Easy Overview to Child Abuse Treatment

Physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect can be extremely traumatic for a child and may cause severe, long-lasting problems. An individual who has been subjected to child abuse may suffer from irreversible physiological and emotional consequences. The effects of child abuse may prevent an individual from living a normal life. Therefore, it is essential that an individual who has been subjected to child abuse.

Trauma-Focused

Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy is one form of therapy that is commonly used to treat children.

Abuse-Focused

Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy is a short term treatment used in order to help children that have suffered from physical abuse to cope with the emotional and psychological trauma that they have experienced. This treatment seeks not only to address the effects, but also the cause of the abuse. Therefore, this type of therapy will include treating the parent or the guardian that is responsible for the abuse, as well as the child who has been subjected to the abuse. The parent and the child will each have individual therapy sessions and will then have joint therapy sessions.

Abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy helps to ensure that the child has a safe and secure environment to return to by altering the behavior of the abuser. It will also address the psychological and emotional effects that the child has sustained due to the abuse that they endured.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a form of treatment that is often used for child abuse survivors in which the victim talks about their experiences and feelings with a trained counselor. Talking is often considered to be the best form of therapy. It allows an individual to confront their traumatic experiences and to better understand their behavior and feelings.

A professional therapist will be able to provide a child abuse victim with effective methods of controlling anxiety that they retain due to the the abuse that was inflicted upon them. This form of therapy is often used in order to increase the bond between parents and children after psychological abuse or physical abuse has occurred. Psychotherapy will allow a family to talk through their problems instead of resorting to aggressive and harmful behavior. It may also help a family to better understand each other.

Other Forms

There are a variety of different forms of therapy that may be beneficial to a child who has been subjected to physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, or neglect. These forms of therapy offer a variety of different ways in which a child can express their feelings and emotions, as well as cope with the detrimental effects of child abuse.

Play therapy may be used as a form of treatment for children who are under the age of 11. Children use play as a means of expressing a variety of different needs and desires that they may not know how to verbalize. Therapists who specialize in this form of therapy have the ability to observe a child playing and determine what they have experienced that has altered their behavior or personality.

Group therapy is another form of therapy that is often used in order to treat victims of abuse. Group therapy allows victims to interact with other children who have lived through similar experiences as they have.

Art therapy is commonly used for victims who have experienced trauma. It provides children who have been subjected to abuse with a way to express their emotions and feelings in a positive and creative manner. This may be very therapeutic for a child abuse victim.

Music therapy implements the use of songs to provoke memories and emotions. It will often force a child to confront their traumatic experiences and provide them with methods of coping with them.

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