of the child victim in your care.Please feel free to contact our office if you need more information or need help regarding this subject.Hunt County Children’s Advocacy Center – 903-454-9999 (24/7).