Joe Gilvary

Joe is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse from multiple abusers. After years of counseling, he has found that joining other survivors in advocacy work helps him continue his healing journey. He believes that if he can help even one person, it feels like he is passing along some of the help he got from so many others. He is also a big fan of dinosaurs, hot sauce, chocolate, and tea.

“The PTSD to me wasn’t so much a label as it was a way to understand…some of the events of my life [and] some of the responses.” 

“One of the things that I have told other survivors, in person and online, is these things you’re going through are a perfectly normal response to a very abnormal situation.” 

“The hidden talents that are in us didn’t go away when we were abused… and each and every one of us has an opportunity, if we choose, to nurture that talent, that essence, that who we are, and have it help us make healthy choices for better outcomes despite whatever was in the past.”