When Your Child Has Been Molested

The Authors Kathryn Brohl, M.A., is a licensed marriage and family therapist who has worked in the field of child welfare for more than thirty years. She is the author and coeditor of numerous books and trains child welfare advocates on trauma. Joyce Case Potter has twenty years' experience as a freelance writer and is also active in the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Reality Checks ix

Introduction xi

1. Learning Your Child Has Been Molested 1

2. Reporting Child Sexual Abuse: Investigation and Prosecution Stages 17

3. Supporting Your Child After His Disclosure 27

4. Physical and Emotional Signs of Child and Youth Sexual Abuse 45

5. Your Professional Support Team 59

6. The Formal/Forensic Interview: Helping Investigators Work Effectively with Your Child 65

7. The Judicial Process: Why It Takes a While 77

8. Understanding Grief Stages and Secondary Traumatic Stress 87

9. Working with a Counselor 103

10. Helping Your Child Recover 115

11. The Impact on Family Members 129

12. Strengthening Family Communication 135

13. Dealing with Extended Family and Others 145

14. When You or Your Child Must Appear in Court 153

15. When the Sexual Abuse Is Incest 165

16. You Know Your Family Is Getting Better When 179

Glossary 189

Additional Information 197

Resources 203

About the Authors 207

Index 209