Paradise lost: navigating the world of childhood sexual abuse

by Nick Baez

When working with an at-risk population of adolescents, listening to stories of triumph and tragedy makes a person appreciate the resilience of our youth. However, I have also heard many stories of profound trauma and pain, stories that have admittedly kept me awake at night, questioning my faith in human beings.

I estimate that over the past three years alone, a good 85 percent of my clinical cases have involved some form of trauma, and many of those have involved childhood sexual abuse (CSA).