TAALK - Communities Adult Survivors

A Community for Adult Survivors

Healing can be a long and difficult road and we want you to know you’re not alone. As a matter of fact, experts estimate there are 39 million survivors of child sexual abuse in America but many of them, probably most of them, have never broken the silence.

There are survivors in your community, probably on your street, maybe even in your home. But you’ll never know who they are until you give yourself permission to talk about it. Breaking the silence will empower you to heal and inspire others to do the same.

We all need someone to support us through our healing journey, wherever we may be along the path. We all need to talk to someone who truly understands; someone who has personally experienced the pain, embarrassment, shame and betrayal of child sexual abuse. We're there for you. You can be there for us. We're in this together.

If you're a survivor, we encourage you to be proactive about your healing - review and use the resources below, enroll in our awareness and education programs, actively communicate with other survivors through our forums and/or local support groups, and become an advocate for children by joining your local community coalition. If you're early in your healing process, let others support you. If you're already well down the path of healing, please share your strength and healing success with others.

Resources
Read the following resource pages for referrals to organizations that can support you whether you’re in crisis mode, weathering the legal process or looking for long term support and treatment.

Crisis Hotlines and Shelters
National Resource and Referral Organizations
National Survivor Support and Treatment Organizations
National Prevention Organizations
Legal Resources

Awareness
As survivors, it's important for us to realize that we are not alone; that this epidemic has impacted millions of people. The links below will guide you to information about the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse as well as signs to look for in children and offenders. Reading about the signs is particularly important for survivors because abuse often leaves us with bad boundaries and we sometimes can't see the obvious. This information is meant to awaken your consciousness so that you can begin to see the signs of abuse more clearly and better protect the kids in your circle of influence.

Download an Awareness Package
How has your Abuse Affected your Life? - A Self-Assessment

Education
As adults and especially as survivors, it is our responsibility to do everything in our power to protect children from sexual abuse. 30-40% of abuse is at the hands of a family member and another 50% by someone the child knows and trusts. Protecting children from people we know, trust and love doesn't come naturally, it's a learned skill. We encourage every adult to make a personal decision to get educated on how to better protect kids. Please do your part by taking action on the first three items below. The kids in your circle of influence are counting on YOU!

Learn to Prevent, Recognize & React Responsibly to Child Sexual Abuse - Enroll in a Class
Subscribe to our Daily Prevention Tips
Read The Socially Skilled Child Molester by Carla van Dam - A Must Read for Every Adult!
Recommended Book List

Support
It was best said by Grace Hansen...

DON'T BE AFRAID YOUR LIFE WILL END; BE AFRAID IT WILL NEVER BEGIN

Time and time again we hear from survivors who have felt such a sense of relief when they broke their silence. For the first time in their lives they stopped pretending it didn't happen; for the first time in their lives they are living the truth; for the first time in their lives they are healing instead of simply surviving. We encourage you to break your silence - for some of you it may be the first time and we hope we can be there for you. For others you may have broken the silence long ago and we encourage you to continue and join in supporting those who are just getting started. Together we can all heal.

Get Involved
Our hearts pour out to those of you who have had to endure the devastating pain of child sexual abuse and hope that as you move through your healing process you will eventually arrive at a place where you can reach out and help others. As you know, there is power in numbers and if the 39 million survivors of child sexual abuse in America start talking and working together we will learn so much from our collective experiences that we WILL shift public consciousness from passive acceptance to the belief that “There is No Excuse for Sexual Abuse^TM.” Please become an advocate and actively participate in ending this epidemic. There are several ways that you can help below.

Make a Donation
Volunteer your Time
Join your Local Community Coalition
Schedule an Awareness Presentation for your Community
Schedule a Prevention Class for your Community
Learn to give TAALK's Awareness Presentation
Become a Prevention Training Facilitator
Start a Local Survivors Support Group