No Repercussions
Cornerstone Team Counseling Survivor: 2019 - 2021
i was 17 when i joined cornerstone. i had been in various therapies for 6 years already and nothing had worked. i was referred to a trauma therapist who told me she could not help me, but she knew who can. it was cornerstone.
i was indoctrinated to believe that that was a ‘god moment’ for many years, rather than just really good recruiting from an alumni parent who happened to be a therapist.
if i had to choose a common theme for my time in cornerstone, it would be sexual predators. i was 13th stepped by the first guy i told my life story to, because ‘she wasn’t that cute but i knew she’d be easy after that’.
no repercussions.
i was molested by a guy who pretended to be gay, and told ‘it wasn’t that i was attracted to you, i was just figuring out what i liked’.
no repercussions.
a guy read through my text messages with a friend and attempted to blackmail me because in them i mentioned a sexual experience i had that was embarrassing.
i was told that i was selfish for privately mentioning to a counselor that i was uncomfortable when a peer shared in detail how he drugged and assaulted his friend. i was told that that was him being vulnerable and honest, and how dare i try to silence him.
i was told that i was full of shit if i didn’t report a previous sexual assault. so i did. and then i was called dramatic and histrionic for being upset when it was dropped at the grand jury.
i was informed by my counselor that i had really big boobs. for 15 minutes. which i really appreciated because how else would i have known? i was shamed for not crying when having to read a detailed written report of my sexual abuse as a child to a group of male and female peers.
i was publicly humiliated for months by my second stage counselor, he would find new and creative ways to call me fat constantly.
i saw him groom another girl in the program, and after she graduated the program he would often try to get her to come over, to have dinner with him, etc.
girls who were sexually assaulted by other members of the group were forced to be in the same room as their attacker.
we were not allowed to have jobs, but were shamed for being expensive and burdens.
i was constantly told that my life would be downhill after the program. i was told i would never have it this good again.
i was given the choice between being homeless with no contact with my parents and this program.
i cant imagine making that choice before i can even legally get a tattoo.
but i had to.
