Counselling for Survivors of Childhood Abuse

by Jessica W. Writer

People experiencing childhood abuse can become victims of many different traumatic issues, such as inexplicable fears, feelings of shame, inability to trust, and so on. But a counsellor can effectively address to such problems and help to alleviate them in a safe and congenial way.

For most people with a history of childhood abuse, counsellor may be the first person who they have shared the incident with. They might have kept the terrible secret locked up in silence for as long as years or sometimes, even decades. Talking to a psychologist about it can however bring a great amount of relief. If the victim has tried to disclose the abuse earlier but only met with rejection and disbelief, then being heard as well as believed for the first time by a counsellor can be of immense significance.

Trust issue is a common problem found in most survivors of childhood abuse. They find it almost impossible to put their faith into anyone - some can as well be potential abusers, while others simply may not believe. There can be yet another serious problem that is entirely in contrast with the trust issue. Survivors as children often do not learn how to recognise trustworthy people. Therefore, they tend to have a hard time doing it even in adulthood which often makes them incapable of recognising dangerous situations or abusive relationships. Most counsellors in Bondi are trained in such a way that they can be trusted with reliability, confidentiality, and various other issues. Being able to talk to someone who can be trusted can help the victim to trust other people as well.

Childhood abuse is distressing in a number of ways, and young kids often try to protect themselves from the trauma by breaking up with awareness of the incident. This process is termed as dissociation, and resembles a lot to self-hypnosis. A dangerous consequence of this can be the survivor experiencing horrifying flashbacks that do not seem to be real memories. However, a reputed counsellor in Bondi can aid the survivor to better understand the dissociation, and ultimately alleviate the fears.

Some survivors may also feel intense shame, carrying it around with themselves all the time. Revealing the story of the abuse to a trained psychologist or counsellor may enable them to view things differently. It can also bring about a huge sense of relief from the feelings of shame. Grief and anger surfacing during the session can also be safely dealt with.

Although the treatment provided by a counsellor may take some time to have effect, it will eventually make the survivor feel ready to get over the incident, empowered and free to live life in a positive way.