Individuals who have been victims of childhood abuse can continue to suffer well past the cessation of the abuse.
Victims of childhood abuse often feel that opening up to others about their experiences may cause them further emotional pain and discomfort. Psychological therapy can help victims of childhood abuse work through early experiences and uncover the negative impact on their present-day thoughts and reactions so that they can begin to move forward and lead a meaningful and enriching life.
Victims of childhood abuse have a higher risk than the general population of experiencing many other psychological and social difficulties such as:
Low self-esteem
Developing damaging addictions
Difficulties forming strong and healthy relationships
Developing feelings of guilt and fear
Difficulties maintaining emotional stability
Developing post-traumatic stress symptoms
Sleep difficulties
Suicidal ideation
Sleep disorders
Childhood abuse can take many different forms, including physical abuse (hitting and physical violence), emotional abuse (bullying, berating and demeaning a person), sexual abuse (involvement of a child in sexual activity, exploited by a person in position of power, including non-contact abuse) and neglect (failure to provide minimum duty of care). Abuse can range from a one-off incident, to multiple occurrences over the course of many years. Every case of childhood abuse is a serious violation of human rights and is a transgression of trust, duty of care and power by perpetrators.
We are here to help
At Strategic Psychology we have trained and experienced psychologists who are able to discuss your experiences with childhood abuse, help you to understand what you experienced and how these experiences may be affecting you in your life right now. Through understanding, awareness and self-compassion, it is possible to move forward from the experiences of childhood abuse and accompanying negative emotions to live a meaningful and enriching life.
Match with a Psychologist
Steps you can take
Contact us at Strategic Psychology via phone, email or drop in to our office to make an appointment to see a psychologist if your past experiences are impacting on your ability to live a healthy and meaningful life.
No referral is needed to make an appointment. However, if eligible, Medicare offers rebates on psychological services with a Mental Health Treatment Plan referral from your GP. In order to access these supports, you can make an appointment with your GP to discuss your mental health care needs.
All forms of childhood abuse are crimes under Australian Law. As part of professional and ethical conduct, your psychologist is bound by Mandatory Reporting laws to support the ongoing safety of all children.