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For Professionals

Welcome to siblingsexualtrauma.com, Thank you for visiting!

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Professionals from many diverse disciplines have the opportunity to help people affected by sibling sexual trauma. They may become involved at any stage, from disclosure and mandatory reporting, to assessment and case planning, to trauma treatment and family therapy. Some are able to intervene to stop current abuse. Others find themselves guiding clients who find sibling sexual trauma at the root of other troubles many years later. But few professionals have specific training or educational background to truly prepare them for this complex, sensitive family trauma.

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At present, the other pages of this website are directed primarily at families. There are pages for those who have been harmed by a sibling, those who have caused sexual harm to a sibling, and parents who are supporting any or all siblings. That said, these pages offer valuable information and insight for professionals as well. The website itself, as well as the links provided on each topic, are resources available to offer to clients.

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The information below is directed at professionals.  It is sorted by topic for easy access. Some is specific to sibling sexual trauma, some is drawn from broader research on essential topics. There is information in a variety of forms--online booklets, practice reviews, video training, podcasts, books, toolkits and practice guides. More will be added as it becomes available.  Please contact info@5waves.org with suggestions of existing materials or topics that would be helpful to add.  

 

Overall Practice Guides

 

Working with Parents and Whole Families

 

Disclosure, Assessment, Separation​

 

Family Reunification

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Helping Child Survivors

 

Helping Juveniles who have displayed Harmful Sexual Behavior

 

Helping Adults affected by Sibling Sexual Trauma

 

Restorative Justice

Thriving Survivors: Restorative Justice in Cases of Sexual Harm

At The Time of Disclosure: A Manual for Front-line Community Workers Dealing with Sexual Abuse Disclosures in Aboriginal Communities  Bopp & Bopp, Public Safety Canada, 1997

 

Prevention

 

Podcast Library

  • NSPCC Learning: Providing Support When There's Been HSB Between Siblings

  • Siblings Too podcast series, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

  • Guardians of the Village Gate: interviews with parents and professionals, to guide in mutual understanding and collaboration in responding to child sexual abuse and sibling sexual abuse, hosted by a mother of sibling sexual trauma as well as sexual trauma from a child outside the family

 

Video Training Library

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​Database of Published Research

Research, awareness, and practice guidelines on sibling sexual trauma and abuse is limited but is growing. More will be added as it becomes available. To recommend resources to list on this page, please contact info@5waves.net 

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Why Sibling Sexual Trauma, instead of abuse?

Almost all published literature and resources for professionals uses the term "Sibling Sexual Abuse." The decision to use the term Sibling Sexual Trauma for this site is based on the following factors:

  • the term trauma focuses on the harm that was done and the need for healing

  • trauma can be present regardless of the intent, awareness, or level of responsibility of the person who caused it

  • many male survivors prefer not to use the term abuse to describe their unwanted sexual experiences

  • use of the term abuse can lead to incorrectly labeling or stigmatizing a child or teen who has engaged in harmful sexual behavior

  • the term abuse has legal definitions which vary from place to place and which may or may not fit the unique circumstances of child- or teen-caused sexual trauma

  • "This study (Marmor & Tener, 2022) highlights the importance of the cautious use of language by professionals, especially when defining sexual acts between siblings; such acts are sometimes referred to as abuse, but this may alienate those involved, even if they were in fact abused. The difficulty of opening up about such a complex issue requires professionals to be especially careful to avoid using words that will distance participants in such acts from disclosure and treatment."

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