Children who are victims of sexual abuse pose specific concerns to a professional counselor who is responsible for providing treatment to the child. Consider the following scenario:

Jeremy is an 8-year-old boy who used to exhibit normal and happy emotions. Jeremy's mother, Natalie, works a lot of hours and does not have the time to spend with him. Natalie has entrusted the help of her younger brother, Jacob, who is an unemployed 32-year-old male, to watch Jeremy. Jacob lives with Jeremy and Natalie. Over a period of about 6 months, Jeremy was exhibiting emotions of sadness, being very quiet, and acting withdrawn, which Natalie had witnessed one day while home. Natalie asked Jeremy if everything was okay, and Jeremy quietly replied, "no."

A letter from Jeremy's teacher was sent home to Natalie describing her concerns of how Jeremy's grades in class had dropped and how Jeremy exhibited "some type of emotional withdrawal." One day, Natalie was sorting Jeremy's clothes to wash when she saw blood in Jeremy's undergarments. Natalie had initially believed that Jeremy was missing his father, who was serving in the military in Afghanistan, thus concluding that that was the reason for Jeremy's change of emotions. Upon speaking with Jeremy about missing his father, Jeremy exhibited little to no emotion, and barely spoke at all. Natalie became very concerned and asked Jeremy repeatedly what was the matter. Jeremy eventually broke down and said, "Uncle Jacob has been doing things to me and makes me sleep with him in the bed."

Natalie was immediately shocked by what Jeremy had said. Natalie later confronted Jacob about what Jeremy had said, and Jacob denied everything Jeremy claimed he had done to him. While Jacob was away from the house one day, Natalie went through Jacob's items in his bedroom and found child pornography videos and magazines, as well as pictures of Jeremy in very provocative poses and some nude photographs. Law enforcement was contacted, but Natalie was also concerned about the emotional scars that Jeremy may have because of what took place between him and Jacob, and she began to seek professional help for Jeremy. The local law enforcement agency did advise Natalie that Jacob was also a victim of child sexual abuse but he had never revealed that information until he was interrogated by the police.

Natalie seeks your assistance, a trained counselor who treats child sexual abuse victims, in gaining insight to understanding child sexual abuse. As a trained professional, define and explain the type of sexual abuse from which Jeremy may be suffering. Second, describe what type of treatment program you would suggest for Jeremy to participate in that would address the needs of a victim of child sexual abuse. Finally, what type of treatment should Jacob receive since he is claiming to be a victim of sexual molestation himself?

Assignment Guidelines

• Address the following in 1,000-1,250 words:
  • Fully define, describe, and explain the type of sexual abuse from which Jeremy may be suffering.
  • What type of treatment program would you suggest for Jeremy to participate in that would address the needs of a victim of child sexual abuse?
    • Why is this program the most appropriate for Jeremy? Explain in detail.
      • Be sure to use scholarly sources to support all arguments.
  • What type of treatment should Jacob receive since he is claiming to be a victim of sexual molestation himself? Explain in detail.
  • Compare and contrast the appropriate treatments used for young victims of child sexual abuse and adults who have been sexually abused as children.
    • What challenges exist for each type of victim? Explain in detail.
  • What role does social policy play in addressing the type of abuse Jeremy suffered in this case? Explain.
  • What can be done through social policy to improve treatment options for sexual abuse victims? Explain.
  • How can the availability of treatment programs for people like Jacob be improved? Explain.
  • How can parents be educated effectively to help them identify when children are potential victims of sexual abuse? Explain.
• Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.