Mary Ellen lives in St. Louis, MO and has four children, seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. She worked in the Insurance industry for 33 years before retiring in 2009. Her youngest son, Stephen Hippe, was abused by a priest and a teacher in 1985 and 86 while in a Catholic High School. Both predators were prosecuted and sent to prison. Stephen took his own life in 1991 at the age of 21. She has done research on treatment centers in the St. Louis area, where the church is housing and servicing clergy accused of sexual offenses.
Family Support
Sexual abuse of one family member invariably affect all members of the family. In this session, you can share your stories and feelings about how the abuse of a loved one has affected you, your family, or those around you. This session will tackle the question of “how can we heal from secondary abuse?” and “how do we help a loved one heal?” and will rely on the experiences of those in the group to help provide answers. Mary Ellen will be joined by co-facilitator, Judy Lorenz.
