Counseling Services

ABUSE & NEGLECT

When harm is inflicted in the very place a child is supposed to learn to enjoy feelings of safety and trust, the effects are not only psychologically devastating but they can be life-long.

Tragically, child abuse and neglect happen most often in the home and by the parents of the abused child. In the heart and mind of a child, it is nothing short of a life-threatening catastrophe to be victimized by the very persons whom they are dependent upon for their physical and emotional well-being. Sometimes, the trust and belief that inherently exists in a child towards its parents can sometimes make it difficult, even in adulthood, to recognize abuse for what it was. This is especially true when the abuse did not leave broken bones or bruises in its wake.

Other times, the abuse of neglect is all too painfully obvious. While abuse always leaves devastation in its wake, the nature and form the abuse took will result in different responses within the victim of abuse. For example, sexual abuse brings with it a set of problems all its own. Without outside help, the effects of child abuse or neglect are almost never adequately understood by the person who has suffered the abuse. Child Abuse is sinister in how it continues to take a toll on its adult victims.

Long term effects of child abuse include pervasive...

Fear
Anxiety
Depression
Anger
Hostility
Mistrust
Inappropriate sexual behavior
Poor self-esteem
Tendency toward substance abuse
Difficulty with close relationships

Keeping abuse quiet only deepens its harmful effects. If you have been a victim of abuse or neglect, please contact Grace Clinic: we would love to help you walk through the aftermath towards the peace and well-being God intends for you.

Quote:
"When people – through absolutely of fault of their own – are subject to terrible crimes against God and against their souls, like sexual abuse, powerful forces are set in motion within them that make it especially frightening to give themselves to others. Exhorting them to “just trust God” tends to generate frustration and provoke angry questions about the reality of Christian truth."

- Dr. Larry Crabb

Counseling Services

ABUSE & NEGLECT

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