The Child Sexual Abuse Therapy Service (CSATS)
The Child Sexual Abuse Therapy Service of Anglicare WA provides a counselling service for children and young people up to the age eighteen years who meet any one or more of the following criteria:
- They have been sexually abused
- They are exhibiting sexualised behaviours, and/or
- They have enacted sexual abuse against others.
The service also provides support for the families of these children and young people.
The Child Sexual Abuse Service aims to:
- Reduce the harmful effects of sexual abuse on children
- Help children gain life and social skills that support them to be safe and enable the establishment of non-abusive relationships
- Support non-offending parents and help them come to terms with their child's sexual abuse
- Assist parents to understand the harmful effects of child sexual abuse, and
- Empower parents to support their child's healing.
Counselling
We offer counselling to children and their non-offending family members.
The purpose of counselling is to create a neutral, secure and supportive environment to enable children to ask questions and explore their feelings surrounding sexual abuse. We provide a space to explore practical solutions to common problems such as bed wetting, nightmares and behavioural defiance, which may stem from any sexual abuse a child may have experienced.
We can also work to change children's sexually inappropriate behaviour and introduce them to acceptable ways to express their feelings.
We provide education and strategies to manage children's sexualised behaviour. We have no expectations for children to tell us their story. We are there to support them and their families, on their journey. The service aims to ensure that the counselling experience for children is positive, supportive, and helpful (and often fun!).
The counselling environment is very important to enable us to work with children. Our rooms are equipped with toys, art and craft materials, story books and other essentials to enable us to use different styles of therapy including play, narrative, art and behavioural therapy.
Staff
All of the counsellors in the service are qualified and trained specifically to work with children who have experienced sexual abuse and/or are exhibiting sexually inappropriate behaviours
You can access out services if you are a:
- Child up to the age of 18, who have suffered sexual abuse by a family or non-family member
- Child up to the age of 18, who are exhibiting sexualised behaviours and/or have acted out sexually against others
- The non-offending siblings and carers who have been affected by the sexual behaviour or abuse of a child who has been referred to us
- Children must also be safe before we see them therefore the adult perpetrator must no longer be living in the family home.
- The service is available to children and families where sexual abuse has either been substantiated by the Department for Child Protection (DCP) or charges are laid by the Police.
Accessing our services
A Department for Child Protection referral must be received before counselling commences, or information provided regarding charges laid against the offender. However, if your family is not involved with DCP you can still contact us if you are trying to access services for your family and we can discuss counselling options. Any queries regarding counselling services can be directed to the Coordinator by phoning 9394 9200.
Locations
| Metrolpolitan Service Locations |
Regional Service Locations |
- Gosnells
- Joondalup
- Midland and
- Rockingham
|
- Albany
- Katanning and
- Manjimup
|
Should you wish to make a report of harm to a child please phone the Department for Child Protection or the Police. Further information to assist you can be found on the Department for Child Protection (DCP) website.