Local child abuse expert says Sandusky case is hardly surprising

The Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal is hardly surprising says Roy Van Tassell.

He sees victims every day.

Van Tassell is in charge of the Child Abuse and Trauma Services program at Family & Children’s Services in Tulsa.

The former Penn State assistant football coach waived his preliminary hearing Tuesday, prompting some to say it’s good news for alleged victims who now won’t have to testify twice during the hearing and at trial.

But Van Tassell says it's important for victims to tell their stories.

“Hands down in the literature and in our experience of using state-of-the art evidence-based treatment models, telling one’s story is really important to healing.”

However, Van Tassell says there is a caveat.

“If someone feels what happened to them was their fault and that is never corrected or changed, then simply repeating one’s story is not necessarily helpful.”

Van Tassell says, unfortunately, most people don’t seek help.

It’s never too late to get help, but Van Tassell says, “Our view is, it's much easier and much more effective in the long run to treat abuse and neglect when someone is younger than it is when they are older."

Last year, Family & Children’s Services’ helped 5,700 children and their families recover from the trauma of being sexually abused, victimized, physically hurt or emotionally harmed.