By empowering survivors and increasing prevention through education, Bethesda Inc, is fighting for a future where no child must face the trauma of sexual abuse alone
NORMAN, Okla., October 25, 2024 (Ecnetnews.com)
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By empowering survivors and increasing prevention through education, Bethesda, Inc. is fighting for a future where no child must face the trauma of sexual abuse alone.
Twenty-five-year-old Ph.D. student Julie Sisler was set on a career in academia when she shifted her focus from researching problems to being a hands-on part of the solution. In 2023, she landed a role as office manager at Bethesda, Inc., the only center in Oklahoma solely dedicated to the treatment, education, and prevention of childhood sexual abuse. A few months later, she was asked to step in as interim executive director during an organizational transition, but it wasn’t long until the role became permanent.
“By day three, I knew I didn’t want this to be temporary,” says Sisler. “Every day at Bethesda is full of laughter and the scent of popcorn and freshly baked cookies. It’s a place for families to come together and for children to walk out standing taller than the day before.”
Studies by David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, suggest that 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 20 boys experience childhood sexual abuse. However, most experts agree the actual number is greater due to many cases being unreported. This is partially due to stigma and a lack of educational resources surrounding childhood sexual abuse.
Bethesda’s Stop, Go and Tell program, an age-appropriate presentation teaching elementary school students about healthy boundaries, was presented to over 30,000 Oklahomans in 2023. Additional programs—including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for survivors and support groups for non-offending caregivers—prioritize healing and empowerment. Every service is offered free of charge, so nothing stands between children and the help they need.
“We seek to destigmatize childhood sexual abuse and personal boundaries because we have seen how doing so can not only change the life of the child we serve, but can positively impact their family, friends, classmates, and even future generations,” Sisler says.
A Safe Place
Behind every program at Bethesda is a compassionate, qualified team and the support of donors and volunteers. Whether providing baked goods and hygiene packages or donating time and spreading awareness, anyone can make a difference.
One woman who called Sisler to donate shared that she and her daughter had been clients 20 years ago. After experiencing abuse, her daughter had felt hopeless and believed her life was over. Once she attended her first session at Bethesda, she told her mother everything was going to be OK because she’d found a safe place. Through group therapy, the mother was empowered to leave her abusive marriage and begin processing her own abuse. Today the daughter has children of her own, and says she teaches them everything she learned in the organization’s care.
In 2024, Bethesda is not slowing down. Sisler and her team are working to meet the evolving needs statewide, including increasing outreach to rural areas and developing therapeutic programs for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
“You never know what the magnitude of serving a single child will be,” says Sisler. “Children offer the world unlimited potential, and we are proud to educate, heal, and empower them as they explore their endless opportunities.”
Source: Bethesda Inc.
