Courtney Kiehl is a tireless advocate for victim-survivors of sexual abuse. Now working for well-known sexual abuse attorney Paul Mones of Los Angeles, she has spent the last 15 years (over half of her life!) dedicated to this cause. Courtney is committed to fighting for victims of sexual abuse. As a victim-survivor of child sexual abuse herself, she brings to her work a keen understanding of the psychological and emotional consequences of sexual abuse. Years ago as a young teen, she was sexually abused by her gymnastics coach. Evidence of her strength and resilience can be found in the fact that she put her own tragic experience into outreach, founding Abused Children Heard Everywhere (A.C.H.E.), continuing to fight for a cause she deeply believes in.
The focus and determination necessary for pursuing excellence in gymnastics have stood Courtney in good stead in her law career. After receiving her college degree from UCLA and her law degree from Penn State University, she has served as a fellow for CHILD USA’s Game Over Commission to Protect Youth Athletes, an investigatory body designed to uncover the systemic failures that enabled Larry Nassar to continue his serial abuse.
For years Larry Nassar sexually abused young gymnasts as well as other athletes and non-athletes under the guise of providing treatment during his time serving as a USA Gymnastics national team doctor and an osteopathic physician at Michigan State University. Though Nassar has already been convicted of his crimes, Courtney was, and is, determined to help fix the broken system and learn from Nassar’s horrible crimes. She has provided public testimony to the Game Over Commission as well as conducted interviews, including the Carol Costello Show on CNN to help give a voice to others harmed by sexual abuse.
Other Activities Courtney Is Involved In
Like others who devote themselves to one primary cause, Courtney Kiehl is always looking for new ways to approach the subject of sexual abuse in ways that will be beneficial to those who have been victimized.
A strong example of this is Courtney’s role as part of an interdisciplinary research team, based at Penn State, that has developed an art-based therapy program for victims-survivors of sexual violence. The research also involves investigating the impact of sexual trauma on the human body. Her work as a healer parallels her work as a sexual abuse attorney; she is also a member of the National Crime Victim Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Council.
Courtney Is a Fierce Advocate for Sexual Abuse Victims
Fighting for the victim-survivors of sexual abuse requires not just advocacy in the courtroom, but also informed, gentle, compassionate support for the victim-survivors themselves. Courtney Kiehl intimately understands the critical need for such support. Clients of the office of Paul Mones know that they have a team behind them who combine the relentless pursuit of justice with a compassionate understanding of the problems with which they have lived their whole lives.
Read more about Courtney’s journey here: A Survivor Shares Her Strength
Listen to Courtney’s thoughts about the unique vulnerability of youth athletes here: One in Ten Podcast