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Children don’t know how to process their emotions and feelings after traumatic events, such as child abuse. This is why many children who have been emotionally, sexually, or physically abused tend to get quiet, withdraw from people, or become depressed, angry, or sensitive. Although a child may want to pretend the abuse didn’t happen and ignore it, doing so isn’t healthy.
As parents, it is your job to realize the importance of finding a therapist quickly. However, you don’t just want to turn to the first therapist in Sarasota that you come across. It is critical to your child’s mental health and well-being that you seek out a qualified therapist who has experience in dealing with similar situations. A mental health provider who is experienced in child abuse therapy can help your son or daughter recover more quickly from the trauma of the abuse.
The Reality of Delayed Therapy
If you don’t put your child into therapy immediately, it may not only affect your child’s mental health, but it can also affect aspects of a legal case. If you intend to pursue justice and a child abuse lawsuit, it is imperative to your case that your child sees a qualified child abuse therapist immediately. If your child doesn’t, the other side may raise the “implanted memory defense” theory.
This defense is often raised when a child doesn’t see a therapist right away. The other side is looking for anything to diminish the claim, which is why this defense is raised in child abuse cases in which a child waited too long to see a therapist. The defense will say that you planted those thoughts into your child’s head. To avoid this defense from being raised, take your child to a qualified therapist as soon as possible after finding out about the abuse.
As you can see here, children need therapy following abuse of any kind. To learn more about what you should do after learning of the abuse, fill out a short form on our website or call us at 888-409-3805 to receive a free copy of our book When the Unthinkable Happens: Your Guide to Florida Child Abuse Claims.