My healing journey

November 19, 2024

70 year old Sal has walked with a limp for thirty years. As a nurse, she has spent her working life on her feet but has wandered the wards with a hobble.

The cause of Sal’s foot injury was too traumatic and painful to revisit, so she ignored it for years. Since engaging with CatholicCare’s counselling services, Sal has been able to process the trauma associated with her injury and has actively sought treatment. She admits that life isn’t perfect, but thoughts of her foot no longer fill her with anger.

As a newlywed, Sal was sexually abused by her father-in-law. Sal was raised in her Samoan culture to put family first and she found herself betrayed by a figure who she was taught to honour and respect. On one occasion, Sal’s father-in-law touched her thigh, and she pushed him away. Upon doing so, her father-in-law fell, and Sal saved him with her foot. Ever since that day, the act of saving his fall has haunted her, her injury acting as a daily reminder.

No one in Sal’s family believed her story. “How dare she lie,” family members would say. Sal lived with the distrust of her family for many years, and it caused great tension with her husband. Sal’s husband was one of the few people who believed her, but he wouldn’t stand up for her with his family. 

“His silence is abuse to me,” Sal says.

When Sal first engaged with CatholicCare’s counselling services, she simply needed a listening ear. Sal’s counsellor, Samuel recalls her many stories, which clearly demonstrated the love she had for her family. “She would frequently talk about her parents, her children and her extended family,” Samuel says. 

“Family was such an important part of her life so for Sal to be rejected and accused was devastating and shocking.”

After five sessions Sal had some news. “Sam, guess what? I went to the foot specialist to get a brace for my foot.” For Sal, the counselling sessions helped her process something that she had kept to herself for thirty years. “This was exactly what I needed to do something about my foot,” Sal says. 

“To be honest, I didn’t do anything amazingly therapeutic,” Samuel says. “I spent much of the time just listening.” One of Sal’s great focuses was on reconnecting with her family. Sal’s relationship with her in-laws hasn’t been reconciled but she has a greater understanding and acceptance of her situation. 

Samuel describes his journey with Sal as fascinating. “It was fascinating to witness how, through the process of addressing her emotional struggles, she finally found the strength to attend to her foot.” 

Samuel feels deeply moved and excited for Sal as she embarks on her healing journey. 

Do you feel stuck – like there’s something you just can’t resolve on your own?

For many people, life is like a house of cards. We teeter along barely managing to hold up our sky high pile of commitments and stressors. It feels as though one more card will bring them all crashing down creating an overwhelming mess. Connect with a counsellor – call 1800 324 924, email info@catholiccaredbb.org.au or visit our site here.