Rob Worster recently attended the Third Annual Continuing Legal Education seminar presented by the Virginia Guardian ad Litem Association and J. Michael Sharman, Esq., Understanding and Litigating Child Sexual Abuse.
This full day of training was an excellent study in sexual abuse primarily from the victim’s perspective. It provided incredible insight into those interviewing skills necessary to uncover abuse, particularly among those who have not fully come to terms with the fact that what happened to them is, in fact, abuse.
Mr. Sharman emphasized that challenging the abuser through every legal avenue flips the power structure and can help to give the victim their personal power back. Perhaps as important, it can help to prevent future abuse by the original abuser and help to break the common cycle of victim’s repeating the abuse against others.
Mr. Worster notes that the overlap among domestic relations, abuse and addiction is undeniable and appears to be growing. “More and more we see the red flags of abuse—depression, isolation, non-existent self-esteem, delusion, PTSD, substance addiction, etc. in our practice. Regrettably, the denial of the problem appears to be at least partially caused by the horrendous nature of the abuse. The worse the abuse the less likely it is to be confronted and exposed.”
The attorneys and staff of Cooper Ginsberg Gray, PLLC, are knowledgeable about abuse and addiction. If you have offended or been offended against, we may be able to help.