" Boys and Men Healing" Documentary about Impact of Child Sexual Abuse

By Maria Bryant
The Collegian
April 4, 2012

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2012/04/04/dare_to_dream_.aspx

A special screening of "Boys and Men Healing," a documentary about the impact of child sexual abuse, will be presented at 7 tonight in the HUB-Robeson Center Auditorium.

After the film, there will be a question and answer session with the film's producer, Simon Wienberg, along with clinicians who work with male survivors and two male survivors from MaleSurvivor.org.

The event, open to the public, is sponsored by MaleSurvivor.org and co-sponsored by Counseling and Psychological Services and Student Affairs.

With April being Child Abuse Prevention Month, CAPS and the filmmakers mutually wanted to screen "Boys and Men Healing" at Penn State, CAPS Outreach and Consultation Coordinator Mary Anne Knapp said.

"We both have similar interests about raising awareness about sexual abuse," Knapp said.

She said the event is meant to "encourage ideas about healing" and to explain to those who have been abused that "it is possible to feel better."

Knapp said those who have experienced child sexual abuse feel shame and keep the abuse secret.

The film's producer, Simon Wienberg, said his film follows the healing stories of three men who "took charge of their own lives and are making the world a better place."

Weinberg said this film came as a result of his first film, "The Healing Years," which documented the stories of women who were recovering from child sexual abuse. After the film was released, he said many people asked if he had anything about male child sexual abuse.

After doing research about the prevalence of male sexual abuse through interviews with 100 different male survivors, he said he chose to feature three men in the film whose stories involved not only healing but making a difference in the lives of others.

Wienberg said this film also features men of every race, describing it as "a beautiful mirage of colors showing you can be better and change other's lives."

Andrea Falzone, a CAPS psychologist, said the film should help people better understand sexual abuse because it's not talked about often.

"Everyone can benefit from further education about this issue," she said.