
For Professionals
Welcome to siblingsexualtrauma.com, Thank you for visiting!
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.
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.
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
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Rape Crisis England and Wales: RCEW National Project on Sibling Sexual Abuse | SARSAS (scroll down to receive updates for professionals, including best practice guidance based on research to be published in 2022)
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Yates & Allardyce, CSA Centre: Sibling sexual abuse: A knowledge and practice overview
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Queensland Government Department of Child Safety, Youth, and Women: When a child is sexually abused by another child or a sibling | Child Safety Practice Manual
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John Woodhouse, Safeguarding Insights: Sibling Sexual Abuse
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Brad Watts, LPC, CSOTP: Sibling Sexual Abuse, A Guide for Confronting America's Silent Epidemic
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UK National Conference on Sibling Sexual Abuse for Frontline Sectors February 2022: The National Picture of Sibling Sexual Abuse by Stuart Allardyce and Anna Glinski (50 mins)
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The Blue Knot: Resources on Complex Trauma for the Professional Community
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Dr. Natasha Sabin, CSA Centre Blog: Have Confidence in Your Skills; Navigating Our Response to Sibling Sexual Harm
Working with Parents and Whole Families
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"There's No Project Manager": Simple Steps to Guide Parents after Disclosure, a 5WAVES blog
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Yamamoto, National Sexual Violence Resource Center: The Advocate's Guide: Working With Parents Of Children Who Have Been Sexually Assaulted
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UK National Conference on Sibling Sexual Abuse for Frontline Sectors February 2022: How to best work with families affected by sibling sexual abuse within the wider safeguarding system by Dr. Peter Yates, Dr. Andie Collins and Hannah Cooper (35 mins)
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NSPCC Learning: Providing Support When There's Been HSB Between Siblings (22 min)
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Siblings Too Podcast: A Family's Healing Journey (50 min) and Offenders, Survivors and their Families with Brad Watts, LPC, CSOTP (50 min)
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A parent's perspective: Siblings Too Podcast, Conversation with Hope Sittler, a Parent Coping with Siblings Sexual Trauma, Part I (39 min) and Part II (36 min)
Disclosure, Assessment, Separation
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SSA | Purple Leaf Resources for professionals working with sibling sexual abuse, including assessment tool, practitioners leaflet, printable leaflet for parents and carers
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NSPCC Learning: How to Respond to Incidents of Harmful Sexual Behavior
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NSPCC Learning: Providing Support When There's Been HSB Between Siblings (22 min)
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Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Teens and Mandatory Reporting guide for advocates and therapists (note: legal guidelines are based on that state's laws)
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Restoring Relationships in Sibling Sexual Abuse: A Paradigm Shift Introducing the VORS Principle (Voice, Openness, Responsibility, Safety)– Nancy Falls and Melissa Maltar
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Hackett, NSPCC: Continuum of Childhood Sexual Behaviors, an assessment tool
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US DHHS Child Welfare Information Gateway: Identification, Screening, and Assessment of Child Abuse and Neglect
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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
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Peter Yates, ‘Siblings as Better Together’: Social Worker Decision Making in Cases Involving Sibling Sexual Behaviour, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 48, Issue 1, January 2018, Pages 176–194
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UK National Conference on Sibling Sexual Abuse for Frontline Sectors February 2022: Question Time Panel: Simon Bailey QPM, Alexander Butler, Prof. Simon Hackett, Zak Masters, Prof. Kieran McCartan, Suzanne Taylor (50 Mins)
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Siblings Too podcast: How Sibling Sexual Abuse Affects the Family with Peter Yates Part I (55 min) and Part II (27 min)
Family Reunification
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National Sexual Violence Resource Center Guide: Considering family reconnections and reunification after child sexual abuse: A road map for advocates and service providers. Tabachnick, J., & Pollard, P. (2016) Enola, PA (comprehensive and highly recommended resource, including consideration of the concerns of many marginalized groups)
Helping Child Survivors
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Siblings Too Podcast: What Survivors Say: a unique window into what survivors felt and thought at the time of the abuse and how they feel now (9 min)
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CSA Centre Publication for Professionals: Communicating with children: A guide for those working with children who have or may have been sexually abused
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UK National Conference on Sibling Sexual Abuse for Frontline Sectors February 2022: Perspectives from the voluntary sector practitioners responding to sibling harmful sexual behaviours, and specific considerations when working with Black, Asian and minority ethnic children and families by Spencer Bailey, Ray Tait and Michelle West (35 mins)
Helping Juveniles who have displayed Harmful Sexual Behavior
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Toni Cavanagh Johnson Ph.D, 2014: Helping Children with Sexual Behavior Problems: A Guide for Professionals and Caregivers
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University of Oklahoma: Worldwide Search Tool for Problematic Sexual Behavior-Cognitive Behavior Therapy Providers
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National Children's Alliance: Where We Begin: CAC's and Youth with Problematic Sexual Behavior
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National Children's Alliance: What We Can Do: Understanding Children and Youth with Problematic Sexual Behaviors How CAC's can lead and coordinate effective interventions
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Specialist Practice Resource: Adolescents with sexually abusive behaviours and their families Pratt, Miller, Boyd, Victorian Government Dept of Human Services, 2012
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Turn the Page manualised treatment programme: final evaluation report | NSPCC Learning Evaluation of a service for boys age 12-18 who have exhibited harmful sexual behavior
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PROFESOR: tool to assist professionals in identifying protective and risk factors for individuals age 12-25 who have caused sexual harm
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Stop It Now Bulletin: Do Children Sexually Abuse Other Children?
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Children with Problematic Sexual Behavior: Who Are They and How Can We Help? Presentation by Jennifer Shields PhD at the Prevent Child Abuse America Conference 2021
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Restoring the Sacred Circle: A Toolkit for American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes for healing after a child's problematic sexual behavior; includes information useful to all as well as information specific to indigenous communities in North America; by NCSBY, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, US DOJ, White Buffalo Calf Women's Society of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe
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UK National Conference on Sibling Sexual Abuse for Frontline Sectors February 2022: Health responses to working with children and young people who have sexually harmed siblings including consideration of the impact of pornography by Louise Barraclough and Stephen Barry (30 mins)
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Factors to consider when neurodiverse children or teens have caused sexual harm: Unique Brains and Harmful Sexual Behavior
Helping Adults affected by Sibling Sexual Trauma
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Holmes, Offen, Waller 1997: Why Do Relatively Few Male Victims of CSA Receive Help in Adulthood?
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UK National Conference on Sibling Sexual Abuse for Frontline Sectors February 2022: How best to work with adult survivors of sibling sexual abuse by ‘Amy’, Amelia Anning and Christiane Sanderson (30 minutes)
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NHS #CheckWithMeFirst | The Survivors Trust initiative and tool for to help medical professionals be sensitive to the needs sexual assault and abuse survivors within the healthcare setting
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Siblings Too Podcast: A Survivor's Story: Chris' Normal Reaction to an Abnormal Situation (34 min)
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Siblings Too Podcast: It's Time for My Story host Nancy Morris shares her journey from sibling sexual abuse victim to survivor, overcomer, and advocate (32 min)
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Siblings Too Podcast: Therapy and Mindfulness Part I (41 min) and Part II (30 min) with Patricia Downing, Integrative Psychotherapist and Mindful Practitioner
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Siblings Too Podcast: The Relationship Between Abuse and Addictions with Nancy Currie, Certified Alcohol and Drug Councillor (34 min)
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
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NSPCC Learning: How to Prevent Harmful Sexual Behaviour in Children
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National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Sexual Development and Behavior in Children, Information for Parnets and Caregivers; booklet including suggestions on prevention messaging for children at various ages
Podcast Library
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NSPCC Learning: Providing Support When There's Been HSB Between Siblings
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Siblings Too podcast series, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
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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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Watch Sessions Here | SARSAS UK Conference for Frontline Professionals on Sibling Sexual Abuse, February 2022
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NSPCC Learning: Sibling Sexual Abuse Podcast
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The Trauma Therapist Project interviews Brad Watts: Understanding Sibling Sexual Abuse
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SAAN Shares Interviews 5WAVES (view below): What Sexual Assault Advocacy Organizations can do to bring awareness and help for Sibling Sexual Trauma
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Siblings Too Day 2023 full day of video trainings from worldwide experts on Sibling Sexual Abuse--sign up for free links
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
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:
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the term trauma focuses on the harm that was done and the need for healing
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trauma can be present regardless of the intent, awareness, or level of responsibility of the person who caused it
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many male survivors prefer not to use the term abuse to describe their unwanted sexual experiences
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use of the term abuse can lead to incorrectly labeling or stigmatizing a child or teen who has engaged in harmful sexual behavior
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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
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"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."