COCSA: What to Do When Your Teen Has Sexually Abused Another Child

Trigger warning - This podcast contains an in-depth discussion about Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse (COCSA) and may be triggering for people who've experienced a sexual assault. If you are a victim of rape or sexual abuse and need assistance please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).All mentions of a clinical polygraph are used for therapeutic purposes only and are not intended or designed for legal use. Please remember that this podcast is not a replacement for therapy, nor do we provide legal advice. Please always seek a mental health professional and lawyer for your personal situation. ---Did you just find out that your child has sexually abused a sibling, family member, or another child? This is a nightmare scenario for any parent and one that no parent is prepared to handle on their own. In this episode, therapist Tiffany Silva Herlin, LCSW, sits down with Shawn Brooks, the Executive Director of Oxbow Academy, to discuss Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse (COCSA), Sibling Sexual Abuse, and what parents need to know immediately after discovering that their teen has sexually abused another child. Specifically, they want parents in this situation to know:1. You are not alone2. What behaviors parents may have noticed (or missed) leading up to this discovery?3. How do you make your home safe again? Specific steps to keep everyone safe include:Separate siblings and create safetyUse camerasPut locks on doorsPlan on chaperoningLock up electronics and evaluate pornography usageIf necessary, remove your child from your house and find somewhere else where they’ll be safe.Finding the right kind of therapy for those involved.Create safety for your WHOLE family.4. How do you know what is true?Create safety & then investigateIt's not the parent's job to find the truth, it's your job to create safetyAllow a therapist to help you with the sexual discovery and history and extent of the sexual abuse. If you just discovered that your teenage son has sexually abused a sibling or another child, please give us a call at 855-676-4272 or visit OxbowAcademy.net to see how we can help your family.