April 2019: What can you do to prevent child abuse?

Welcome to April - Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month. When facing an epidemic (which child abuse is in my opinion), we really need to be aware and in prevention mode every month -- but! I get it....having a dedicated month signals to our society that this matters, it's important, pay attention.

Today, I want to encourage you to get involved and there are lots of ways you can!

1. Visit childwelfare.gov and explore the resources they have available.

2. Use their calendars to be mindful of doing a little something each day.

3. Share your story with someone you love and trust (the more we discuss this topic, the less stigmatized it becomes.)

4. Volunteer at a shelter or with an organization. I particularly love Lauren's Kids.

5. Set up a screening of the film Resilience (one of my client's who is a teacher is doing this for the parents and teachers at her school!).

And remember, as Robert Uttaro says,

"...no matter how much evil I see, I think it’s important for everyone to understand that there is much more light than darkness.” 

Standing with you in the light so we can continue to battle the darkness.

Encouraging you, in the face of your own pain and trauma, to step outside of that for even a moment this month and consider what role you might play in the life of another who is hurting.

And, as always, if there is anything I can do to support you in your healing journey - don't hesitate to reach out!

Soldiering on,

Watch this video to hear my take on parenting to prevent the next generation of #metoo stories.



Read this article to learn how you can talk to children about consent.




What can you do this month to raise awareness and get involved?

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BOOK OF THE MONTH

Parenting with PTSD is an anthology and workbook for parents who are survivors of childhood abuse. Editors Joyelle Brandt and Dawn Daum are survivors of childhood abuse working to break the cycle for their own families. Raising children as an abuse survivor is often a lonely and isolating experience, as the triggers and flashbacks of abuse can be hard for non-survivors to understand. When they were looking for stories of how other survivors coped, and couldn't find any, they decided that something needed to change. So together they started an online community specifically for parent survivors, and started collecting essays to create Parenting with PTSD. Breaking the silence allows for an honest conversation about the lifetime journey of healing from childhood trauma. This is a combination of essays, journal questions, and recommended resources. It is intended to be a starting point to more conversations about how we can heal both individually and within our families, communities, and institutions.

READ MORE HERE!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

April Topic: Visibility & Invisibility

As survivors of sexual abuse, we often have very complicated feelings about visibility and invisibility. Most of us don’t choose one over the other all of the time. This month, we will explore how we feel about being visible/invisible and the impact this has on our sense of self, our relationships, our enjoyment of life, and our careers.


Learn More & Register Here