Bethesda provides expert care for all children in Oklahoma who have suffered the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. For over 40 years, Bethesda has been a place of healing for children and families, ensuring the highest quality of individual and group counseling for children 3-18 years old and their caregivers. The therapists of Bethesda use a variety of therapeutic interventions to help children heal from the trauma of sexual abuse.
Bethesda’s mission is to heal the trauma of childhood sexual abuse through therapy, education, and prevention.
Bethesda bases its therapeutic counseling services on the Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Model (TF-CBT). This model is a therapeutic intervention designed to help children, adolescents, and their parents overcome the trauma of adverse events, such as sexual abuse. All Bethesda counseling staff are trained in TF-CBT.
THE FOCUS OF TREATMENT IS TO: Assist the child or adolescent to develop coping strategies for traumatic stress reactions
Reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, or acting out behavior which are common in children exposed to trauma
WHAT CAN MY CHILD EXPECT FROM TF-CBT?
You can expect that your child will:
- Learn that the abuse and subsequent trauma is not their fault
- Learn that they are not alone; they are not the only ones that have suffered abuse and trauma
- Learn healthy coping skills and how to utilize those skills when faced with negative reminders
- Identify negative thoughts that lead to depression or anxiety
- Learn how to replace negative thoughts with more positive and helpful ones
- Learn helpful steps for personal safety
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF A PARENT OR CAREGIVER?
Participation of the caregiver is a helpful way to assist the child in treatment. If a caregiver participates, the child is more likely to succeed.
TF-CBT assists caregivers by:
- Helping them process their own feelings about the child’s traumatic experience
- Adopting parenting skills and techniques
- Improving communication
- Learning to support the child as he/she heals from the trauma
