Webinar: Breaking the silence: Mothering in women sexually abused as children

Approximately 22 million mothers in the U.S. have a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). This workshop will reveal the pain and triumphs of mothering as a survivor by examining the therapeutic needs and concerns of mothers who have survived CSA. The presenter will synthesize the related scholarly literature, her own research, and 25 years of experience as a psychotherapist working with survivor moms. The workshop will name and examine the protective factors that have helped successful mothers to overcome their negative childhood experiences and protect their children from the abuse they experienced.

Presenter: Teresa Gil, PhD, has been a psychotherapist, professor, and trainer for over 25 years. She has a private practice working with women dealing with addictions and recovery from child abuse and trauma. Gil is a full professor at Hudson Valley Community College, where she teaches courses in psychology. She has also taught classes in social work and sociology. Gil has worked as a trainer and consultant in human service settings and facilitated workshops to provide professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to help assess and respond to women and families in crisis, including techniques for engaging families in a working relationship and skills for intervening effectively with clients.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will be able to describe the risk factors and long-term effects of abuse, including mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, addictions, and low self-worth.
• Participants will be able to analyze the protective factors in mothers’ lives that support resiliency and their capacity to mother their children in healthy and appropriate ways.
• Participants will be able to summarize the dynamics that facilitate the intergenerational transmission of abuse and the re-victimization of abuse.