I live just North of Kansas City, Missouri, and am needing to find a credible therapist in my area who knows what they are doing with adult male survivors of boyhood sexual abuse. I am also desiring to find a local support group. I am experiencing one of those periods in life where the memories and experiences are effecting me and I need help and support.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Buzz

Buzz,

You question is one of the most often asked here. It can be a tough one especially for individuals such as yourself who live in the "heartland". There is a "Find a Therapist" feature we have on the site accessible from one of the menu's on the homepage. As you will or have already noticed, the list is not too well populated. But there are counselors listed there in a number of states.

As far as support groups go that one is even more difficult. You can look back through the archive of the "Classifieds" forum and may find something there. Most often your best bet in finding a support group is to find a therapist first.

As a practical suggestion, my best approach if I were in your place would be to start calling mental health professionals in your area and ask if thy specialize or can give you a referral to someone who does specialize in treating men who have experienced childhood sexual abuse.

What I ended up doing, and you might consider it as well, was I made an appointment with someone I'd heard good things about but wasn't a specialist, and spilled my guts about my abuse history. The therapist told me she was not able to meet my needs but agreed to continue seeing me while she searched for someone who did specialize. From that contact I ended up with a referral to the Doc I needed, including a group.

I wish you well in your search, and welcome to our group here. I think you'll find this place to a supportive and caring place to interact with other's who have experienced the same childhood trauma as yourself.

Lots of love,

John