Ask Sam letter

Hi M*,

Thanks so much for your letter. You’ve done really well to open up and share how things are for you. It sounds like you have had to be very brave and you've shown a lot of courage and inner strength to go through the sexual abuse you have described to me.

Sexual abuse is very wrong. It's a crime and no child or young person should ever go through it. You are doing all the right things by talking about what happened. From what you have told me it sounds like maybe there is something else on your mind that you would like to say but you feel a bit held back from talking to your mum.

You did the right thing to get the help and support you needed when talking to the police. Everybody needs support in their lives and sometimes we need that little bit more - maybe this is that time for you.

If you want to talk to someone who isn’t your mum you could think about the other people in your life who you trust – this could be a teacher or a different family member. It’s important your voice is heard because you are important and your feelings matter. Some people find that it can help to write feelings down to help them say what they want to say.

You may also want to think about talking to a ChildLine counsellor who can give you a safe space to practice what you want to say. Perhaps you could also chat about what is making it difficult for you to talk to mum about this. There is always somebody at ChildLine who will listen and support you.

I can hear that you have some support around you but you may also like to check out the message boards where young people support each other with the issues that matter to them, like sexual abuse and getting support to move forward.

You are always welcome to come and talk to a ChildLine counsellor about how you feel - you can have a 1-2-1 chat online, send an email or by calling us for free on 0800 1111.

Take care

Sam