Sue Chapman and Di Cutler (pictured right with Max Chapman),Sue Brady, Phillip Tome, Ron Walter and Rae Loneragan
joined fifteen members to hear Kay Humphries (case worker
and therapist for the past 22 years) describe the specialised
counselling that Linden Place offers to children who have been
sexually abused or are showing inappropriate sexualised behaviour.
Linden Place also offers capacity building to foster parents to care for children who may have been in up to 12 homes in one year, and reparative parenting programs for non-offending parents to enable them to support their children through the trauma of abuse.
Kay referred to the high levels of denial in the community about the frequency and reality of child sexual assault. By the age of 18 years, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys will have been sexually abused in some way eg by exposure to pornographic material. Perpetrators are usually known to the family and look for vulnerable children and groom both parent and children into accepting them. Non-abusing caregivers are not to blame.
Linden Place provides a non-clinical cottage-type setting which is particularly comfortable for clients wary of government facilities, so discussion also centred on the lay-out of the backyard area. Art therapist Lyn Kaczmarek, and Kay discussed their visions for a garden where anxious children could be calmed and it could be used for social gatherings of parents and child clients.
The visit was followed by a pleasant social time at The Thirsty Crow.
 .png) |
|---|