1. Any sexual contact between an adult and child, defined as:

• Touching, to sexually arouse the child or provide sexual arousal for the offending party, kissing, by one whose purpose is like touching
• Fondling of genitals or other parts of the body in a sexual or prolonged manner
• Overt sexual contact, such as oral-genital contact, or manual stimulation of genitals or intercourse.

2. Any behavior that is intended to stimulate the child sexually, or to sexually stimulate the abusing person through the use of the child, including showing the child erotic materials, sexually photographing the child, or talking sexually to the child.
3. Sexual contact by a person that is in an older developmental stage than the child. Even children in the same developmental stage can experience the act as abusive if physical, emotional, harm is inflicted or used as coercion.

Even though these are not legal definitions and can vary from state to state, these are a few general criteria for sexual abuse.

Sexual abuse affects children in many ways. There are both short-term and long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Short term effects such as – 

• Feelings of powerlessness, helplessness, hopelessness
• Anger, aggression 
• Fear 
• Increased anxiety 
• Phobias 
• Nightmares 
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Flashback of events 

Long term effects may include –  

• Psychological problems such as depression, anxiety disorders 
• Psychosomatic problems (Constant unexplained illness)
• Trust and intimacy issues in the relationship 
• Suicidal attempts 
• Substance abuse 
• Delinquency 

Child sexual abuse counselor helps in dealing with the childhood trauma related to child sexual abuse. The counselor helps the child to understand that the abuse is not their fault and they should not feel guilty about it. The counselor also helps children regain and boost their self-confidence. They provide sex education and safe- unsafe touch guidance to the children. The counselor helps them to make feel good about themselves and shows them kindness. Also, they encourage appropriate social behavior for their age. The child also needs to develop a supportive social network. The counselor helps the child to identify people who are helpful and supportive, e.g. relatives, friends, teachers, etc. They help you and your child understand the complex and confusing emotions experienced while the sexual abuse was taking place and after it ended. And most importantly, they help free you and your child from the effects of the past so you can enjoy happier lives in the future.

Probably not. People often think we can take care of our problems ourselves and that counseling is for people who can’t take care of themselves. However, if you think that your child can go it alone and doesn’t need help, you could be making a mistake. Here is a good rule-of-thumb: If children can talk about the abuse and their feelings, have plenty of loving support at home, are doing well in school and relationships, and aren’t showing any physical or behavioral symptoms, it’s possible they can get by without counseling. However, it’s not a good idea to take that chance without getting a professional opinion – from someone who counsels sexually abused children regularly. You’ll feel a lot more secure when you do it.

Child sexual abuse can alter the child’s view of the world as they grow up. Trauma makes children aware that dangerous events happen in the world and that bad things happen to them. The sense of safety that non-abused individuals have is shattered for abused children. Therefore, counselors are aware that they may not only be dealing with the immediate consequences of child sexual abuse but also with the effects of that abuse years later.