Helping People grow!

 

• Waking up during the night sweating, screaming or shaking with nightmares.

• Masturbating excessively.

• Showing unusually aggressive behavior toward family members, friends, toys, and pets.

• Complaining of pain while urinating or having a bowel movement, or exhibiting symptoms of genital infections such as offensive odors, or symptoms of a sexually transmitted disease.

• Having symptoms indicating evidence of physical traumas to the genital or anal area.

• Beginning wetting the bed.

• Experiencing a loss of appetite or other eating problems, including unexplained gagging.

• Showing unusual fear of a certain place or location.

• Developing frequent unexplained health problems.

• Engaging in persistent sexual play with friends, toys or pets.

• Having unexplained periods of panic, which may be flashbacks from the abuse.

• Regressing to behaviors too young for the stage of development they already achieved.

• Initiating sophisticated sexual behaviors.

• Indicating a sudden reluctance to be alone with a certain person.

• Engaging in self-mutilations, such as sticking themselves with pins or cutting themselves.

• Withdrawing from previously enjoyable activities, like school or school performance change.

• Asking an unusual amount of questions about human sexuality.

 

(By Kathy Smedley, Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Marriage, Family Therapist, and Program Director for the Northeast Texas Children’s Advocacy Center.)