Trauma informed care for childhood maltreatment and child abuse

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a widespread and intolerable issue with far-reaching consequences. The impact of CSA often extends beyond the child, significantly affecting non-offending parents (NOPs), who may experience vicarious trauma following their child’s disclosure. Despite this, there remains a lack of empirically supported interventions tailored to the specific needs of NOPs.

To address this gap, the Parenting Beyond Trauma (PBT) program was developed using a compassion-focused approach to support NOPs in the aftermath of CSA. This quasi-experimental study, conducted between July 2024 and May 2025, employed a pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effectiveness of the PBT program as a parent-centred intervention combined with trauma-informed training.

Twenty-five NOPs participated in the six-week online program. Measures were collected pre- and post-intervention to assess changes in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, complex PTSD (CPTSD) symptomatology, post-traumatic cognitions (PTCs), resilience, and cognitive emotion regulation (CER). Data were analysed using two separate one-way multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) and a reliable change index (RCI) analysis.

Results indicated significant reductions in PTSD, CPTSD, and PTCs, alongside significant increases in resilience. 

These findings offer preliminary support for the replication and further validation of the PBT program, highlighting its potential to assist NOPs in their recovery journey. Importantly, parents play a key role in a child's recovery as do ensuring that physicians, clinicians, child protection, legal services, and parents are trauma-informed. Their active involvement is essential in fostering a holistic, family-centred approach to care and intervention.

Qualifications: PhD, Clinical Psychologist, MPsych(ClinPsych), GDipPsySc, GDipPsych, MAPS 

Dr Cher McGillivray is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Bond University, within the Faculty of Society & Design. Cher is also registered Clinical Psychologist, Coordinator of Masters of Psychology Programs (Clinical & Professional), researcher, speaker, writer and media commentator on children, families and community wellbeing. 

Cher focuses on positive social change and advocates for the rights and wellbeing of children and restoring familial foundations for families and communities that care for them. Her research endeavours on childhood maltreatment, complex trauma and posttraumatic growth aim to foster a deeper understanding of these critical issues, facilitating more effective responses within the realms of policy, public health, and the legal system to better respond and ultimately prevent of childhood maltreatment. 
 
She has developed the Parenting Beyond Trauma Intervention, Moral Injury and Childhood Maltreatment Assessment Measures, and continues to research in the areas of moral injury, self-compassion, mindfulness, and posttraumatic growth. Her research also involves bridging the gap between victim and victim offenders to ultimately empower victims and reduce gendered based violence.