The Worthy Adversary

Author: Joelle Casteix

  • Upcoming Panel in Honolulu: Civil Window, Victims Rights, Prevention

    I’ll be in Honolulu next week to talk about child sex abuse, the Hawaii civil window, victims rights and abuse prevention. If you are in the area, I hope you can join us.

    Here are the details. The event is free and open to the public.

     

    The Unspeakable Crime: Childhood Sexual Abuse Panel  

    When: March 13, 2014  7-9 PM

    Where: Harris United Methodist Church, 20 N. Vineyard, Honolulu

    Sponsored by Rainbow Family 808.com

    Rainbow Family 808.com, is proud to announce their First Support Group Meeting. It will address Childhood Sexual Abuse in our midst.  This timely Panel focuses on the two-year window for Childhood Sexual Abuse which ends in April 2014.  Families need to understand the harm this ‘unspeakable’ crime does to their children.

    Joelle Casteix is the leading national “in the trenches” expert on the prevention and exposure of child sex abuse and cover-up, especially within institutions such as the Catholic Church. A former journalist, educator, and public relations professional, Joelle has taken her own experience as a victim of child sex crimes and devoted her career to exposing abuse, advocating on behalf of survivors, and spreading abuse prevention strategies for parents and communities.

    Attorney Jeff Anderson is widely recognized as a pioneer in sexual abuse litigation and a champion of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. In nearly four decades as a litigator Jeff has represented thousands of clients and has tried over two hundred and fifty jury trials to verdict. Known for his optimism, energy and compassion for clients, Jeff is credited with being instrumental in exposing the large scale cover-up of pedophile priests in the early 1980’s. As one of the first trial lawyers in America to publicly and aggressively initiate lawsuits against sexual predators—and the institutions that conceal and protect them—Jeff’s efforts have obtained justice for thousands of survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

    Attorney Mark Gallagher is a local attorney who has helped survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse and is considered an expert with over 20 years of experience in the Personal Injury Field. He has successfully litigated personal injury cases on Oahu, the Big Island, Kauai, Maui and the federal court.

    Other speakers TBD

    Rainbow Family 808.com is honored to share with families ways to protect their children.  We can’t protect our children if we don’t know the markers that signal the need for our awareness and attention.  Please join us for this important panel.

    Contact: Carolyn Martinez Golojuch, MSW – President, Rainbow Family 808.com

    808 779-9078          rainbowfamily808@gmail.com

     

     

  • Gerald Funcheon is back in the news

    Crozier priest Father Jerry Funcheon, who is the subject of the first lawsuit filed under Hawaii’s civil window, is back in the news – this time because Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis church officials “forgot” to put him on a website that lists abusive clerics. Church documents show that Funcheon may have abused up to 50 boys.

    Fr. Jerry Funcheon
    Fr. Jerry Funcheon

    NBC Minneapolis affiliate KARE posted this story yesterday, which chronicles much of Funcheon’s past, including the cover up of his actions by men like Fr. Kevin McDonough, the embattled former Vicar General of the Archdiocese. McDonough has been implicated in the cover up of numerous cases of abuse in Minnesota. He is also the brother of White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough.

    Funcheon was a chaplain at Honolulu’s Damien Memorial School in the early 1980s.

  • Safe environment programs: Safe for predators, not so much for kids

    It’s like having a public swimming pool without a life preserver …

    A story out of St. Paul, MN, is a latest example of why so-called “Safe Environment” programs create a false sense of security and may even protect child predators.

    The predator in this case was Rev. Curtis Wehmeyer, a now-convicted child offender who is currently serving a five-year prison sentence for abusing the children of a parish employee. The victims have now filed civil suits, exposing that Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis church officials actually knew soon after Wehmeyer’s ordination in 2001 that he was a threat to kids. They cite police reports from 2004 and 2008 involving Wehmeyer and boys.

    The mother of the boys has pursued the civil suit because church knew Wehmeyer was a risk and did nothing, both boys are in intensive (and expensive) counseling, and the parish where she is working has cut her hours.

    But here’s the clincher:

    From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

    The mother said part of her job at Blessed Sacrament was to administer the parish’s Protection of Children and Youth Initiative, including doing background checks on volunteers. She said she allowed her boys to go camping with Wehmeyer and hang out with him because she hoped at least one of them would take an interest in becoming a priest. (emphasis mine)

    As would be expected, the Archdiocese is fighting back, saying that the abuse was all the fault of the mother. They say that she should have done more to protect the boys from the priest.

    Before everyone piles on about how the mother “should have known better,” we need to look at the reality of child sex abuse in institutions:

     

    • Her Archbishop (her “spiritual father”) told her that her boys were safe,
    • Her Archbishop told her there were no predators in ministry,
    • Her Archbishop was also her boss, and
    • She administered the safety program and assumed that Wehmeyer had never been arrested or suspected of abuse.

    And then there is this reality: Most predators are never arrested, never caught, and, therefore, never in fingerprint databases.

    The Protection of Children and Youth Initiative and other programs like it are a good FIRST step. But in this case, they are nothing more than a safety net for predators. Parents must not fall into a malaise of implied protection.

    What should parents do? Well, the first things are education, using your gut, and being vigilant. A healthy distrust of the “safety” of institutions is another good step.

    As Instapundit and law professor Glenn Reynolds often says: Someone should write a book about that.

     

     

  • Resources: How do I get therapeutic help?

    *This is the first in a series of posts on Resources for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse*

    Finding a good therapist and getting help can be the best decisions a survivor makes. But the process can also be maddening.

     

    Referrals from Family and Friends

    Before launching an online search using the links below, ask around. Getting therapy does not carry the stigma it used to, and you will be amazed at the wonderful recommendations you can get from family and friends. If your brother went to a great therapist, give that therapist a call and ask him/her for a recommendation. (You didn’t want to share your Legos with your brother when you were kids, and you certainly don’t want to share a therapist with him now). Therapists know their colleagues very well, and will be sure to point you to a great clinician who does good work.

    Remember: The best therapist in the world may not be the best therapist for you. Before you can benefit from therapy, you need to like how your therapist works, work well with him/her, and—most importantly—feel comfortable.

     

    Take Advantage of Low-Cost Options

    Many workplaces offer benefits such as free, confidential, short-term counseling through third-party vendors (EAP, etc.). Talk to your HR department or supervisor to see if they offer the benefit and if you qualify. Your workplace pays for this benefit, so they want you to use it.

    States like Hawaii offer low-cost (and sometimes free) counseling through various state-run and nonprofit social services programs. Research your state and county to see if there are services available. If you don’t have access to a computer at home, go to your local library. Research assistants there are experts in finding low-cost services for library patrons.

    Finally, many churches help members find counseling or offer services themselves. NOTE: If you were abused in an institutional setting, like a church, it may not be a good idea to get counseling from the same or similar organization. Also, if the institution where you were abused offers you free counseling, be very careful and be sure that your privacy and legal rights are protected. Remember: anyone who offers you free counseling can instantly take that therapy away. So, be sure to protect yourself.

     

    Therapist Search Tools

    The American Psychological Association has a search site to help you find a therapist in your area that focuses on victims of child sexual abuse.

    Psychology Today also has a therapist search that includes Marriage and Family Therapists and Licensed Clinical Social Workers.

    The HelpPro Therapist Finder also provides information on therapists in your area.

    GoodTherapy.org has a therapist search and what they call the PsychPedia A-Z, which is very helpful when it comes to making sense of all of the options and therapies available.

     

    Kinds of Therapy

    Many survivors have found great healing from therapists who use EMDR.

    From the EMDR Institute:

    EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a psychotherapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences.  Repeated studies show that by using EMDR people can experience the benefits of psychotherapy that once took years to make a difference.

    Click here to learn more about EMDR or to find a therapist and discuss whether or not it can work for you, click here.

    Some survivors have had great success by focusing on brain health. Integrative psychiatric care at places such as the Amen Clinic address brain health, personal care, nutrition and brain science to help survivor address how abuse has physically and psychologically affected their brain function.

    NLP—Neuro-linguistic Programming—and Timeline Therapy have also been helpful for many survivors to release anger, anxiety and trauma. Click here to find an NLP practitioner or to learn more about NLP and Timeline Therapy.

    This is just a thumbnail sketch of the options that are available to you. So, take your time, do some research, and find a therapist who can help you heal.

    All links are just suggestions and do not imply endorsements. I have not received any compensation for including any of the links above (if only …). If you have tried a successful therapy, feel free to let me know and I can include it here.

    Coming up—Part Two: Crime victims and legal rights

  • Casteix talks to MSNBC about Vatican defrocking abusive priests