Surviving Sexual Violence: A Guide to Recovery and Empowerment

Victims of sexual assault experience their trauma in different ways, and often one path to recovery and healing is right for one person, but not right for another. While there are some general mental health effects of sexual violence, this book outlines and describes the impact of particular types of sexual violation. Whether the survivor has experienced childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault during adulthood, marital rape, sexual harassment, sex trafficking, or sexual violence within the military, they will find aspects of her experience in these pages. Once survivors understand the ways in which they have been affected, they are introduced to various pathways to surviving sexual violence and moving forward. The chapters provide case examples and specific activities which give a fuller description of the ways survivors can make use of the particular approaches, which include mind-body practices, counseling, group therapies, self-defense training, and others. Anyone who has been a victim of sexual violence, or knows and cares about someone who has, will find relief in these pages, which offer practical approaches to finding balance and healing.

Betrayal Trauma: The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse

This book lays bare the logic of forgotten abuse. Psychologist Jennifer Freyd's breakthrough theory explaining this phenomenon shows how psychogenic amnesia not only happens but, if the abuse occurred at the hands of a parent or caregiver, is often necessary for survival. Freyd's book will give embattled professionals, beleaguered abuse survivors, and the confused public a new, clear understanding of the lifelong effects and treatment of child abuse

Treatment of Women Arrested for Domestic Violence

Women ending abusive/violent episodes respectfully

Authors: Michele Koonin, Araceli Cabarcas, Robert Geffner

From Murder to Forgiveness: A Father's Journey

“Bust him, Bone!“ A single shot from the 9mm handgun exploded in the night air. Tariq Khamisa, 20-year-old college student and part-time pizza deliverer, lay dead in the front seat of his car. The killer: eighth-grader Tony Hicks. So began the bardo of Azim Khamisa, Tariq’s father. ”Bardo” is a Tibetan Buddhist concept Azim came upon shortly after the murder. It is a gap between the end of one life state and the onset of another. The loss of his only son ended forever the life Azim had known. He was thrown into a nightmarish bardo through which he had to find his way. But his strong Islamic Ismaili faith and his determination to make his son’s death meaningful transformed Azim’s bardo into a remarkable journey. A spiritual teacher started his path by telling him that compassionate acts, undertaken in the name of the departed, are ”spiritual currency” that speed the soul’s journey. Azim searched his heart. He found no desire for vengeance there. “From the beginning, I saw victims at both ends of that gun,” he said. In an extraordinary act, he reached out to the family of his son’s killer. “We both carry a burden of loss. Help me carry mine. Let me help you carry yours,” was the message he conveyed to Ples Felix, Tony’s grandfather. He discovered in Ples a faith as strong as his own, and a similar burning desire to end the plague of youth violence. Azim established the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to do this work. Its award winning programs in the San Diego schools use powerful, real-life dramas to teach kids that they have the ability—and the responsibility—to choose nonviolent solutions to problems. Ples is vice chairman of the Foundation and serves on the Board of Trustees. Azim’s journey also led him to discover an approach to criminal justice that he believes is a model for the future. Restorative justice seeks to restore wholeness to victims and communities when crimes are committed. Importantly, it also offers perpetrators an opportunity to redeem themselves as contributing, responsible members of society. This is a win-win process and is especially valuable in cases involving juvenile criminals. From Murder to Forgiveness is a powerful and inspiring story that offers hope for the restoration of lives brutalized by acts of violence.

Prosecuted But Not Silenced: Courtroom Reform for Sexually Abused Children

Prosecuted But Not Silenced is a powerful documentary about a mother and daughter's tragic involvement with the judicial system when there were allegations of child sexual abuse―a human rights and civil rights issue for women and children. It is an important educational tool for judges, lawyers, social workers, therapists, politicians, and the general public so that people realize what still occurs today. A National Health Crisis, Maralee’s story reveals the last taboo and a crime that needs the public's attention, and emphasizes the need for training in the dynamics of maltreatment so that no more mothers have to suffer what happened to Maralee and her daughter.

Entering the Thriver Zone: A Seven-Step Guide to Thriving After Abuse

No longer a victim, beyond a survivor, she is a "thriver" on the brink of a new life. She's a new breed of woman moving on after abuse and she wants her revenge. Living well is her best revenge. She is pushing through her fears to find positive energy and forge a new future for herself and her children. Ready to take this life-changing journey of self-discovery from victim to survivor to "thriver" and permanently break the cycle of violence in your life? Author Susan Omilian has used her seven-step motivational process to assist hundreds of women on their journey over the last twenty years. Now in book form with easy-to-use worksheets, invigorating writing exercises and inspirational thriver success stories, the innovative material in this guide is valuable not only for victims of abuse but also for their families, friends, counselors, therapists, crisis center staffs, and attorneys. It is a resource for these helpers and supporters, offering a process for the journey to thriving for those caught in this web of abuse.

The Child Survivor: Healing Developmental Trauma and Dissociation (Second Edition)

In this second edition of Joyanna Silberg’s classic The Child Survivor, practitioners who treat dissociative children will find practical tools that are backed up by recent advances in clinical research.

Chapters are filled with examples of clinical dilemmas that can challenge even the most expert child trauma clinicians, and Silberg shows how to handle these dilemmas with creativity, attunement, and sensitivity to the adaptive nature of even the most complex dissociative symptoms. The new edition addresses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children and provides tips for working with traumatized children in telehealth. A new chapter on organized abuse explains how children victimized by even the most sadistic crimes can respond well to therapy.

Clinicians on the front lines of treatment will come away from the book with an arsenal of therapeutic techniques that they can put into practice right away, limiting the need for restrictive hospitalizations or out-of-home placements for their young clients.

Healing the Fractured Child: Diagnosis and Treatment of Youth with Dissociation

Written by one of the nation’s leading practitioners in the field of childhood trauma, abuse, and dissociation, this comprehensive resource fills a void in the literature to provide indepth knowledge of current interventions for treating dissociation in youth. It describes a detailed, careful assessment process and creative, evidence-supported techniques for helping children and their families to heal from chaotic, traumatizing experiences. With both a theoretical and practical focus, the book offers proven strategies for successfully treating children and adolescents with varying degrees ofdisissociation and comorbid symptoms. It also integrates adjunct therapies in environments beyond those of traditional psychotherapy, such as school, and describes howtheir strategies can be used effectively to augment therapy and understand dissociative children.

Based on a model integrating five prominent therapeutic modalities, and underscoring the importance of attachment style, the book focuses on the neurobiology of trauma, a high comorbidity of symptoms, specialized clinical interventions, psychopharmacology, and family intervention techniques. Also addressed are adjunct therapies in art and EMDR. In addition, the book provides a window into the effects of traumatic events such as medical illness that may be overlooked, and safe techniques with dissociative youth who are exhibiting dangerous behaviors. Rich clinical examples demonstrate the various phases of treatment and offer a window into the internal world of dissociative children.

Key Features:

• Integrates psychotherapy with EMDR, art therapy, neurobiology, and psychopharmacology

• Distills current research on neurobiology of trauma and how to intervene with specially designed treatment strategies

• Provides in-depth knowledge of the latest creative interventions for treatment of childhood dissociation and comorbid symptoms

• Sensitizes the therapist to often overlooked traumatic events, such as medical illness, that can exacerbate symptoms