Childhood Abuse

Childhood abuse is just as prevalent today as it was in generations past. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that nearly 3 million U.S. children experience some form of maltreatment annually, predominantly by a parent, family member or other adult care-giver, according to the U.S. Children’s Bureau. This abuse is not just physical.

We have all read of the professional football player who whipped his child with a stick. His justification was that he was “disciplined” as a child in the same way. Sound familiar? The renowned actor Alan Cumming told Time Magazine of his being abused at the hands of his father when he was a child growing up. His ordeal was even more horrific; his father once shaved his head with sheep shears, leaving him almost bald.

As if that tragedy were not enough, children come to accept this parental behavior as normal. Of course it is not. In Actor, Cumming’s case, he and his brother confronted their abusive father in their adult years; after which, they never saw him again. This confrontation was probably the most therapeutic thing that they could have done. Many of us never confront this behavior. Some even talk of it with pride!

Childhood abuse does not end when he/she leaves home to become an adult. Again, the American Psychological Association reports that, “Children who are emotionally abused and neglected face similar and sometimes worse mental health problems as children who are physically or sexually abused, yet psychological abuse is rarely addressed in prevention programs or in treating victims”.

The APA goes on to report that children who have been abused suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, symptoms of PTSD, and suicide…” This is not to forget the abuser who, quite often, was a victim him or herself.

Sometimes these symptoms do not manifest themselves until well after the abuse ends. This can become more complicated, and sometimes more difficult to recover from because the connection between the abuse and the mental health problem is lost. We often fail to make the connection, childhood to adulthood, and therefore misperceive its causality; thus, rendering recovery more difficult and time-consuming.

We at Counseling on Demand recognize this and we have helped countless clients, abused or abuser, to get through such issues. We are just a click away at www.www.counselingondemand.com . Once there you have the options of face-to-face Skype, Chat line, email or phone.

Contact us for a free initial consultation which will start you on your way to a better life.

Matthew Hunt
Lead Online Counselor, CEO
Counseling On Demand, LLC
Tel: 317-445-4006
matt@counselingondemand.com
www.www.counselingondemand.com
“Effective Online Counseling…
Only A Click Away”