Keeping children safe in their very own homes

Statistics show that one out of every three girls and one out of every seven boys will be sexually abused by the age of 18.  In more than 80% of those cases the person responsible for the abuse will be a family member or someone very well known to the family.

Traditionally, therapies used in child sexual abuse situations treated family members one-on-one.  These approaches were limited to their emphasis on the effects of child abuse rather than the causes.  Child abuse is symptomatic of larger problems in the family, but traditional therapies, with their emphasis on individual therapy, have often failed to help families move beyond child sexual abuse to learn new ways of relating to one another in the midst of managing life's challenges.  By involving the entire family, chances for healing and stopping the generational cycle of abuse are improved.   

At Family Place, we use an innovative, whole-family treatment approach to stop the cycle of child sexual abuse while helping families create safe, loving homes.  Child sexual abuse within the home tears the family apart and distorts family roles.  Children who are victims of abuse are traumatized and every family member suffers.  In our unique program, children who were abused have the opportunity, in a therapeutic setting, for the person responsible for their abuse to admit to the abuse and to apologize to the child and others in the family. 

During this time, it is important that a family discover resources to bring healing from the damage of child sexual abuse and to ensure safety for all concerned.  Family Place facilitates this process by providing all members of the family age 3 to adult with family, peer group and individual therapy.  In addition, each family member is given appropriate educational and specialty experiences.  This intensive process of specially tailored family and individual therapy usually lasts approximately two years. 

The Family Place: A Child Abuse Treatment Agency 1800 Neville Drive Louisville, KY 40216 (502) 636-2801 FAX: (502) 636-2857