The more our communities understand about trauma, the more likely we are to help survivors of experiences such as clergy sexual abuse achieve healing and post-traumatic growth.…… Read more “Courageous Conversation: Abuse Survivors Can Heal—and Thrive—in the Aftermath of Trauma”
Tag: trauma
3 Tools that Can Help Victim-Survivors Heal
Editor’s Note: This week we revisit a 2020 post describing treatment modalities that can be beneficial for trauma recovery. In the aftermath of sexual abuse, many victim-survivors…… Read more “3 Tools that Can Help Victim-Survivors Heal”
What Structural Factors Contribute to Abuse in the Catholic Church?
Some in the Catholic community believe that the sexual abuse crisis in the Church is solely the result of a few “bad apples,” or the acts of…… Read more “What Structural Factors Contribute to Abuse in the Catholic Church?”
Courageous Conversation: Survivors Discuss the Sacred Power of Listening
In the latest installment of Awake Milwaukee’s Courageous Conversations last week, two survivors of clergy sexual abuse offered moving testimony about the power of having others listen…… Read more “Courageous Conversation: Survivors Discuss the Sacred Power of Listening”
6 Ways Clergy and Church Leaders Can Build Trauma-Sensitive Parishes
Psychologists and others who work with victim-survivors of sexual abuse say that sexual abuse is so pervasive that many people sitting in church on any given Sunday have experienced abuse—perpetrated by family members or friends, clergy or coaches, scout Read more
What Happens if I Make a Report to the Wisconsin Clergy Abuse Hotline?
Last week the office of Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul released details about the reports it has received so far through the Department of Justice (DOJ) hotline…… Read more “What Happens if I Make a Report to the Wisconsin Clergy Abuse Hotline?”
Enablers and Bystanders: Are They Key to Addressing the Sex Abuse Crisis?
This week we revisit a thought-provoking post we first published in fall 2020. It shares ideas from law professor Amos Guiora, who studies the pivotal role of…… Read more “Enablers and Bystanders: Are They Key to Addressing the Sex Abuse Crisis?”
The Complicated Question of Forgiveness After Sexual Abuse
Forgiveness is central to Christianity. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells Peter to forgive, “not seven times, but 77 times.” And in the letter to the…… Read more “The Complicated Question of Forgiveness After Sexual Abuse”
Yes, the Pennsylvania Attorney General Investigation of Clergy Abuse was Hard. But It Helped My Mom and Fellow Abuse Survivors.
When I look back on 2016, I realize what a strange and intense year it was for me and my family. It was the year that I watched the start of the Pennsylvania grand jury investigation Read more
Courageous Conversation: Understanding Trauma to Build Trauma–Sensitive Parishes
Every parish has members who have experienced sexual abuse or other types of trauma, making it essential to create communities that feel welcoming and safe to victims and survivors, said Stephen Read more
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