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What Brings Clients Into Sexual Abuse Counselling?

From all the different traumatic stressors, sexual assault is the event that’s most likely to lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A large study on sexual abuse of women found that among many victims, 32% had PTSD at some point.

Counselling is an effective treatment for PTSD. Whether it is combined with medication or not, counselling can be a viable approach for those looking to overcome the mental implications of a traumatic experience. Counselling can work even if the event happened a long time ago.

The question is, what brings people into sexual abuse counselling? And how effective can it really be for those who went through any type of sexual abuse? Let’s take a look at the impact of sexual abuse counselling.

What Brings Victim to Sexual Abuse Counselling?

Any traumatic experience, particularly sexual abuse, can lead to anxiety, depression, and uncontrolled anger. Roughly 615 million people are suffering from depression or anxiety. Mental illness is extremely common and can affect your day-to-day life.

Sexual abuse adds more fuel to the fire. Victims can show signs of PTSD, especially when presented with a trigger. The trigger could be anything, from where the trauma took place, to something that might resemble their perpetrator.

Victims can also resort to self-harm or develop a distorted view of sex. They could have trouble building intimacy in a new relationship or become sexually overactive. The trauma can take many forms, which can lead to substantial fractures in the person’s well-being and self-esteem.

What we mean by counselling for sexual abuse is that patients are getting a wide range of practical approaches, knowledge, and tactics that can help them overcome the trauma. Regardless of how long ago it happened. Here is what brings clients into sexual abuse counselling.

Every patient has their own trauma that they want to overcome. For some victims and survivors, the effects of sexual abuse remain apparent throughout their life. Sexual trauma can have a drastic effect on a person’s physical and psychological well-being. Without proper management, it can hinder their career, faith, intimate partnerships, and the bonds they have with family and friends. Those in search of various counselling options often find themselves confused about whether they should pick traditional sexual abuse advocacy or systemic approaches. Here, you can take a look at what both have to offer. Including whether one is better than the other. This is a detailed overview of what to expect with the different forms of sexual abuse counselling.

1. Clients Reclaim Their Sexual Health

Maintaining sexual intimacy after sexual abuse can be a real challenge. Since sexual abuse is unwanted sexual contact or exposure, the emotional impact can cause discomfort, limit your sexual activity, lead to guilt, shame, or distress. Many clients are also suffering from trust issues, which can have a drastic impact on their sex life. In counselling, clients can take a closer look at what’s hindering their progress. It could be their body image, stress, regular nightmares, medication, depression, etc. Counsellors address these problems and teach patients how to overcome their sexual trauma.

2. Clients Achieve a Better Control Over Their Behavioral Health

Unfortunately, a lot of sexual abuse victims turn to drugs, alcohol, or medication to numb the stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. But, the relationship between sexual violence and substance abuse goes both ways.

What most people don’t realize is that those who abuse substances, whether that is drugs or alcohol are more likely to experience sexual violence. The impaired judgment puts them in vulnerable situations. Through counselling, people can avoid these pitfalls and acquire better-coping tactics. These are one of the benefits of sexual abuse counselling.

3. Clients Learn to Move Past the Flashbacks and Nightmares

A traumatic event can surely leave a drastic impact. Many sexual abuse victims relive their memories in nightmares or flashbacks. They re-experience the event on a regular basis, which makes it highly overwhelming.

The reason why many patients choose counselling is that they can start easy. The treatment takes time, thus allowing them to establish trust and comfort with their counsellor . With time, victims can learn to override the negative beliefs and thought patterns and mitigate their PTSD at its core.

4. Clients Get Their Physical Health Back on Track

After dealing with trauma, the odds of experiencing physical ailments get higher. So, how can trauma affect your physical health? When a person experiences trauma, their body creates a surge in cortisol and adrenaline. Unresolved traumatic events can trigger these responses even in a non-threatening situation. For a person who has had such an experience in early childhood, their brain structure is most likely to change. Thus, leading to long-term behavioural and physical health problems. By managing the mental unrest, counselling can help clients get their routine in check, which can benefit overall health. Any unhealthy habits, like drug use, smoking, changes in blood pressure, and cholesterol, could all stem from that traumatic experience. Counselling can help you overcome the trauma and create a healthier path.

An individual who goes through sexual assault or abuse can develop both physical and emotional trauma. The combination of both can often lead to victims losing control of their life and struggling a lot with normal tasks. Sexual violence is grotesquely common in our society, and women are the primary targets. However, sexual abuse isn’t just limited to women. Many men and boys also suffer from sexual trauma every year. Regardless of age and gender, healing from sexual abuse can be a long journey, but it’s possible. One of the most effective ways of healing from the trauma is sexual abuse counseling.

4. Clients Take Their Power Back

Every conversation you’ve ever had, every memory or experience you’ve shared in counselling, will become a stepping stone to a healthy recovery. Victims feel powerless at first. This is wreaking havoc in their lives. With counselling, you can reclaim that power and take back the happiness and productivity that you deserve. Counselling can show you exactly how to make that happen. It has helped many people. That’s why it can give you the boost you’ve always wanted.

Final Thoughts

Sexual abuse counselling is highly effective for clients willing to make a change. It provides people with practical methods to move past their trauma and create a unique response that will overcome the unrest. Even if it takes time to achieve the desired result, this is a time well-spent. The effectiveness of sexual abuse counselling is profound and can come in handy in the long run.

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