As a young girl, Jessica watched her father dote on her baby brother-while sending little attention her way. What could have become another case of a little girl who learns to live life in her brother's shadow, became an obsession to win her father's affection. A lifetime of chasing, and getting nowhere, ultimately led her into the arms of a boy named Trent. What started as a typical high school romance soon turned into relationship filled with unfathomable abuse. Trent, who was by turns both charming and psychopathic, stole Jessica away from family and friends, taking her on an odyssey of unspeakable brutality and emotional devastation. Escaping Trent would be her only hope for survival-and require more from her than she could have imagined. However, it put her on a most unexpected path, one filled with horror, crippling uncertainty, love, miracles and ultimately, extraordinary purpose.

I know the subject of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault from the inside out. I survived the horror of being abused by my husband for nine years, and later started a Domestic Violence ministry that has grown larger than anything I ever anticipated. From researching victims and therapists and spending countless hours counseling the women who have come through the ministry, I have learned this: Most therapists are underprepared to help in the way they most hope, and the way victims most need. This guide is my way of helping you help them.