You Are Enough™: Join a Peer Support Group for Parents Affected by Child Sexual Abuse
If your child has fallen victim to sexual violence, you are not alone. Join a peer support group to connect with other parents and caregivers who understand your journey. Groups are currently being held in Finland and the United Kingdom.
What Are You Enough™ Peer Support Groups?
You Are Enough™ groups are safe, welcoming spaces where parents and caregivers whose children have experienced sexual violence can come together online to share, listen, and heal. Led by trained facilitators, these groups meet remotely for 10 sessions, focusing on providing emotional support, practical tools, and the reassurance that you are not alone.
Parents and caregivers are in a primary role in supporting their child during the various phases of the criminal procedure and in maintaining a normal daily life for the entire family as far as possible. We see the strength parents and caregivers have and underline the importance of offering support to the entire family during this difficult time. Through peer support, many parents and caregivers have received crucial support and guidance to foster hope and healing.
Why Join a Group?
-
Find Connection: Meet other parents who understand your experiences and emotions.
-
Gain Strength: Share stories, advice, and strategies to help you move forward.
-
Feel Supported: Receive guidance from facilitators and peers in a confidential and compassionate environment.
-
Heal Together: Reclaim hope and empowerment as you navigate this challenging journey.
Joining an online You Are Enough™ group is simple:
-
Sign Up Online: Complete the short registration form.
-
Attend Initial Discussion: To figure out together whether this is the right support for you.
-
Attend Your First Session: Experience the safety of non-judgmental space and connection of peer support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find a service organising You Are Enough™ groups in your country and sign up using an online form, and we’ll guide you through the process of finding the right group for you.
You Are Enough™ groups are free of charge.
The groups are led by trained professionals who have completed specialised facilitator training.
Our team will match you with a group based on your specific needs and preferences to ensure you feel supported and understood.
All groups are held online.
Types of You Are Enough™ Groups
Our You Are Enough™ peer-support groups are tailored to address the specific needs of parents and caregivers based on the unique circumstances of their family's experience. By offering specialized groups, we ensure that parents and caregivers can connect with others facing similar challenges in a safe and understanding environment.
For parents and caregivers whose children have experienced sexual violence perpetrated by someone close to the family, such as a relative, family friend, or trusted adult. This group provides support for navigating complex emotions like betrayal, anger, and grief.
Discovering that someone close to your family has been involved in your child’s victimisation can be devastating, often evoking challenging emotions such as betrayal, loss, self-blame, and shame in non-abusing carers and family members. Here, you will find support from other parents and caregivers who have faced similar challenges.
These groups help parents and caregivers process and navigate challenging emotions, experiences, and changes in familial relationships and family dynamics, whilst connecting with others, fostering healing, and rebuilding a sense of security and stability after trauma. You Are Enough.
Designed for parents and caregivers whose children have experienced sexual violence by someone outside the family, such as a stranger or acquaintance. This group focuses on addressing the unique challenges of coping with such events and moving forward.
Discovering that a child has been harmed by someone outside the family—such as a teacher, coach, friend, or stranger—can be deeply unsettling, often evoking challenging emotions such as self-blame, anger, or feelings of unsafety. Here, you will find support from other parents and caregivers who have faced similar challenges.
These groups help parents and caregivers process and navigate challenging emotions, experiences, whilst connecting with others, fostering healing, and rebuilding a sense of security and stability after trauma. You Are Enough.
For parents and caregivers whose children have been victimised through online platforms, such as grooming, exploitation, or the sharing of sexual images. This group helps parents and caregivers understand and respond to the unique aspects of digital offences.
The impacts of online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSEA) can be as severe and damaging as in-person sexual abuse, with many reports highlighting the importance of providing tailored support for victims of OCSEA and their families. Here, you will find support from other parents and caregivers who have faced similar challenges.
These groups focus specifically on offences that have taken place online and acknowledge the specific elements of online crimes that negatively impact both the victim’s and the family’s wellbeing and healing. The groups offer a supportive, open environment for parents and caregivers to share and process difficult experiences and emotions whilst connecting with others, fostering healing, and rebuilding a sense of security and stability after trauma. You Are Enough.
Read more about online child sexual abuse from our You are Enough Guide: You Are Enough: A Supportive Guide for Parents of Children Affected by Online Sexual Abuse
For parents and caregivers whose children have experienced harmful sexual behaviour or violence from a sibling. This group provides guidance and support for navigating the complex dynamics of sibling relationships and family healing.
Sibling harmful sexual behaviour and sibling sexual violence is a hidden reality, with approximately 1 in 25 children experiencing sibling sexual trauma or sibling sexual abuse. Identifying and responding to sibling harmful sexual behaviour and sibling sexual violence can often be challenging, underlining the importance of providing support for navigating these challenging times. Here, you will find support from other parents and caregivers who have faced similar challenges.
Parents and caregivers are often burdened by challenging emotions, such as grief, anger, and shame after learning about sibling harmful sexual behaviour/sexual violence. These groups help parents and caregivers navigate the challenging emotions and complex dynamics of familial relationships whilst connecting with others, fostering healing, and rebuilding a sense of security and stability after trauma. You Are Enough.
Read more about sibling sexual abuse and sibling sexual trauma from our information leaflets: Sibling Sexual Trauma (Sibling Sexual Abuse) – leaflets (all language versions)
For parents and caregivers whose partner has been involved in sexual offences against children. This group offers a compassionate space to address feelings of betrayal, protect the child, and rebuild life after such a devastating discovery.
Discovering that a partner has played a role in a child’s victimisation can be devastating, often bringing up difficult emotions of guilt, anger, or even grief for the loss of the relationship and family you thought you had. Here, you will find support from other parents and caregivers who have faced similar challenges.
These groups offer a supportive, open environment to share and process difficult experiences, emotions, and changes in familial relationships and family dynamics, whilst connecting with others, fostering healing, and rebuilding a sense of security and stability after trauma. You Are Enough.
A group exclusively for fathers whose children have experienced sexual violence. This group creates a supportive environment where fathers can share their experiences, express emotions, and find guidance on how best to support their children and families.
When a child is subject to sexual violence, it can leave a parent feeling powerless, angry, or unsure of how to support their child in the healing process. These groups offer a safe space specifically for fathers to share and connect while navigating these challenges.
These groups offer a supportive, open environment for fathers to share and process experiences and emotions related to their child’s victimisation and parenting during these challenging times, whilst connecting with others, fostering healing, and rebuilding a sense of security and stability after trauma. You Are Enough.
You Are Not Alone. You Are Enough.
No parent should face this journey alone. By joining a You Are Enough™ group, you will find the strength, support, and community to move forward—because you are enough.
Feedback from Parents
"Peer support has given me strength - I am not alone."
"Being able to share with a group makes me realize that I am not alone and that I am doing as well as anyone else who is dealing with the aftermath of child sexual abuse."
"It has been extremely relieving to talk with other parents who have experienced the same thing, and it has Somehow also helped with my own difficult emotions and dealing with the situation."
Listen to the You Are Enough™ podcast
In the You Are Enough™ podcast, the Executive Director of Protect Children and Psychotherapist Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen, and Psychologist Nina Lyytinen discuss the topic with a parent whose child has fallen victim to sexual abuse. The podcast Highlights the parents' need to be acknowledged, heard, and understood, with whatever resources and emotions they experience during the various stages of the criminal process.
Podcast available in Finnish only
Listen to our podcast with Jeremy Indika
Nina Vaaranen-Valkonen and Katariina Leivo, the You Are Enough™ facilitators in Finland, joined Jeremy Indika on his podcast to discuss the vital role of peer support groups for parents and caregivers whose children have fallen victims to sexual violence.
The conversation covered essential topics such as how to support your child and the overwhelming emotions parents face when reading police reports, witnessing their child's trauma, and struggling with feelings of helplessness.
Writing Room
Writing has been found to have a positive effect on mental health, in particular after traumatic experiences, as it can help you to compile a series of events that can be dealt with more concretely. The writing room is intended to support you in structuring your thoughts and feelings and thus support your recovery and/or your child's recovery.
Relaxation Exercises
Sometimes after thinking about heavy and difficult topics and writing about them, it can be challenging to focus on other things. Your thoughts and writings can also be felt in your body as sadness, anger, or feelings of anxiety. You can use the following exercises to help calm your body and mind and return to this moment.
1.
Find a quiet, comfortable spot, and go through all your five senses in turn, focusing on the things you can see, hear, feel, smell, and taste in your environment.
2.
Activate your body with small movements (eg exercise, walk or wash the dishes) and focus in your mind on telling yourself what you are doing. While focusing on the activity itself, also pay attention to it with your Senses (eg "I'm holding a plate in my hand, I feel the warm water on my hands...").
3.
Listen to music and focus on listening to one specific instrument, eg drums or the piano.
