May Adults Molested as stands for Adults Molested Children and a new self help group in Ha too deals specifically with incest defined as any form of sexual activity between an adult parent Stepparent parent or extended family member and a child The primary Idea of the group is to pro vide an environment to facilitate looking at feelings and working them through to come to a new self understanding Cctheraptsts Joan Lee and Ross Plant say adults who have been sexually abused as children often experience severe coping difficulties Abused children see them selves as bad and worthless and grow to adulthood with the same self image This in turn can affect all their adult relationships including those with spouses and children One important benefit of the group Plant said is the immediate identification with other people with similar expert All the sessions there was a realization maybe for the first time that they weren alone Plant sold experience unique and it certainly t make them bad people Focus of anger Another purpose of the group and the therapists role is to provide a focus of anger and a vehicle for the vie power The power of a parent or older person over a child is absolutely immense Lee said The continued feeling throughout the life of abused as a child is one of powerlcssness the inability to control one life This continued victimization is In many cases self inflicted That a an part of the realization the group members have had to make here that they do have power and can control their own lives now In looking back at the work of the group over the past five months Lee and Plant give honors to the members This has been a knockout group of peo ple Lee said of the five members of the Wednesday night group Their toward each other has been overwhelm at times awesome Plant agreed saying it had been his and Lees privilege to work with the group Inlemsofsuccess Well thegoalPjant and Lee set was to help adults who had some for many with feelings of being bad worthless and not as good as others because they d been abused as children The task was to break the destructive cycle feelings of self loathing and powerlessness which too often are a self fulfilling prophecy the said Everyone has experienced change and growth some in quite significant ways Plant said Some have resolved destructive feel ings completely Lee said and others have lessened those feelings drastically The members of the group have a whole new feeling about themselves he said The selfdamnation is gone and they are experiencing a new fee for life The concept was actually a hybrid of two programs one from Henry and Anna Giaretto who presented a May workshop on child sexual abuse in Ha ton and the other was one adopted by the Peel Family Services from a Tacoma Washington treatment centre Additional elements were added by Plant and Lee making the group unique The group was small five members for several reasons Plant and Lee said One Is that the size must be controlled to ensure enough time for all the sessions are two hours once a week The other is that many people who were abused as children either don t yet know about the existence of the group or are afraid to come forward and attempt to work through the fears Often adults who have been abused children feel a tremendous responsibility to protect the family and maintain the roup secret Lee Adults who have expert enced childhood molestation may view themselves as bad and unlovable often in the fact of overwhelming evidence to the contrary she said The group was not small because there t people who were abused as children however It may be difficult to accept but stalls tics from five major surveys between and show one in four girls and one In boys will be molested by the age of IB As the first session comes to a close Plant and Lee say they welcome other therapists who wish to start more groups in the region and the province They plan another group to start in September This kind of encouragement is nece ssary Lee said because of the nature of working with incest victims It incest is one of the last great taboos in our society Lee and Plant said and there is not only a fear on the part of people Continued on Bo WE fix it with expert K we strip it by hand no dipping WE FINISH IT with modern spraying FURNITURE REHNiSHING 2S AVE UNIT IK BUT SOt USED VISIT OUR SHOWROOM GORD We at Capital Ford Sales are excited to announce that has joined our highly successful sales staff played centre with the Gemini last year and in the off season plays second base with Acton A fastball team invites you to visit him at our modern well equipped facilities Welcome CAPITAL FORD SALES LtMrTEO No Your Bait Deal J a CtpttalDaaT 8776928 TOWN OF HILLS RECREATION REPORT LACROSSE ANYONE Thar ba a children lacrossa program offered Acton Memorial Arena on Monday avenlngi Children ara aikad to gloves and soft soled shoe Stick will provided For mora Informa tion call BICENTENNIAL AND clinic On Thursday 7th tiara will a clink for at wall expert and Joggers Thla clinic la FREE to taka advantage of excellent opportunity The Clinic runs from atttveCedar Vila Community Centre Councillor John Mac Donald laadlnfl group on a historical walk and fog through downtown Georgetown For mora Information call your Recreation and Parka axtMO EXERCISE A WHILE THEN DIAL Today Parttclp ACTION Challenge Exercise for IS mlnuta doing tha activity of your register by catling ChaDanga Wa wafting to haar from you lat your Maw residents down- together with avaryona a participation can prove that Halton Hills moil active community in Canada DAYTIME SWIMMING Oat in chape and that wayl Tha Qaorgatown Pool will be open for lunch time swimming on Monday Wednesday and Frldaya until June 11 The swim Is from 11 and regular rata apply ROLLER SKATMQ There opening left in the Roker Skating being In Acton and Spring Acton begin Thursday May is 1964 Georgetown start Wednesday June Register now PROJECT The HW Recreation and Parka Department are pleased to announce that Project Public Awareness or Water Safety I ha return to Hahon Three students am at work preparing aklta about different aspect of water safety ThaaaaUtswalha press rued to student from kindergarten to grade Watch for them