*Teresa, an eight year old child witnessed her maternal uncle stab her father several times repeatedly. During the attack the maternal uncle also pulled Teresa by her pony tail and pushed her down a flight of stairs. Miraculously, Teresa was able to escape the home, where she reunited with her father who suffered several knife wounds but was still mobile. The uncle continued in pursuit of the family, wielding a knife. Teresa, bravely, ran across the street to her neighbor’s home and asked for help. Fortunately, her neighbor happened to be a police officer and managed to immediately assist the family. The police arrived, as well as an ambulance shortly afterwards. The case was reported to Child Protective Services, where the family was referred to the Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk for counseling. …show more content…
She came to us very hesitant, and unaware of the purpose of counseling. The first few sessions we got to know her, her likes, interests and about her family. We discovered that she had a strong bond with her parents and an unrelenting depth of optimism. After she got the opportunity to know us, she began to open up about what happened that day and how it made her