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Resources 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.

Why Sibling Sexual Trauma, instead of Abuse?

Most published literature and resources for professionals uses the term Sibling Sexual Abuse (SSA) Other terms that are starting to be used include Sibling Sexual Harm (SSH), Sibling Sexual Behavior (SSB), or Harmful Sexual Behavior Between Siblings (HSB-S). 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."

What is 5WAVES?

We are a US-based nonprofit (501(c)3) founded in 2022 by 5 women with lived experience with sibling sexual trauma and abuse. We work for Worldwide Awareness, Voice, Education, and Support (WAVES) to prevent, confront, and heal sibling sexual trauma. 

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For more information, please visit our organization website, 5WAVES.org

Put on Your Own Oxygen Mask 

Overall Practice Guides

Assessment & Initial Safety Planning

Working with Parents & Whole Families

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Family Reunification

Working with Children with Sexual Trauma

Working with Children with Harmful Sexual Behavior

Literature Reviewing Options for Treatment of Problematic Sexual Behavior

Working with Adult Survivors

Restorative Practice Models

  • 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

  • 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

  • Hidden Water Circles: free, guided restorative justice process for any family member affected, international resource

Prevention & Early Detection

Online Learning & Continuing Education

Video Training Library

Podcast Library

UK-Specific Resources

Guidance on balancing therapy and court processes from Bluestar Project:

Research on Pretrial Therapy in cases of child sexual abuse

Toolkit for Pretrial Therapy resources for practitioners including template documents, best practices on notes and requests for notes, guides for therapists and ISVAs on complying with new CPS pre-trial therapy guidance, leaflet for client education, providing pre-trial HSB treatment, and more. 

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Expert advice and consultancy on individual cases available from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation. 

What are the real lessons of Cleveland?

  • Believe children's reports

  • Incest is not that rare

  • It is OK to ask children about sexual abuse. 

blog by Anna Glinski, CSA Centre "Setting the Story Straight on Cleveland"

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