Improving Familial Communication
By Amy Hartman, MA, LPC, NCC, RPT
I met Jewel when she was fourteen years old. Her curly brown hair stuck out in every direction, mitigated by two tiny purple barrettes and a hot pink headband. She was loud, funny, awkward, and confused. Turns out when she was four years old her mother discovered Jewel’s father had been sexually abusing her. Her mother did everything right. She took Jewel to the hospital, called the police, cut off all contact with Jewel’s father, and started her daughter in counseling. No one ever found out how long Jewel had been abused; the scarring was so old and severe (she would never have biological children) it was impossible to tell. Jewel’s mother had always been honest with Jewel about what happened, in an age-appropriate way, but now Jewel was a teenager, interested in boys, and curious about her dad.
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