This lecture will take place on:

*To enable access to the widest possible audience these lectures are planned to be delivered live, but remotely, as webinars. Where we are able, a recording will be made available to all booked delegates although we encourage live attendance wherever possible. Please see the details above to see if this lecture will be recorded and available after the live event.

These lectures will be delivered remotely using Zoom. You will need a device with a suitably fast internet connection. Although mobile devices and tablets can be used, we recommend the use of laptop or desktop PC for the best experience. Some devices provided by employers may have restrictions in place. Please use this test link (https://zoom.us/test) to check your set up before booking.

You will be sent the necessary login link about a week before the course start date. Should you have any concerns about the accessibility of remote delivery please contact us at CPDEvents@tavi-port.ac.uk to discuss how we can best help you.

This is the second lecture in the spring 2026 series.

Lecture 2: Sexual abuse of infants: Facing what we cannot bear to know

5 February 2026

This lecture will be recorded.

Lecturer: Dr Frances Thomson-Salo

Sexual abuse of infants under 3, referred to in the literature for about 100 years, will be briefly described and current worldwide rates of incidence given, although often these are not easy to ascertain. (Incidence is likely to be much higher from birth onwards within the family.)

Statistics suggest a greater preponderance of female infants abused, and usually a greater proportion of male perpetrators. That infants have a range of affective and behavioural responses to abuse, with short and long-term effects, partly depending on whether it is single incident or chronic, will be explored and discussed. Their painful responses of fear, shame and despairing compliance can have a debilitating effect and evoke responses in the therapist, often stirring shame, disgust and horror. Some age-appropriate therapeutic interventions will be discussed, including the importance of providing a reflective space for a therapist, aware of a potentially polarising effect that infant abuse can have. Several vignettes will be given, many of them indicating infant outcomes.

Please note, some of the clinical material may be distressing.