Medium
- WCSAP Webpage
Topic
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Therapy
Including siblings in treatment permits families to realize the maximum benefits of therapy for the victim as well as each family member.
—Baker, Tanis, & Rice, 2001
A child can't help being affected in some way by the sexual abuse of a brother or sister, but siblings' needs are often overlooked.
Nonabused children whose siblings have been abused may have to deal with:
- confusion because adults do not explain what is going on
- feeling neglected because their parent's attention is absorbed by the needs of the child who has been abused
- feeling guilty because they knew or suspected the abuse, but did not say anything
- feeling guilty because they was spared from being abused
- being overwhelmed by a parent who treats the child as a confidante and leans heavily on the child
- being upset because of the changes in the family
- feeling anger toward either the abuser or toward the abused child because it seems as though the victim disrupted the family's life
- unwelcome changes in routine
- absence of an abusive parent or extended family member, which may feel like a loss
- worry that they may be victimized as well
- repeated questioning by parents or authorities to determine if they have been abused
Therapists and advocates can help by ensuring that siblings' needs are recognized. These needs may include:
- clear, age-appropriate explanations about the abuse and what is happening in the family now
- additional attention from trusted adults (such as a grandparent, aunt, or uncle) when the parent is overwhelmed
- arrangements to keep up with their normal routine and activities to the extent possible
- some individual time and attention from the parent(s)
- consistent (age-appropriate) rules for all kids in the family, to the extent possible
- individual or family therapy
Providing information to parents about the needs of nonabused siblings is vitally important for families affected by abuse.