Reference no: EM133880039
Assignment:
Create peer reply Child sexual abuse often follows a patterned progression involving six distinct phases: engagement, sexual interaction, secrecy, disclosure, suppression, and survival. In the engagement phase, the perpetrator grooms the child, building trust and creating a context that allows inappropriate boundaries to be crossed without immediate resistance. This may involve manipulation, emotional coercion, or exploiting unmet emotional needs (James et al., 2025, p. 292). The sexual interaction phase is the actual occurrence of abuse, during which the abuser uses either subtle coercion or overt force. The child may experience confusion or dissociation, especially when the abuse is disguised as affection or care.
The secrecy phase follows, in which the perpetrator often pressures the child into silence. This may involve threats, guilt, or convincing the child that no one will believe them. The disclosure phase can occur deliberately or accidentally and may be met with skepticism or support. During the suppression phase, families or institutions may downplay or deny the abuse, often to protect reputations or maintain family systems. Finally, in the survival phase, the child-now often an adolescent or adult-must make sense of the trauma and begin healing.
In this final phase, the counselor's role becomes especially critical. Supporting survivors means helping them reclaim their narrative, validate their experiences, and re-establish a sense of control and safety. Therapeutic approaches may include grounding techniques, psychoeducation, and helping clients dismantle internalized shame or guilt that originated from family denial or social silence (James et al., 2025, pp. 296-297). The counselor also acts as an advocate, especially when family members or communities remain dismissive or complicit.
Most child sexual abuse goes unreported, and this silence is rooted in shame, fear, and a lack of protective adult responses. James et al. (2025) note that family dynamics often discourage disclosure, especially when abuse is perpetrated by a trusted figure (p. 292). Children may fear punishment, disbelief, or family rupture. Changing this pattern requires community-wide cultural shifts-destigmatizing abuse, offering age-appropriate prevention education, and ensuring systems respond with belief and support rather than suspicion and blame. For parents or caregivers to seek help, they must be assured that doing so will not result in additional harm or blame. Trauma-informed systems, survivor-centric policies, and trusted community education are essential to change the pattern of silence.