12.20.15 | Adoption

When Harold left prison, his first stop was at Lutheran Family Services (LFS) to attend his first appointment back in the RTA Adult Incest Offender Treatment Program. He didn’t even have a place to live yet, but he was certain he needed to be in treatment and the other details would come together in God’s time.

LFS offers the only sexual abuse treatment program in Nebraska designed for both the perpetrator and the entire family. In 2004, LFS treatment required 156 perpetrators to provide reparation to the victim, the family and the community. Estimates reveal that for every adult offender that receives intensive counseling and treatment, 8 victims are spared.

When Harold entered the RTA Program, he looked and felt like a worn out shell of a man. He was certain there could be no hope for him because he had sexually abused a child. He knew no one could ever understand or forgive him; certainly he could not do that for himself.

While his wife had divorced him, she continued to support his treatment efforts, giving him rides to therapy and helping him find a place to live.

Through treatment, Harold was required to make reparations to those he had hurt. Through therapy Harold learned to work a safety plan, which he works diligently every day to keep children in his life safe. Harold’s work in treatment has contributed to his practice of faith and healthy connections in the world, making our communities safer. When Harold graduated from the RTA program he didn’t even seem to look his stated age, let alone the ancient worn out shell of a man he seemed as he first walked through the LFS doors.

 

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