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Katharine Pope
Nikki Gagnon
Kayla Dazdof
SOCW 442: Victims of Abuse
November 16th 2010

Physically and
Sexually Abused

War
Veteran
80 yrs.
old

Fathe
r
Donald

Widowe
d
Alcoholi
c

59 yrs.
Very
3
old
Outgoin
Well respected
Children Introverte
g
in town
Live in a
White d
small
Cindy
Femal
town
Peopl
Husband
Born in
e
e
left her
U.S.
Perfectioni
Alcoholi
Donald
Please
Ast
c
immigrated to
Unemploye
r
Student
Canada from the
d
Sh
Heather
Sad
U.S. with his 3
y
children and ill
UnVerbally
wife. Cindy was
motivated
Overachiev
Abusive
3 years old when
16 yrs. Physically
er
they moved. She
old
had a hard time
3
fitting in.

Jaco
Ben
b
Cind
Heather
y
Rachel Ryan

Cind
y
Donald

Josh

 Grooming
PTSD
Implicit/Covert
Threats
Identity Pegs
Shadow Anniversary
Shame
Polyvocality

Projecting Blame
Primary Perpetrator
Secondary
Perpetrator
Primary Victim
Secondary Victim
Triggers
Dissociation

 Donald (21)met his wife Sara (19) during the

second world war. She was a nurse.
When Sara was diagnosed with cancer,
Donald had no way to pay for treatments. He
began looking for a job in Canada.
He was ofered a job in Vancouver, and his
family packed up and moved. When they
arrived the job was no longer available.
Through some luck Donald was ofered a job
in Prince George as a carpenter.
Cindy (3) went to daycare, Rachel (7)
attended elementary, and Ryan (14) got a job
as a dishwasher to help pay medical bills. Sara
worked as a maid in a hotel until she became8
too sick.

Sara died when Cindy was 5, Rachel 9 and

Ryan 16. After her death Donald began
drinking. Ryan moved out shortly after.
Donald began physically abusing Cindy and
Rachel.

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He also began sexually abusing

Rachel, and on occasion Cindy. This
continued until Rachel committed
suicide (17), Cindy was 13.

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After her death Donald attempted to

get help, but relapsed a couple months
after. Cindy was 14 when he started
physically and sexually abusing her
again. She ran away to live with her
brother (22).
This was the first time she was
exposed to drugs. During this time she
began drinking heavily. She got a job
part time at Tim Hortons.
Donald went to work in a Dry Camp as
a welder. He was able to stay sober for
5 years.

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When Ryan was 32 he was in a fatal car

accident. Cindy was 24 and had moved out of
her brothers house a couple years before.
After Ryans death Donald began drinking
again.
Cindy met her husband when she was 25 and
got married shortly after. A year later she gave
birth to twin boys (Ben and Jacob). She
stopped drinking and got a job as a retail
manager. She had occasional relapses.
Donald attempted to integrate himself into
Cindys life but she found his drinking to be
too much.
She was surprised to discover she was
16
pregnant again at 43

Cindy gave birth to Heather. Ben and Jacob

were 18. A couple months after her birth, Josh
left her for another woman. Cindy became
depressed and started drinking again. Jacob
and Ben moved out.
She attempted to get help on several
occasions but wasnt able to follow through
with it. Heather began looking after mom at a
young age, even though she was verbally
abusive towards her daughter.
Because of her drinking Heather missed a lot
of school. At 13 she got a part time job to help
support them. Cindy became a hairdresser
after losing her job as a retail manager.
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Heather has had no real contact with her

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 Two weeks ago Cindy lost her job as a

hairdresser
One of Heathers teachers contacted
Cindy. She was concerned about Heather
who kept falling asleep in class
Cindy has realized how much her
drinking is afecting her daughter and
would like to work towards repairing that
relationship.
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 PTSD in Cindy
Alcohol Abuse for Cindy and Donald (If he is
willing)
Possible Drug Abuse
Addressing any triggers and dissociation
Working with Heather to overcome the verbal
abuse
Helping Cindy deal with her sisters suicide and
brothers death
If possible to help Heather reconnect with her dad,
and if not ways to deal with it
Help to rebuild the relationship between Cindy and22

Alcoholism is divided into two broad categories abuse and dependence

A person's alcohol use is primarily influenced by
attitudes developed during the first 20 years of
life. The parent's attitudes and behaviours toward
drinking, peer influence, society and family
relationships all can impact one's attitudes toward
drinking alcohol.
The efects of alcohol appear within 10 minutes
and peak at about 40 to 60 minutes. Alcohol stays
in the bloodstream until the liver can break it
down. If alcohol is consumed faster than it can be
broken down by the liver, the blood alcohol
concentration level rises.
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Often those closest to an alcoholic find it difficult

to see and acknowledge that someone they know
and care about can be an alcoholic. They may
believe the promises that the alcoholic keeps
making. However, with time, repeated breaking of
these promises can force those living with the
alcoholic to face the truth.
Signs of Alcohol Abuse
Craving: A strong need, or compulsion, to drink.
Loss of control: The frequent inability to stop
drinking once a person has begun.
Physical dependence: The occurrence of
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 Worldwide there are more deaths due to suicide

than to accidents, homicides and war combined.
Over ninety percent of people who die by suicide
had at least one psychiatric illness at the time of
death. The most common diagnoses are
depression and drug and/or alcohol abuse.
Alcoholism is a factor in about 30 percent of all
suicide deaths.
Early recognition and treatment of depression
and other psychiatric illnesses
appears to be the best way to prevent suicide.
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 Between 20 and 50 percent of people who kill

themselves had previously
attempted suicide. Although the majority of
people who die by suicide have not made a
previous attempt, a serious suicide attempt is a
clear risk factor for
suicide death.
Suicidal individuals often talk about suicide
directly or indirectly using statements like, My
family would be better of with out me.
Sometimes they talk as if they are saying
goodbye or going away, and may arrange to put27

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About 4% of the population will experience

symptoms of PTSD in a given year.
PTSD can develop at any age, including in
childhood. Symptoms typically begin within 3
months of a traumatic event, although
occasionally they do not begin until years later.
Once PTSD occurs, the severity and duration of
the illness varies. Some people recover within 6
months, while others sufer much longer.
People who have been abused as children or who
have had other previous traumatic experiences 29

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Effects of child abuse and neglect

Lack of trust and relationship difficulties.

Core feelings of being worthless or dam

Trouble regulating emotions.

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Warning signs of emotional abuse in children

Excessively withdrawn, fearful, or anxious about doing something wrong.
Shows extremes in behaviour (extremely compliant or extremely demanding;
extremely passive or extremely aggressive).
Doesnt seem to be attached to the parent or caregiver.
Acts either inappropriately adult (taking care of other children) or
inappropriately infantile (rocking, thumb-sucking, throws tantrums).

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Warning signs of physical abuse in children

Frequent injuries or unexplained bruises, welts, or cuts.
Is always watchful and on alert, as if waiting for something bad to happen.
Injuries appear to have a pattern such as marks from a hand or belt.
Shies away from touch, flinches at sudden movements, or seems afraid to go
home.
Wears inappropriate clothing to cover up injuries, such as long-sleeved shirts
on hot days.

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Warning signs of sexual abuse in children

Trouble walking or sitting.
Displays knowledge or interest in sexual acts inappropriate to his or her age, or
even seductive behaviour.
Makes strong efforts to avoid a specific person, without an obvious reason.
Doesnt want to change clothes in front of others or participate in physical
activities.
An STD or pregnancy, especially under the age of 14.
Runs away from home.
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Our Plans and Hope for the Future:

Donald
Help Donald overcome the loss of his wife, son and
daughter
Help Donald deal with his part in Rachel's death
Provide Donald with the resources he needs to become
sober and provide the encouragement and support he
needs to stick to it
*Donald has not decided whether or not he will attend
counselling on a regular basis, and until he has a
complete plan of recovery cant be made
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Our Plans and Hope for the Future:

Cindy
Cindy had began to attend counselling regularly
We would like to help Cindy and her daughter reconnect
After some encouragement Cindy had begun to attend AA
meetings and has been sober for 2 weeks. We will continue to
support her.
We would like to help Cindy properly deal with the deaths of her
mother, brother and sister
We would like to help Cindy learn to overcome the abuse of her
childhood, including recognizing her triggers and finding ways to
deal with them when they are set off
If possible we would like to help Cindy reconnect with her two sons

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Our Plans and Hope for the Future:

Heather
It is our hopes that we can help Heather release herself from the
parent role shes had to adopt
We would like to help Heather realize that her parents separation
wasnt her fault
We would like to help Heather deal with the verbal and emotional
abuse shes been subject to throughout her life
We would like to encourage Heather to do things for herself,
things that will make her happy (self-care) We would also like to
see Heather socialize more with her peers.
It would also be beneficial to Heather if she was given different
tools to help deal with stress in her life
We would like to help Heather reconnect with her mother and two
brothers

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