Myths and Lies About Dads: How They Hurt Us All is a groundbreaking book that destroys more than 100 of the most damaging beliefs about fathers. Using the most recent research, this pioneering work exposes these baseless beliefs and the toll they take on children's relationships with their fathers, parents' relationships with one another, and the physical and mental health of fathers and mothers. Tackling a wide range of topics from custody laws, to children's toys, to the sexist behavior of counselors, pediatricians, and lawyers, Dr Linda Nielsen describes in vivid detail how these myths are linked to many of our most pressing issues: Creating more gender equity in childcare and housework Reducing child abuse, post-partum depression, and fathers' suicide rates Expanding mothers' and fathers' options at home and at work Reducing children's academic, behavioral, and emotional problems Lessening the pressures of parenting for both parents Changing sexist policies and practices that hurt parents and children Improving the economic situations for parents and their children The book is not only a wake-up call for parents but also for students and professionals in medicine and family law, social work, child development, education, and in the publishing, advertising, media, and entertainment industries. Above all, the book empowers parents to free themselves from the myths and lies about fathers that bind them.

Never before has world-renowned psychoanalyst Alice Miller examined so persuasively the long-range consequences of childhood abuse on the body. Using the experiences of her patients along with the biographical stories of literary giants such as Virginia Woolf, Franz Kafka, and Marcel Proust, Miller shows how a child's humiliation, impotence, and bottled rage will manifest itself as adult illness--be it cancer, stroke, or other debilitating diseases. Never one to shy away from controversy, Miller urges society as a whole to jettison its belief in the Fourth Commandment and not to extend forgiveness to parents whose tyrannical childrearing methods have resulted in unhappy, and often ruined, adult lives. In this empowering work, writes Rutgers professor Philip Greven, "readers will learn how to confront the overt and covert traumas of their own childhoods with the enlightened guidance of Alice Miller."

This book presents the findings of two important research projects in which men who admitted to a sexual interest in children were interviewed. The attitudes of these volunteer subjects differed from apprehensive paedophile offenders, challenging some of the generalisations advanced by professionals.

Despite mounting references to the "transgenerational transmission of violence," we still lack a compelling understanding of the linkage between the interpersonal violence of early life and the criminal violence of adulthood. In Prologue to Violence, Abby Stein draws on the gripping narratives of 65 incarcerated subjects and extensive material from law enforcement files to remedy this lacuna in both the forensic and psychodynamic literature. In the process, she calls into question prevailing beliefs about criminal character and motivation. For Stein the early trauma to which adult criminals are subjected remains unformulated and, as such, unavailable for reflection. Contrary to common belief, these criminals, especially sex murderers, do not commit their crimes in a rational or fully conscious way. They are not driven by deviant fantasy, their psychopathy is not inborn, and they rarely commit acts of violence "without conscience." Stein's interdisciplinary analysis of her data infuses contemporary relational psychoanalysis with the insights of neuroscience, traumatology, criminology, and cognitive and narrative psychology. A powerful challenge to offender treatment programs to address the shaping impact of childhood trauma rather than merely to "correct" the cognitions of violent offenders, Prologue to Violence will be equally compelling to researchers and academics investigating child abuse and adult violence. Its mental health readership will be broad and deep, ranging beyond clinicians who work with offender populations to all therapists who wrestle with experiences of dissociation and aggressive enactment in everyday life.

The development of knowledge and skills in working with perpetrators of sexual abuse over the past 15 years has been greatly aided by the establishment of specialist workers and teams. However, this has had the unintended effect of generating mystique about the nature of the work and discouraging non-specialists from engaging in it. The authors feel that this is counter-productive and must be addressed, as almost all work with perpetrators is undertaken by individuals with little support, specialist training or supervision. Only 6% of known perpetrators are treated in established specialist programmes. The underpinning theory and the key principles of practice with this group can be acquired by any professional worker. This book brings that knowledge to front-line staff to enable them to contribute effectively to the protection of children. The book sets out: .To demystify the theory of working with perpetrators of child sexual abuse. .To give practitioners the information they need to able to work effectively and safely with perpetrators. .To help practitioners acquire the skills to help perpetrators take responsibility for their actions and thus protect children. .To look at the gender issues inevitably embedded in this area of work. The book is aimed at the singleton practitioner within social work, probation, housing, community work and mental health work who is increasing faced with the need to work with sex offenders with little or no specialist support. The authors have between them over twenty years of experience in working and training in this field. In this book they have attempted to disseminate their knowledge. They have provided an accessible, readable and informative 'how to' guide. It will appeal to any front line worker who seeks practical advice to develop his or her competence in face to face work with this group. Contents: Context and theory . How Perpetrators Operate . The Grooming Process . Risk Assessment . Change, Monitoring and Containment. Professional Support . Multi-Agency Contexts . Impact on the Professional Lynda Deacon is Staff Tutor, Health and Social Welfare, Open University, with extensive experience in child protection work. Bryan Gocke is a Child Protection Manager and former Probation Officer with experience with adult and adolescent abusers.

"The major strengths of this book are the manual format, the comprehensiveness of the text, the direct focus on medical practitioners, the diagrams, and the photo-illustrations. The sections on normal anatomy, normal sexual growth, and development are excellent as is the section on conducting the physical examination. The concise listing of treatments and drug doses for various conditions is invaluable."

Explore current social developments, issues, and controversies concerning young victims! The Victimization of Children: Emerging Issues keeps students and practitioners working with young victims on the cutting edge of the latest research developments regarding crimes against children. Leading experts from the legal, medical, and sociological communities explore some of the most urgent issues involving child victims. Researchers and practitioners in victim services, social work, mental health, public health, and criminal justice will all benefit from this useful resource. While numerous books have been written on the topic of child abuse and neglect, few delve into the more contemporary issues and problems. The Victimization of Children fills a large void in the literature by offering advanced discussions of today's most relevant topics, making this book an in-depth supplement to generic textbooks. Forward-thinking and thought-provoking, this timely resource provides sound research to expand your knowledge base. This book provides insights into such contemporary issues as: the victimization of youths on the Internet children as victims of war and terrorism spatial patterns of child maltreatmentthe concentration of child maltreatment within certain geographical areas religion-related child abuse the role of health care professionals in response to child victimization children with disabilitiesabuse, neglect, and the child welfare system fetal homicideemerging statutory and judicial regulation of third-party assaults legal and social issues surrounding closed-circuit television testimony of child victims and witnesses juvenile courts and their role in addressing family violence The Victimization of Children provides tables, figures, and the latest statistics of various aspects of child victimization to complement the experts' contributions. This book offers new and different responses and interventions to meet the increasingly diverse contexts and situations within which child maltreatment occurs. Emerging trends are explored within this book from a cross-section of disciplines, including law, sociology, criminal justice, psychology, and health services.

Given their rhetoric on safeguarding, the response of religious organisations to abuse by the clergy - sexual, physical and spiritual - has been inept, thoughtless, mean, and without any sense of urgency. Sex, Power, Control explores the underlying reasons for the mishandling of recent abuse cases. Using psychoanalytical and sociological insights, and including her own experiences as shown in the BBC documentary Exposed: The Church's Darkest Secret, Gardner asks why the Churches find themselves in such a crisis, and how issues of power and control have contributed to secrecy, deception and heartache. Drawing on survivor accounts and delving into the psychology of clergy abusers, she reveals a culture of avoidance and denial, while an examination of power dynamics highlights institutional narcissism and a hierarchical structure based on deference, with defensive assumptions linked to sex, gender and class. Sex, Power, Control is an invaluable resource for all those in the church or similar institutions, and for anyone concerned about child abuse.

The international feminist contributors to this book look through the lens of poststructuralism at how child sexual abuse is differently represented and understood in the populist, academic, clinical, media and legal contexts. Reworking earlier feminist analyses, they show how child sexual abuse is not just about gender and power but also about class, race and sexuality. The first, theoretical section of the book critiques normative theories of the 'effects' of abuse, explores the impact and consequences of feminist interventions and critically examines the potential usefulness of a feminist post-stucturalist approach. In the second part, these understandings are applied to specific arenas of practice with the aim of providing a framework for critical intervention and alternative and better ways of working with child sexual abuse.

Diagnose and treat shaken baby syndrome with advice from experts in the field!When an angry adult shakes a baby, the child may suffer brain damage, broken ribs, deafness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, coma, or death. Often there are personal, ethical, and legal consequences as well for everyone involved. The Shaken Baby Syndrome: A Multidisciplinary Approach is the first book to cover the full spectrum of shaken baby syndrome (SBS), from public health implications to prosecution. Because SBS causes so much damage and has so many implications, every case requires the cooperation of a team of professionals ranging from ophthalmologists to attorneys. The Shaken Baby Syndrome: A Multidisciplinary Approach will help you understand what responsibilities each member of the SBS team has, thus enabling you to work together more productively. The more smoothly the team works, the better the results for the child are likely to be.The Shaken Baby Syndrome: A Multidisciplinary Approach offers expert information and advice on every aspect of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, including: who shakes babies and why they do it what biomechanical effects occur when a child is shaken what symptoms and signs various medical specialists--radiographers, ophthalmologists, neurologists, pathologists--should look for in potential cases of SBS how medical social workers should approach cases of suspected SBS how police can most effectively investigate SBS how to prosecute SBS perpetrators how educators, public health workers, counselors, and social workers can prevent SBSThis comprehensive reference is essential for anyone who encounters SBS, including emergency room personnel, physicians, nurses, social workers, police officers, attorneys, and child care workers. Every year thousands of babies are shaken badly enough to cause damage. The Shaken Baby Syndrome: A Multidisciplinary Approach offers the information you need to help those children.

A reissue of the now-classic anthology (with more than 60,000 copies sold) of deeply moving testimonies by survivors of child sexual abuse--with a new afterword by Ellen Bass, co-author of The Courage to Heal.

In his study of children and criminality, criminologist and research analyst Ronald Flowers provides an understanding of the relationship between child victimization and juvenile delinquency as well as a comprehensive review of the literature. Assessing the effectiveness of present conceptual frameworks, modes of research, and social and legal measures, he offers recommendations for furthering professional and research efforts in the field. His analysis blends the findings of leading experts and researchers in a variety of disciplines with relevant FBI and law enforcement data. An additional feature is the "model statute" for the study, prevention, and treatment of child victimization in all of its guises.

Current family policy approaches emphasise the significance of paternal involvement in children's lives, yet there has been a silence on violent and abusive fathering in these discourses. This is the first UK book to specifically focus on violent fathering discussing original research in the context of domestic violence and emerging practice literature to address this problem. Violent fathering and the risks to children examines fathers' perceptions of their domestic violence and its impact on children, their relationships with children and their parenting practices. It looks at fathers' reasons for wanting contact with children post-separation, abusive parenting practices during child contact and the impacts of perpetrator programmes on the fathers' own perceptions of their abuse. It also discusses abused mothers' perceptions of their ex-partners' parenting. The author recommends ways that policy and practice can be improved in order to safeguard children in family law and child protection practice through a better understanding of the risks posed and appropriate assessment of violent fathers as parents. This book will be of interest to academics and students in family and child welfare policy, socio-legal studies, social work, criminology, gender studies and other disciplines with an interest in domestic violence and child protection. It will also be also be of considerable value to professionals working in this area.

Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Abuse in Out-of-Home Care brings into the open current or past sexually, physically, or emotionally abusive behaviors between children or between children and their caregivers in out-of-home care and helps prevent future victimization. The curriculum gives you 20 exercises that promote respectful and nurturing interactions among caregivers and children by offering healthy concepts of touching, communication, and boundaries. By implementing the concepts in this curriculum, you ll help create positive, healthy attachments for children in out-of-home care who may feel abandoned and alone. Exercises in Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Abuse in Out-of-Home Care assist children and caregivers in understanding their rights and others'rights in residential treatment centers and group or foster homes. Exercises focus on: communication on a continuum--teaches children and staff about their own communication and the communications they receive from others a touch continuum--provides an excellent vehicle for discussing the comforting and soothing touch children need and how to differentiate this from eight other types of touch differentiating sexual play from problematic sexual contact between children--helps children and staff talk about sex personal space and boundaries--discusses these as areas of major violations in children who have been abused sexual knowledge--teaches the body parts and their functions discovering what a sex offender does to trick children into situations that end up in sexual abuse--asks the children to make rules that assist other children to recognize unsafe situations, and then gives them the opportunity to create a video, pamphlet, advertisement, or commercial to tell other kids these rulesThis curriculum is unique because it can be completed through children and adults talking together. It assumes that there will be difficulties and conflicts between staff and children and among children themselves and provides a forum in which to raise and discuss these issues. You ll find the curriculum perfect for caregiver training or as exercises caregivers and children do together. You ll also find it very useful for working with children 's families either in family sessions or in multifamily groups.

Series Information:
The State of Welfare

This book deals with four types of abuse: neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. For each type of abuse, selected works of fiction, literary, and professional perspectives are juxtaposed along with applications for utilizing the stories in a hypothetical therapy setting. In addition, reports of mental health workers, organizations, agencies, statistics, cases studies, and important research findings regarding each type of abuse are summarized. Web links are provided as well as information on finding the professional print resources cited. Suggestions for additional fiction suitable for bibliotherapy are provided. This is an invaluable resource for teachers, parents, and any adults interested in helping teens battling with the damage of abuse.

Overcome shame and stigma; and bring a newly felt sense of safety, awareness, and life to your body. If you've experienced rape, sexual abuse, molestation, or sexual trauma, you may feel as if you've lost your sense of self. You may have difficulty setting boundaries or building satisfying sexual relationships. Sometimes, you may even feel like your body isn't your own. You aren't alone. The scars of sexual trauma exist not only in the mind, but also in the body. And in order to heal, build resilience, and discover a sense of hope, you must address both. Drawing on the powerful mind-body techniques of somatic therapy, The Healing Sexual Trauma Workbook is a step-by-step guide to overcoming the psychological effects of sexual trauma, and increasing positive body awareness and vitality. You'll find tools to help you create an internal sense of safety and become more embodied and present. You'll also discover ways to establish boundaries; move beyond intense feelings like shame, fear, and guilt; and deal effectively with triggers. Finally, you'll learn how to cultivate self-compassion and the confidence needed to live your best life. What happened to you isn't your fault, and it doesn't define you. With the right tools, you can live a full and satisfying life beyond sexual trauma. This workbook will help guide you, every step of the way.

The sexual abuse of children is now seen as an enormous problem; first, because there is an increasing awareness that it is more prevalent than previously thought, and second, because it gives rise to so many complex questions. How is sexual abuse to be defined? What are the effects of abuse? How can the victim be helped? How can abuse be prevented? These two comprehensive volumes cover a wide spectrum of basic and applied issues. Expert contributors -- including physicians, attorneys, psychologists, philosophers, social workers, and engineers -- address such relevant topics as epidemiology, animal models, legal reforms, feminist scholarship, child pornography, medical assessment, and diverse models of psychotherapeutic intention.

The sexual abuse of children is now seen as an enormous problem; first, because there is an increasing awareness that it is more prevalent than previously thought, and second, because it gives rise to so many complex questions. How is sexual abuse to be defined? What are the effects of abuse? How can the victim be helped? How can abuse be prevented? These two comprehensive volumes cover a wide spectrum of basic and applied issues. Expert contributors -- including physicians, attorneys, psychologists, philosophers, social workers, and engineers -- address such relevant topics as epidemiology, animal models, legal reforms, feminist scholarship, child pornography, medical assessment, and diverse models of psychotherapeutic intention.

This seminal book in the literature of child protective services stimulates critical thinking and informed discussion for those professionals and educators concerned with the quality of children's protective services. The first book of its kind to present scholarly reports on false allegations, Assessing Child Maltreatment Reports tackles the age-old problem of deciding which reports, verbal or written, represent truth and which represent falsehood. When one deals with accusations in the area of child maltreatment, special problems are posed. This vital resource brings home the complexity and seriousness of confronting the need to separate true reports from false reports. Given the serious consequences of reports of maltreatment, determining the accuracy or inaccuracy of such reports is of major critical importance to all concerned and the parents, children, and professionals directly involved. This book deals effectively and practically with the everyday work of assessing the validity and reliability of maltreatment reports and guides professionals through rough waters of finding truth with helpful research.This courageous book provides hope for establishing a deeper understanding of the broad system of child protection and consequently, enables professionals to better handle individual crises and cases. Containing a range of chapters--authored by leading academic researchers and practitioners in child welfare services in the United States--which examine the policy and practice issues related to false allegations of child abuse and neglect, this volume provides guideposts for further research and discussion. College and university students in child welfare and related programs, human service practitioners working in child protective and welfare services, and the larger public--both parents and professionals working with children--who have an interest in this important issue, will find Assessing Child Maltreatment Reports a compassionate approach to a sensitive issue.

This book offers a detailed road map for overcoming sexual and relationship impasses originating from painful childhood experiences. Large numbers of adults with histories of childhood trauma and neglect suffer persistent relationship and sexual difficulties. Unfortunately, most have failed to receive adequate help with emerging from these deep and complex problems. Coming Home to Passion: Restoring Loving Sexuality in Couples with Histories of Childhood Trauma and Neglect explores the enduring impacts-physiological, psychological, and behavioral-of childhood trauma and neglect. Author Ruth Cohn, drawing on 25 years of experience working with trauma survivors and their partners and families, lays out a practical and actionable course for recovery in clear, accessible language. This book provides direction and hope to those with trauma backgrounds while also serving as a unique resource for professional readers. Integrating in-depth information on attachment and relationship, trauma and neglect, and sexuality, Cohn details a practical, hands-on treatment approach for revitalizing love, health, and passion. Provides a manual of ten sequential, structured activities that can guide readers in their concrete work on relationships and sexuality Illustrates dynamics painfully familiar to readers with numerous stories of real-life case examples A bibliography recommends additional reading as well as references and other resources

How successful have recent government initiatives been in preventing child harm and family breakdown?

The NSPCC recently conducted a large-scale two-year evaluation study with families in difficulty, to explore the content and effectiveness of family support services.

Looking at the services from all stakeholder perspectives – children, parents, staff – Ruth Gardner presents the findings of the study and asks to what extent specific problems such as parental stress, vulnerability, isolation and child behaviour were resolved over six months of interventions including group work, parent training and volunteer home visiting.

Using the voices of all the stakeholders, Supporting Families reviews the national policy for family support since the inception of social services departments and, through best practice and policy recommendations, points the way forward to more inclusive provision.

Bringing together NSPCC research with key practice-based solutions, Ruth Gardner's timely study is required reading for everyone working to prevent child harm.

Regina Calcaterra's emotionally honest and reflective memoir recounts how she and her four siblings survived an abusive and painful childhood, caring for one another while enduring a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness - all in the shadows between Manhattan and the Hamptons. With beautiful writing and an authentic voice, In the Shadow of the Hamptons shares Regina's true life rags-to-riches story of how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her siblings together and protecting them from their mother's deranged outbursts. At the age of fourteen, Regina's journey changed dramatically when she chose to become legally emancipated. This difficult decision allowed her to finally escape from her mentally unbalanced mother and achieve real independence. Her commitment to improving herself through education - even putting herself through college - established her belief that the American Dream is still within reach for those who have the desire and the determination to succeed. In the Shadow of the Hamptons is also the story of how Regina found the family she had never known when she became involved in the groundbreaking legal case that established a young adult's right to know his or her biological heritage. Most of all, Regina's memoir is a story of tenacity. At a time when fewer than two percent of foster children achieve a college degree, she rose to become a partner in a high-powered law firm through a steadfast commitment to hard work and sheer bare-knuckled will. Today she has come full circle, now serving the Long Island community where she grew up as Chief Deputy County Executive to Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone.

As recently as 1970, child sexual abuse was seen as extremely rare and usually harmless. Over thirty years later, the media regularly covers child sexual abuse cases, many survivors speak openly about their experiences, and a thriving network of public and private organizations seek to prevent child sexual abuse and remedy its effects. This is the story of these dramatic changes and the activists who helped bring them about.
The Politics of Child Sexual Abuse is the first study of activism against child sexual abuse, tracing its emergence in feminist anti-rape efforts, its development into mainstream self-help, and its entry into mass media and public policy. Nancy Whittier deftly charts the development of the movement's "therapeutic politics," demonstrating that activists viewed tactics for changing emotions and one's sense of self as necessary for widespread social change and combined them with efforts to change institutions and the state. Though activism originated with feminists, as the movement grew and spread to include the goals of non-feminist survivors, opponents, therapists, law enforcement, and elected officials, participants were pulled toward formulations of child sexual abuse as a medical or criminal problem and away from emphases on gender and power. In the process, the movement both succeeded beyond its wildest dreams and saw its agenda transformed in ways that were sometimes unrecognizable.
A lucid and moving account, The Politics of Child Sexual Abuse draws powerful lessons about the transformative potential of therapeutic politics, their connection to institutions, and the processes of incomplete social change that characterize American politics today.