Comments for Lack of Child Abuse Resources for Survivors

Mar 15, 2009

Part 1: Not all therapists are created equally...
by: Darlene Barriere - Webmaster

Tracy, you bring up some good points about diagnoses, and the way in which they are arrived at. I believe ALL professions in the field of psychology/psychiatry need to keep more of an open mind when it comes to mental illness. They must also stay up to date, which many of them do not. But I would be remiss if I didn't caution about self-diagnosis, be it for a physical or mental ailment. We don't know what we don't know. We only know what we see on the Internet and perhaps in books. And please, don't misunderstand; I'm not saying that you do or do not suffer from the "Complex" of the traumatic stress disorders. What I do believe, however, is in treating the symptoms; not necessarily the diagnosis. I have several family members and friends who have been diagnosed and treated for PTSD caused by long-term child abuse. So perhaps there is a bias among some professionals when it comes to this pervasive disorder. Perhaps you were dealing with such a biased professional.

I cannot speak to your particular case, Tracy. What I can say is that the right therapist can do wonders. The wrong therapist can do harm. You're living proof of that. When it comes to our mental health, we must be our own advocates (more on this in Part 2 below) or find someone who can help us with advocacy.

Thank you for sharing your point of view with my visitors and me. And I do hope you will find your path toward healing and recovery.

See Part 2: In response to your additional comments... below.

Darlene Barriere
Webmaster: www.child-abuse-effects.com
Violence & Abuse Prevention Educator
Author: On My Own Terms, A Memoir

Mar 15, 2009

Part 2: In response to your additional comments...
by: Darlene Barriere - Webmaster

Tracy, you wrote: "In looking around your site I have discovered you don't like to publish stories that shine a bad light on therapists, so you may not want to post my blog entry anywhere. That is okay if you don't want to. I just find that I am very frustrated with the lack of proper resources for victims like myself who, one the one hand, may look and act normal in most respects but, on the other hand, are so shredded up inside that we are actually verging on total debilitation and yet no one can seem to connect the dots."

I believe your comment (moved to above) was spurred by a comment I left on one of Haley's posts some time ago. What I was trying to get across in that comment was that I would not allow my site to become a place where it was open season on therapists. I still won't allow that, and I never will. If a person has a problem with a particular therapist, then that person needs to address it with that therapist; and if it cannot be resolved, then it's time to move on.

Not all therapists are created equally. As clients, we have no way of knowing how well they did in their education; no access to their marks; no way to tell if they are biased or not, etc. That is, until we either interview them or actually begin our sessions with them. Trust is critical to the success of any therapy process; without it, there will likely be no progress. But clients must be proactive in their own treatment, as difficult as that can be when that client is already in a depressed or despairing state of mind. The paradox is not lost on me; we as clients have to trust the pros know what they are doing. After all, they are the professionals. However, I believe that if a person is of sound enough mind to recognize they need therapy in the first place, then they can recognize when something isn't right within the process. Yes, there are elements to therapy that are grueling and perhaps even extremely uncomfortable; but it is up to the therapist to create a safe environment within the process. And yes, there is a power thing involved, since the therapist is in a position of trust. If the power of that trust is misused, then it can have severe repercussions on the client. That's why it's so important to also have outside support in tandem with therapy sessions.

Again, Tracy, thank you for the post. I do hope you find the path for yourself, the path that will lead you to healing and recovery.

Darlene Barriere
Webmaster: www.child-abuse-effects.com
Violence & Abuse Prevention Educator
Author: On My Own Terms, A Memoir

Mar 15, 2009

therapists are very neccessary
by: Maurice1

there important in a world that has become inundated with the millions of Child Abuse Cases coming into the world arena from every small area of the world. Whether it is my small cottage in the rural part of Ireland or mansions.houses in Aerica/Africa/New Zealand/England wherever in the world. Human Natue is the same the world over.We will never have enough therapists to cope with the amount. Human Nature has it's own mechanism to cope though because 80% of family life is proving to be the winner in loving, caring, and valueing the individual. The Family unit is still the kernal of our human society. Even Families whose parents were abused are the better for it. LOve in such families is real, natural, normal, honest, truthful creating a bond of genuine family life. So tracey be fair to yourself and think positive, act positive and be positive for your future. Let go of negativity feelings. the negative in us will bring us to our knees but we need to love. I need to love myself, and say Hi I'm Special, kick my own bottom and get on with living my life to the full.

Mar 17, 2009

Reply to Maurice
by: Anonymous

Hi Maurice, thanks for your words of encouragement. they mean a lot to me. I do want to stress though that I have tried very hard to be positive in my life and it does work for a while but then things always seem to unravel again. That is why I believe that therapy, with the right therapist, is so critical. As Darlene stated, the wrong therapist can do more harm than good and I can attest to having been guided by more than one of the wrong therapist. That is why I ultimately turn to the internet and self-diagnosis, so I can "get to the bottom of it" so to speak.

I think the best analogy I can make about a fragile psychological state is this: If I had cut my arm off at the age of five, I would have spent my whole life from that age on coping with a life where I don't have the use of that arm. No one would ever say, "pick yourself up and just get over it...start using your arm again". Well, that is perfectly impossible to do if the arm is gone. The best one can ever hope for is a method of "coping" with the lost arm. That is why I find it so hard when people say, "get on with things, lighten up, etc.". I honestly feel that there is a piece of me missing that is critical to my functioning as a contented and happy adult. It simply is not there. I therefore must find the right therapist that will help me cope with that missing piece. That missing piece has created in me a disability that is not visible to anyone but which is equally as debilitating as the loss of a limb. I hope my analogy makes sense.

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Comments for Lack of Child Abuse Resources for Survivors

Most Recent

Converging Stolen Lives

A letter to one of the 13 Turpin children

Dissociated From Abuse