AUSTIN, Texas — According to counselors, when an issue like the Catholic diocese releasing a list of clergy "credibly accused" of sexually assaulting a child is discussed publicly, it can be a trigger for victims of abuse.
Laura Gomez-Horton, the clinical director at YWCA Greater Austin said for some, it could be validation that someone acknowledges what happened. For others, it could instigate anxiety, depression, fear or anger.
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"People hearing what is happening to other people or has happened to other people is hurtful to them, and it brings all those things that they thought they had resolved or experiences they had kind-of put aside for a while, it brings it all to the forefront again,” Gomez-Horton said.
She said the YWCA is offering free counseling to victims of crime and offers free sexual assault support groups.
“Really not dismissing when people are talking about this because I think, as a society, we tend to do that. We don’t want to admit that these things happen, especially when it’s done by somebody we trust,” Gomez-Horton said.
According to Gomez-Horton, you can sometimes see a surge in people reporting abuse after there's a public case like this.
"One of the good things that comes from all of this exposure is that people start realizing, 'I'm not the only one, I'm not the only one that this has happened to and I don't need to keep this secret anymore,'” Gomez-Horton said.
She hopes this will also allow victims who are men to come forward.
“This is actually going to bring out, hopefully, it will bring attention to a lot of the men who have not been given that opportunity to speak of their abuse because of the stigma associated with it,” Gomez-Horton said.
And she hopes this is a step forward in believing victims.
“Regardless of how trustful that person may seem to be, I think parents and caregivers really need to pay attention and see like, 'Why would this child be afraid? Why would this child be saying this? There must be something else to this,'” Gomez-Horton said.
If you want to try out the YWCA's counseling services, find out more information here.