Bent But Not Broken by Elizabeth Margaret
Authors: Elizabeth Margaret
Tags: Juvenile Fiction
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situation. What I must be able to do is to convince her that she is not responsible for the sexual abuse she has suffered. I expect this will be difficult with Abigail.
Dr. Harry Nightingale
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Dear Crystal,
The group session today was really good! Instead of the usual one-at-a-time intensive, Doctor Hobbit threw the rules out and had a discussion about getting the kitten. We were all excited and keen. He kicked off by asking us how we thought it could work. It was the first time I felt like he saw us a people instead of nut jobs.
Everyone wanted to name the kitten. Doctor Hobbit pointed out that we haven't decided whether it would be male or female. So we came up with a list of names for each. He said we could work on that one later.
Then came who would look after it? 'We all will!' we said. That's where I started to see that it could get tricky. Some of these girls are seriously damaged. I wondered if they had it in them to hurt â or even kill â a kitten. I don't know, but I guess Doctor Hobbit wouldn't have put it as an option if he thought that was the case.
The litter box caused some discussion. Because of Kayla, special precautions would have to be made. It couldn't be in the lounge room. Can you imagine watching her chow down on kitty litter, or worse? Doesn't bear thinking about! Doctor Hobbit said the nurses were prepared to put a cat door into their office, and the orderlies had agreed to clean the litter tray every day. I reckon that's pretty good of them. It was never one of my favourite jobs. So that one was sorted.
We all told him that we want to have a turn sleeping with the kitten. That would mean the litter box would have to go into our rooms for the night. Doctor Hobbit said that was okay for everyone except Kayla. She burst into tears. For the first time (a strange session, indeed!) he got out of his chair and knelt down in front of Kayla. He put his hand on her knee and said that as she gets better, this can happen for her too. She snuffled a bit but calmed down.
I must admit I'm excited! It would be lovely to have a kitten to play with and snuggle for comfort. I'll let you know how it goes.
Love,
Abigail
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CASE FILE #2794 ABIGAIL LEE MANUS D.O.B. 02/04/1998
ENTRY 22: 08/05/2014
----
I pushed Abigail too hard today. I had hoped that because our sessions have been gradually building a relationship, I could gently start to introduce the setting of her trauma.
We started with discussing the kitten, which went well. Abigail was very positive about getting the kitten, and was confident that she could help to look after it. We spoke about kitten toys, and she told me how she loved taking her cats and dogs to bed with her.
'Did your mother mind you having the animals on your bed?' I asked.
Abigail slammed down the shutters. It was back to the early days where her mouth was clamped into a tight line while she backed into the far corner of her chair.
The shift was so sudden and extreme I was unprepared for it. It was like a switch had been flipped. Abigail spent the rest of our time glaring at me, radiating anger. Definitely a step backwards.
I do not know what triggered such an extreme response. Was it the question about her bed, or bedroom? Or was it the mention of her mother?
Again I wonder if Abigail had tried to disclose the fact of her sexual abuse to her mother, and that it had gone very badly for her.
At least now there is no doubt in my mind that the sexual abuse was suffered in the family home â and so most likely by a family member. But who? Abigail has not ever mentioned any males in her stories about her early life. So who is this male? When did he enter Abigail's life? What was his role? When did it start? How did he have power over Abigail? And what role, if any, did her mother have in this abuse?
I will keep our sessions on the theme of Abigail's love of animals. I will have to let her take the lead again, as it is clearly so important to
Dr. Harry Nightingale
Â
Â
Â
Dear Crystal,
The group session today was really good! Instead of the usual one-at-a-time intensive, Doctor Hobbit threw the rules out and had a discussion about getting the kitten. We were all excited and keen. He kicked off by asking us how we thought it could work. It was the first time I felt like he saw us a people instead of nut jobs.
Everyone wanted to name the kitten. Doctor Hobbit pointed out that we haven't decided whether it would be male or female. So we came up with a list of names for each. He said we could work on that one later.
Then came who would look after it? 'We all will!' we said. That's where I started to see that it could get tricky. Some of these girls are seriously damaged. I wondered if they had it in them to hurt â or even kill â a kitten. I don't know, but I guess Doctor Hobbit wouldn't have put it as an option if he thought that was the case.
The litter box caused some discussion. Because of Kayla, special precautions would have to be made. It couldn't be in the lounge room. Can you imagine watching her chow down on kitty litter, or worse? Doesn't bear thinking about! Doctor Hobbit said the nurses were prepared to put a cat door into their office, and the orderlies had agreed to clean the litter tray every day. I reckon that's pretty good of them. It was never one of my favourite jobs. So that one was sorted.
We all told him that we want to have a turn sleeping with the kitten. That would mean the litter box would have to go into our rooms for the night. Doctor Hobbit said that was okay for everyone except Kayla. She burst into tears. For the first time (a strange session, indeed!) he got out of his chair and knelt down in front of Kayla. He put his hand on her knee and said that as she gets better, this can happen for her too. She snuffled a bit but calmed down.
I must admit I'm excited! It would be lovely to have a kitten to play with and snuggle for comfort. I'll let you know how it goes.
Love,
Abigail
Â
Â
CASE FILE #2794 ABIGAIL LEE MANUS D.O.B. 02/04/1998
ENTRY 22: 08/05/2014
----
I pushed Abigail too hard today. I had hoped that because our sessions have been gradually building a relationship, I could gently start to introduce the setting of her trauma.
We started with discussing the kitten, which went well. Abigail was very positive about getting the kitten, and was confident that she could help to look after it. We spoke about kitten toys, and she told me how she loved taking her cats and dogs to bed with her.
'Did your mother mind you having the animals on your bed?' I asked.
Abigail slammed down the shutters. It was back to the early days where her mouth was clamped into a tight line while she backed into the far corner of her chair.
The shift was so sudden and extreme I was unprepared for it. It was like a switch had been flipped. Abigail spent the rest of our time glaring at me, radiating anger. Definitely a step backwards.
I do not know what triggered such an extreme response. Was it the question about her bed, or bedroom? Or was it the mention of her mother?
Again I wonder if Abigail had tried to disclose the fact of her sexual abuse to her mother, and that it had gone very badly for her.
At least now there is no doubt in my mind that the sexual abuse was suffered in the family home â and so most likely by a family member. But who? Abigail has not ever mentioned any males in her stories about her early life. So who is this male? When did he enter Abigail's life? What was his role? When did it start? How did he have power over Abigail? And what role, if any, did her mother have in this abuse?
I will keep our sessions on the theme of Abigail's love of animals. I will have to let her take the lead again, as it is clearly so important to
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