How do we know which friends and adults are safe?
Most people in a child's life are safe and they deserve the respect and trust of both the parents and the child. However, some people cannot be trusted to protect children or to act only in the child's best interest. These are unsafe people, and they do not deserve our respect or trust. The challenge is to identify which adults are safe and which are unsafe.

Dealing with Family on Suspicions or Disclosures of Abuse
One of the critical factors in a child's ability to recover from sexual abuse is the response of the family to the disclosure. Supportive, sympathetic responses can dramatically impact the long-term consequences of the abuse. But, how do you deal with suspicions or disclosures of incest where the molester is a member of the family and may be both logistically and emotionally close to the victim?

Our Suffering Unites and Transforms Us
Once again, we face difficult times. Wounds barely healed are opening wide, and scars almost forgotten become prominent, uncomfortable, and painful. The news of child sexual abuse from the far corners of the Church Universal causes us pain and reminds us of our own personal hurts, wounds, and unfinished business. We are saddened, hurt, and betrayed all over again. We try to move forward, but we seem to be pushed back with every onward movement.

Typologies of Adult and Adolescent Female Sexual Offenders
To date, there is no clearly defined, empirically validated typology for female sexual offenders. However, the literature on female offending is beginning to show slow progress toward defining categories of the diverse population of women and adolescent girls who sexually abuse. Preliminary research has supported the proposal of at least three types of adult female offender and three types of adolescent female offender.

Tending Our Gardens
Tending to our garden has become a term used to emphasize the importance for each person to find time every day to do the things that are crucial to their wellbeing. Placing the "self" first—and having your first priority be your "self" is not a comfortable place for most parents or other caring adults. Some reflection, however, will quickly lead you to the realization that if you are not well enough, rested enough, energized enough, or prepared enough, you may not be effective for any other responsibility.