The Sexual Abuse Counselling and Prevention Program (SACPP) provides a specialist therapeutic counselling service for:
- Children and young people under 18 years of age who have been sexually abused;
- Children under the age of 10 who have displayed problematic sexualized behaviours;
- Young people between 10 and 18 who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviours.
Our program works with families residing in the Victorian local government areas of Banyule, Nillumbik, Darebin, Whittlesea and Yarra.
We also work with young people between 15-18 years (and their families) who have engaged in sexually abusive behaviours who reside in the municipalities of Hume and Moreland as well as the western region of metropolitan Melbourne.
In 2010-11, 192 children received 5950 hours of counselling and support from CPS to assist them and their families to recover from sexual abuse.
Our counsellors have a broad range of experience and include psychologists, social workers, family therapists, Gestalt therapists and art therapists.
Counselling involves using a range of therapeutic tools and mediums including art, play, puppets, painting, drawing and sand tray depending on the child’s age and stage of development.
All counselling through the SACPP program is provided at no cost to families. The SACPP team uses a whole-of-family approach. A family’s participation and support of a child or young person’s counselling is vital to their progress.
There are many different ways that counselling is structured - sometimes children and young people will be seen on their own and other times they will be seen with their parents or carers or with the family as a whole. Sometimes different members of a family will have their own counsellors.
Read more about the Purpose and Benefits of Counselling
Download our Info Sheet for Parents and Caregivers of Children and Young People Who've Been Sexually Abused (two pages, 284 Kb)
Download our Info Sheet for Parents and Caregivers of Children who have displayed Problematic Sexualized Behaviours (two pages, 1326 Kb)
Download our Info Sheet for Parents and Caregivers of Young People with Sexually Abusive Behaviours (four pages, 1436 Kb)