Today’s show deals with a subject with which I’m all too familiar—child abuse. As those of you who’ve read my memoir, The Sugar Queen, know, and for those of you haven’t read the book and are unfamiliar with my story, I am a childhood sex abuse survivor. My abuse started when I was just an infant and continued to through age 11.
Incidents of sexual violence haven’t stopped while most of us are sheltering at home. In fact, many experts fear an uptick in sexual violence due to stress, isolation and other hardships caused by the pandemic. Here in New York, we’re seeing an uptick in both domestic and sexual violence.
Today I am pleased to welcome two women, Rebecca Stevens and Brittany Palermo, Director and Assistant Director respectively of the Child Advocacy Center, a part of Best Self Behavioral Health, Inc located in Buffalo NY.
BestSelf is the largest community-based behavioral health organization serving children, adolescents and adults with mental health and substance use disorders in WNY. The Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf is an innovative, comprehensive center offering safety, support and a healing place for children and families affected by trauma and abuse in Erie County. The partner organizations at the Child Advocacy Center at BestSelf include law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, child protective services, medical professionals, mental health counselors and victim advocates. Together, they provide a coordinated, comprehensive response to victims and their families. The Staff of the Child Advocacy Center work tirelessly in our community providing education on how to identify and how to prevent child abuse.
https://www.bestselfwny.org/
https://www.bestselfwny.org/child-advocacy-center/