Child abuse Books

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Book SynopsisA major source for the BBC drama The ReckoningWinner of the 2015 Gordon Burn Prize and the 2015 CWA Non-Fiction DaggerShortlisted for the Orwell Prize and the James Tait Black Prize'An astonishing account' Observer'A compulsive, colourful and chilling read' Sunday Times'An extraordinary book' Mail on SundayDan Davies spent more than a decade on a quest to find the real Jimmy Savile, and interviewed him extensively over a period of six years before his death. Dan also interviewed scores of people, many of them unobtainable while Savile was alive.Jimmy Savile was cynical, calculating and predatory. He revelled in his status as a Pied Piper of youth and used his power to abuse the vulnerable and underage, all the while covering his tracks by moving into the innermost circles of the establishment.IN PLAIN SIGHT is a devastating and definitive account of a national figure turned national disgrace.Trade ReviewTo my mind, the best and hottest non-fiction property of the decade is Dan Davies's book on Jimmy Savile. He had amazing access for years and stuck with the story before anybody knew how interesting it was. His book will be a must-read and will hit British culture like a clusterbomb. I can't wait -- Andrew O'HaganAn astonishing account . . . It is an incredible read -- Carole Cadwalladr * Observer *An extraordinary book, by turns deeply sinister and darkly comic -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *Absolutely jaw-dropping * Nicky Campbell, Radio Five Live *

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Book SynopsisHeart-rending, shocking and totally gripping, The Slave Across the Street is the incredible true story of how an ordinary girl was lured into the sinister world of human trafficking - and how she eventually escaped and rebuilt her life.''Flores puts a different face on human trafficking''-- Guardian''An absolute must read...written by a true warrior'' -- ***** Reader review''A gripping and shocking story'' -- ***** Reader review''A compulsive read'' -- ***** Reader review''Absolutely brilliant book - couldn''t put it down. Well worth reading'' -- ***** Reader review''This story truly rocks your foundations to the core'' -- ***** Reader review*******************************************************************************IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU. IT HAPPENED TO THE GIRL NEXT DOOR...When Theresa was 15 she moved to a new school and fell for an older pupil, Daniel. Theresa was thrilled when one afternoon he asked if he could drive her home. But this simple decision would result in her being forced to work as a sex slave for two long years.Daniel was part of a criminal ring that bribed and trafficked Theresa whilst she was still living in her own house, unknown to her parents. Theresa would go to school alongside these boys in the day and be called into service at night...This is the shocking tale of how easily these things can happen. This is the story of her journey from victim to survivor...Trade ReviewFlores puts a different face on human trafficking...She is white, middle class and blond...She grew up in a wealthy suburb and did well at school. Yet Flores tells a nightmarish story. * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisThe No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller.At just eight years old, Jodie is violent, aggressive and extremely challenging. Five carers in four months have been unable to cope, but there is one last hope: Cathy GlassAs Jodie begins to trust Cathy and make progress, shocking details about her past come to light. No one had noticed the glaring signs of abuse by those who were supposed to love her most.One of Cathy's earliest and bestselling memoirs, Damaged is a heartbreaking story that proves just how valuable foster carers are for society's most vulnerable children.Trade Review'Cannot fail to move those who read it.' Adoption-net ‘Heartbreaking.' The Mirror ‘A truly harrowing read that made me cry.’ The Sun 'A true tale of hope. ****.' OK! ‘Foster carers rarely get the praise they deserve, but Cathy Glass’s book should change all that.****’ First Magazine ‘A hugely touching and emotional true tale.’ Star Magazine

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Book SynopsisEamon Dolan has worked as an editor at HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Penguin Press. He is currently Vice President & Executive Editor at Simon & Schuster. He's also a professional photographer whose work has been shown at the International Center of Photography and elsewhere. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Book SynopsisCathy Glass, international bestselling author, tells the shocking story of Zeena, a young Asian girl desperate to escape from her family.When 14 -year-old Zeena begs to be taken into care with a non-Asian family, she is clearly petrified. But of what?Placed in the home of experienced foster carer Cathy and her family, Zeena gradually settles into her new life, but misses her little brothers and sisters terribly. Prevented from having any contact with them by her family who insist she has brought shame and dishonour on the whole community, Zeena tries to see them at school. But when her father and uncle find out, they bundle her into a car and threaten to set fire to her if she makes anymore trouble. Zeena is too frightened to press charges against them despite being offered police protection in a safe house.Eventually, Cathy discovers the devastating truth from Zeena, and with devastation she believes there is little she can do to help her.Trade ReviewREVIEWS FOR DAMAGED: 'Cannot fail to move those who read it.'Adoption-net ‘Heartbreaking.'Mirror ‘A truly harrowing read that made me cry.’Sun 'A true tale of hope. ****.'OK! ‘Foster carers rarely get the praise they deserve, but Cathy Glass’s book should change all that.****’First magazine ‘A hugely touching and emotional true tale.’Star magazine

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Book SynopsisThe Cleveland child sexual abuse scandal was not the scandal we thought. Beatrix Campbell shows how medical evidence of childhood rape identified by pioneering paediatricians was deemed credible but ‘dangerous’. This secret has framed policy making and public opinion and has had consequences for children, professionals, justice and the state.Trade Review"A significant milestone in national and global narratives on child sexual abuse ... offers much needed insight whilst the nation's Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse carries out its work.... a game changer" Natasha Phillips, Researching Reform "Will ignite new debates and change perspectives: it insists through presenting new evidence that we consider whether this was a deliberate 'cover up' and whether the doctors were right in their diagnoses." Liz Kelly, London Metropolitan UniversityTable of ContentsPrologue Introduction 1. A journey through the archives 2. The inquiry 3. Two reports 4. Whatever happened to …? 5. A new enlightenment 6. Parallel lives 7. Backlash 8. Damned and vindicated 9. Tremendous conservatism 10. Off the hook 11. A new sexual abuse crisis 12. National inquiries, national identities 13. What is to be done? Epilogue Timeline

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Book SynopsisKim Chown was just 11 when her father Bernard Beaumont took her from her mother to Kenya. There, he tormented Kim with extreme sexual and emotional abuse, safe in the knowledge that as a pillar of the expat community his word would be believed over hers.Aged 20, Kim returned to England permanently, where she built a new life and a new family. However, she could not escape her father's influence, and eventually descended into alcoholism. But, after almost losing her life, Kim fought back. With the support of her husband and adult children, she finally faced her father in court and won justice for his shocking crimes.This is one woman's inspiring true story of overcoming horrific abuse to build a happy life - against the odds.

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Book SynopsisWhat could cause a mother to believe that giving away her newborn baby is her only option? Cathy Glass is about to find out. From author of Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Damaged comes a harrowing and moving memoir about tiny Harrison, left in Cathy's care, and the potentially fatal family secret of his beginnings.When Cathy is first asked to foster one-day old Harrison her only concern is if she will remember how to look after a baby. But upon collecting Harrison from the hospital, Cathy realises she has more to worry than she thought when she discovers that his background is shrouded in secrecy.She isn't told why Harrison is in foster care and his social worker says only a few are aware of his very existence, and if his whereabouts became known his life, and that of his parents, could be in danger. Cathy tries to put her worries aside as she looks after Harrison, a beautiful baby, who is alert and engaging. Cathy and her children quickly bond with Harrison although they know that, inevitably, he will eventually be adopted.But when a woman Cathy doesn't know starts appearing in the street outside her house acting suspiciously, Cathy fears for her own family's safety and demands some answers from Harrison's social worker. The social worker tells Cathy a little but what she says is very disturbing . How is this woman connected to Harrison and can she answer the questions that will affect Harrison's whole life?

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Book SynopsisAn examination of childhood trauma and its surreptitious, debilitating effects by one of the world's leading psychoanalysts.Trade Review"Alice Miller’s arguments are lucid, closely reasoned, and utterly convincing." -- Elaine Kendall - Los Angeles Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisIn her new book, Cathy Glass, the no.1 bestselling author of Damaged, tells the story of the Alice, a young and vulnerable girl who is desperate to return home to her mother.Alice, aged four, is snatched by her mother the day she is due to arrive at Cathy''s house. Drug-dependent and mentally ill, but desperate to keep hold of her daughter, Alice''s mother snatches her from her parents'' house and disappears.Cathy spends three anxious days worrying about her whereabouts before Alice is found safe, but traumatised. Alice is like a little doll, so young and vulnerable, and she immediately finds her place in the heart of Cathy''s family. She talks openly about her mummy, who she dearly loves, and how happy she was living with her maternal grandparents before she was put into care. Alice has clearly been very well looked after and Cathy can''t understand why she couldn''t stay with her grandparents.It emerges that Alice''s grandparents are considered too old (they are in their early sixtieTrade ReviewReviews for ‘Damaged’: 'Cannot fail to move those who read it.' Adoption-net ‘Heartbreaking.' The Mirror ‘A truly harrowing read that made me cry.’ The Sun 'A true tale of hope.' OK! ‘Foster carers rarely get the praise they deserve, but Cathy Glass’s book should change all that’ First Magazine ‘A hugely touching and emotional true tale.’ Star Magazine

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Book Synopsis'A CHILLING new memoir by the daughter of mass murderer Fred West and his wife Rose describes the savage cruelty of her upbringing in 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester' DAILY MAIL'Mae, I mean this ... I'm not a good person and I let all you children down ...' Rose West, HM PRISON DURHAM It has taken over 20 years for Mae West to find the perspective and strength to tell her remarkable story: one of an abusive, violent childhood, of her serial killer parents and how she has rebuilt her life in the shadow of their terrible crimes. Through her own memories, research and the letters her mother wrote to her from prison, Mae shares her emotionally powerful account of her life as a West. From a toddler locked in the deathly basement to a teen fighting off the sexual advances of her father, Mae's story is one of survival. It also answers the questions: how do you come to terms with knowing your childhood bedroom was a graveyard? How do you accept the fact your parents sexually tortured, murdered and dismembered young women? How do you become a mother yourself when you're haunted by the knowledge that your own mother was a monster? Why were you spared and how do you escape the nightmare?

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Book SynopsisStephen Smith is the boy who did not exist.Born out of wedlock in the early 1960s, Steve's parents hid him away from the world by locking him in the cellar...for thirteen years. Starved and beaten, the little boy's world was a darkened room that measured just eight feet by ten with a single makeshift bed, bare light bulb, and a solitary table. Steve would spend his days conjuring up an imaginary world full of monsters he would draw to try and block out the physical and mental torture inflicted on him by his brutal father. Apart from a few admissions to hospital as a result of his 'imprisonment', Steve remained in the coal cellar of the family home where he was deprived of daylight, his childhood, school, and human contact until he'd reached his teenage years. Eventually, he escaped only to fall prey to the instigators of two of the worst cases of institutional abuse in the UK at Aston Hall hospital and St. William's Catholic School. The Boy in the Cellar is a horrifying true story of torture and cruelty, that reveals a human's full capacity to fight for survival and search out happiness and hope.

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Book SynopsisBased on a true story, The Forgotten Child is a heart-breaking memoir of an abandoned newborn baby left to die, his tempestuous upbringing, and how he came through the other side.It's a freezing winter's night in 1954. A baby boy, a few hours old, is left by his mother, wrapped in nothing but two sheets of newspaper and hidden amongst the undergrowth by a canal bank. An hour later, a late-shift postman is walking wearily home when he hears a faint cry. He finds the newspaper parcel and discovers the newborn, white-cold and whimpering, inside.After being rushed to hospital and against all odds, the baby survives. He's baptised by the hospital chaplain as Richard.Everything feels as though it's looking up; Richard is put into local authority care and regains his health. However, after nearly five blissful years in a rural care home filled with loving friends, it soon unfolds that his turbulent start in life is only the beginningBased on a devastating true story, this inspirational memoirTrade Review‘An incredible story of survival.’ The Sun

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Book SynopsisYou're not going home. You're not going anywhere. You're mine now.Growing up in a deeply troubled family, 15-year-old Anna felt lost and alone in the world. So when a friendly taxi driver befriended her, Anna welcomed the attention, and agreed to go home with him to meet his family. She wouldn't escape for over a decade. Held captive by a sadistic paedophile, Anna was subjected to despicable levels of sexual abuse and torture. The unrelenting violence and degradation resulted in numerous miscarriages, and the birth of four babies... each one stolen away from Anna at birth.Her salvation arrived thirteen years too late, but despite her shattered mind and body, Anna finally managed to flee. This is her harrowing, yet uplifting, true story of survival.

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Book SynopsisToni Maguire''s memoirtells the deeply moving story of an idyllic childhood that masked a terrible truth. Underneath her mother''s gentility and her father''s roguish charm lay horrifying secrets, which eventually led to their only child''s near destruction. The first time her father made an improper advance on Toni, she was six years old. Her father warned her not to tell her mother, or anyone else, because they would blame her and wouldn''t love her any more. It had to remain our secret. When she finally built up the courage to tell her mother what had happened, she was told never to speak of the matter again. With no one to turn to, isolated and alone in rural Ireland, the abuse continued unhindered. At14 Toni fell pregnant by her father, and when her state was discovered she was made to have a late abortion which almost killed her. The truth of her childhood could no longer be kept hidden but, just as her father predicted, Toni found herself judged and rejected by her family, teachers, and friends. The blame and anger she was treated with only worsened when her father was sent to prison as a result of his actions. This is the compelling story of her struggle to put the ghost of her childhood to rest, and emerge ultimately triumphant.Trade Review‘Hard to put down …. I truly felt I was living her life alongside her, being taken back in time. I could almost smell the honeysuckle and soda bread but also feel the dread and fear.’ Jane Elliott, author of the No.1 bestseller ‘The Little Prisoner’ 'This memoir is testament to [Toni Maguire's] amazing courage'. Closer magazine. ‘Amazing'. The Mirror.

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Book Synopsis__________________________________________________________________Bestselling author and psychologist Dr Susan Forward offers effective alternatives for achieving inner peace and freeing yourself from frustrating patterns of relationships with your parents. Millions of lives are damaged by the legacy of parental abuse: Parents who ignored their children''s needs or overburdened them with guilt. Parents who were alcoholic or addicted to drugs. Parents who were exploitative and cruel, or simply indifferent and inadequate. When these children reach adulthood the damage done by their toxic parents manifests itself in depression, or difficulties with relationships, careers and decision-making. In Toxic Parents, Dr Susan Forward shows why it is so difficult to put the past behind you and helps readers to confront this painful legacy with tested self-help techniques. With this book as your guide, you will discover an exciting new world of self-confidence, inner strength and emotional independence.Trade ReviewA dynamic, powerful, hard-hitting book. It offers tremendous hope as well as understanding. It could truly be a lifesaver -- Abigail Van Buren, "Dear Abby"I consider Susan Forward to be among the foremost therapists of our age -- John Bradshaw, author of Healing the Shame That Binds You

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Book SynopsisFrom the Sunday Times bestselling author comes a harrowing and moving memoir about two innocent and frightened unfosterable' children who do not know what it means to be loved.This is the third book in the series.The shock that strikes Casey and her family when Ashton and Olivia arrive is immeasurable. Two dirty, frightened little waifs stand before them, huge eyes staring around their new surroundings. Ashton 9, Olivia 6, have the same urchin look; hair running wild with head lice, filthy nails and skin covered in scabs. And the smell is horrific. The eldest two children of a group of five siblings, Casey had only been told they were coming two days earlier. But it was an emergency, temporary placement, and they were only due to stay a couple of weeksCasey is desperate to help these poor, lost children, who have been taken away from their family because they were considered at risk, but before she can even start to understand the horrific things that have happened in the past, she h

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewJoseph Valente and Margot Gayle Backus's The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature: Writing the Unspeakable digs fearlessly into a centurylong literary canon of abused Irish children, unmasking and unmaking the psychological operations that have allowed such abuse, as Fintan O'Toole writes in the book's preface, to long be Ireland's shameful "unknown known" (xiii). -- Renee Fox * Irish Literary Supplement *The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature is a beautifully written and intellectually stimulating book that casts much needed light on the representation of the child sexual scandal in modern Irish literature. For anyone with the slightest interest in the intersection between literature, psychology, cultural theory and sociology and the light they can cast on Irish society, this book is a must read, provided that one understands that it is a highly academic study not intended for a general audience. It shows how in many respects the trauma associated with child abuse in Ireland is still at an early stage, and that healing will only come slowly. -- Eamon Maher * Criminal Law & Criminal Justice Review *Through intricate and rigorous close readings of literature, ranging from James Joyce to Anne Enright, and nuanced applications of psychoanalytic theory, Valente and Backus outline the way that Irish literature engages modern social and cultural discourse, as well as silence and abstraction, to identify sexual trauma in Ireland since the late nineteenth century. Just as they consistently suggest that intracommunity recognition of child sex scandal in Ireland is essential to recovering the social repression of trauma, they also offer academics a reminder of how we might save the Humanities from dissolution and despair: write, think, and witness together. . . . Put simply: we need more books like this in Irish Studies. -- Ellen Scheible * New Hibernia Review *The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature should be required reading for students of Irish literature and history. . . . I would also recommend that The Child Sex Scandal and Modern Irish Literature: Writing the Unspeakable, be recommended reading for psychiatrists, therapists and counselors working with victims of child sex abuse and institutional abuse. As is often the case, writers can illuminate the path forward in understanding. -- Adrienne Leavy * Reading Ireland *Table of ContentsForewordIntroduction: The Enigmatic History of Imperiled Innocence1. "An Iridescence Difficult to Account for": Sexual Initiation in Joyce's Fiction of Development2. Between (Open) Secret and Enigma: Kate O'Brien, The Land of Spices, and the Stylistic Invention of Lesbian (In)visibility3. Country Girl: Groomed, Seduced, and Abandoned4. From the Pits and Ditches Where People Have Fallen: Sex Scandal and the Reinvention of the Irish Public Sphere in Keith Ridgway's The Long Falling5. Retrofitting Ireland's Architecture of Containment in Tana French's In the Woods6. "Roaring Inside Me": The Enigma of Sexual Violence in The GatheringEpilogue: What About Brendan?Bibliography of ImagesWorks CitedIndex

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Book SynopsisThe story behind the hit Netflix documentary: The bestselling account of the bond between brothers and the shocking legacy of a dangerous mother.Imagine waking up one day to discover that you have forgotten everything about your life. Your only link with the past, your only hope for the future, is your identical twin.Now imagine, years later, discovering that your twin had not told you the whole truth about your childhood, your family, and the forces that had shaped you. Why the secrets? Why the silences? You have no choice but to begin again.This has been Alex's reality: a world where memories are just the stories people tell you, where fact and fiction are impossible to distinguish. With dogged courage he has spent years hunting for the truth about his hidden past and his remarkable family. His quest to understand his true identity has revealed shocking betrayals and a secret tragedy, extraordinary triumph over crippling adversity and, above all, redemption founded on brotherly love.Marcus his twin brother has sometimes been a reluctant companion on this journey, but for him too it has led to staggering revelations and ultimately the shedding of impossible burdens. Their story spans continents and eras, from 1950s debutantes and high society in the Home Counties to a remote island in the Pacific and 90s raves. Disturbing, funny, heart-breaking and affirming, Alex and Marcus's determination to rebuild their lives makes us look afresh at how we choose to tell our stories.Trade ReviewA relevatory memoir http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/31/tell-me-who-am-lewis-review * Guardian *'Beautifully written, it poses key questions about selfhood and honesty'. * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisHeal your 'inner child' with Parks Inner Child Therapy Victims of child sexual abuse can suffer huge burdens of guilt and emotional trauma as adults, with devastating consequences for their relationships in all areas of their lives. But it's never too late to seek help, and Parks Inner Child Therapy (PICT) has been widely used to help people repair the damage caused by childhood abuse. Developed by psychotherapist Penny Parks, PICT is based on her own experience of self-recovery and aims to treat the hurt 'inner child' at the adult's core by offering them a voice and a narrative to make sense of their pain. Rescuing the 'Inner Child' offers victims an accessible guide to the therapy, and includes: - How to understand the impact of childhood abuse on your adult life - Clear guidance on using PICT to face your experiences, receive the comfort you needed as a child and self-heal - Accounts of other victims' trauma and their processes of therapy and restoration Written from a place of understanding and expert knowledge, this guide offers a programme for healing and recovery, invaluable for victims and their loved ones.Trade Review[Penny Parks] pioneered and developed the first stand-alone "inner child" therapy model, designed to successfully resolve childhood abuse issues * Huffington Post *How to achieve resolution without disclosure * Mental Health Today *[PICT] can produce profound, rapid and lasting change that ultimately leads to full resolution of underlying issues -- mindsite.co.uk

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Book SynopsisOn 28 August 1984, Josef Fritzl drugged his teenage daughter with ether and imprisoned her in an underground bunker behind eight locked doors. Over the following twenty-four years, he raped and abused her, never letting her or the children she bore him out of the dark, windowless cellar.Based on 150 new interviews with psychologists, neighbours, colleagues and friends who knew Fritzl, as well as the insight of his own chilling confession, Allan Hall reconstructs the monstrous personality behind this hideous crime. He exposes Josef Fritzl''s dark past in Nazi Austria, his previous conviction as a rapist, the appalling conditions in which Elisabeth and her children were kept and her astonishingly brave conduct while held prisoner. Including exclusive photographs and previously unseen evidence, this is a truly heart-stopping record of one of the most elaborate and disturbing cases of abuse in modern times.

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Book SynopsisOvercome 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.

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Book SynopsisFrom No.1 bestselling author Toni Maguire comes a new true story of abuse and survival. Gerry was only a young girl when she was first abused by her father. His evil acts were followed by abuse from her local priest, arranged by her father. After her mother found out about the abuse, and believing there was nothing she could do to help her child, she committed suicide. Gerry and her siblings were split up and placed in different foster homes, all knowing they were unlikely to see each other ever again. Told that her mother had committed a grave sin, her foster parents were far from kind to her. She experienced years of loneliness, feeling completely abandoned. The abuse Gerry experienced was so extensive it led to her needing an operation to repair the damage her body went through. When asked who or what had been responsible, she responded 'the priest'. But she was not believed in her small northern town in the 60s, where everyone believed a priest took his orders directly from God. After finally meeting her kind and caring husband a few years ago, and after celebrating her 60th birthday, Gerry decided it was time for her story to be told. This is her true story of survival.

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Book SynopsisSamantha was abused all her life, but never gave up hope. Devastated at the failures in the judicial system, Sam launched: 'You have not defeated me', a campaign which demanded support and understanding for grooming victims. This is her full story, for the first time.

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Book SynopsisThe No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller.At just eight years old, Jodie is violent, aggressive and extremely challenging. Five carers in four months have been unable to cope, but there is one last hope: Cathy GlassAs Jodie begins to trust Cathy and make progress, shocking details about her past come to light. No one had noticed the glaring signs of abuse by those who were supposed to love her most.One of Cathy's earliest and bestselling memoirs, Damaged is a heartbreaking story that proves just how valuable foster carers are for society's most vulnerable children.*Damaged was originally published in 2007*Trade Review'Cannot fail to move those who read it.' Adoption-net ‘Heartbreaking.' The Mirror ‘A truly harrowing read that made me cry.’ The Sun 'A true tale of hope. ****.' OK! ‘Foster carers rarely get the praise they deserve, but Cathy Glass’s book should change all that.****’ First Magazine ‘A hugely touching and emotional true tale.’ Star Magazine

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Book SynopsisThe eleventh memoir and latest title from the internationally bestselling author and foster carer Cathy Glass. This book tells the true story of Cathy's adopted daughter Lucy.Lucy was born to a single mother who had been abused and neglected for most of her own childhood. Right from the beginning Lucy's mother couldn't cope, but it wasn't until Lucy reached eight years old that she was finally taken into permanent foster care.By the time Lucy is brought to live with Cathy she is eleven years old and severely distressed after being moved from one foster home to another. Withdrawn, refusing to eat and three years behind in her schooling, it is thought that the damage Lucy has suffered is irreversible.But Cathy and her two children bond with Lucy quickly, and break through to Lucy in a way no-one else has been able to, finally showing her the loving home she never believed existed. Cathy and Lucy believe they were always destined to be mother and daughter it just took them a little whileTrade ReviewREVIEWS FOR DAMAGED: 'Cannot fail to move those who read it.'Adoption-net ‘Heartbreaking.'Mirror ‘A truly harrowing read that made me cry.’Sun 'A true tale of hope. ****.'OK! ‘Foster carers rarely get the praise they deserve, but Cathy Glass’s book should change all that.****’First magazine ‘A hugely touching and emotional true tale.’Star magazine

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Book SynopsisA BOY WITHOUT HOPE is the heart-breaking story of a boy who didn't know the meaning of love. A history of abuse and neglect has left Miller destined for life's scrap heap. But in this turbulent story of conflict and struggle, Casey Watson is determined to help Miller overcome his demons, show him love and give him hope.Casey Watson is back, doing the job she does best rolling up her sleeves and fostering the children who, on first meeting, seem like hopeless cases. But when she meets Miller and discovers the truth about his disturbing childhood, even Casey begins to doubt if this child will ever be able to accept love.Found naked and alone on a railway track, Miller was just five when he was first admitted into the care system. Emotionally tormented by his biological parents, Miller has never understood how to establish meaningful relationships, and his destructive past, and over 20 failed placements, is sealing his fate in society's social scrap heap.After a torrent of violent behavi

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Book SynopsisThis vital, sensitive guide explains the serious issues children face online and how they are impacted by them on a developmental, neurological, social, mental health and wellbeing level. Covering technologies used by children aged two through to adulthood, it offers parents and professionals clear, evidence-based information about online harms and their effects and what they can do to support their child should they see, hear or bear witness to these events online.Catherine Knibbs, specialist advisor in the field, explains the issues involved when using online platforms and devices in family, social and educational settings. Examined in as non-traumatising a way as possible, the book covers key topics including cyberbullying; cyberstalking; pornography; online grooming; sexting; live streaming; vigilantism; suicide and self-harm; trolling and e-harassment; bantz, doxing and social media hacking; dares, trends and life-threatening activities; information and misinformation; aTrade ReviewCatherine has been involved in the cyberpsychology field of work for over 25yrs and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the forefront of this area. Her work provides a fascinating and informative perspective and details the challenges that, not just professionals, but anyone can face when dealing with these issues. She is able to observe and analyse the relevant facts and explains the problems to the reader, so they can fully appreciate and understand this complex work. As an Online Safety Professional, I follow Catherine's work very closely, and utilise the cross overs from her work into my own work, which greatly assists in the online protection of minors in today's world. Andrew Briercliffe - "Online Safety Professional" - experience in Law Enforcement, Education and Social MediaCath is versed in critical thinking and presents a clear path to categorise information, misinformation and disinformation in a sector where health and well-being are jam-packed with non-specialists. The resulting outcome of bad advice is that the developing child’s body can be impacted by the skewed knowledge of online ‘gurus’ giving out guidance that may well cause developmental and psychological harm.Movement, diet and body-based issues are rife amongst our young, with snake oil salespeople offering quick fixes. However, these pseudo-experts lack of awareness of our children’s current technological landscape and our young people’s social-media anxieties means the advice provided is ill-advised and, at worst, devastating.Our future generations deserve better and with my work looking to create more play opportunities for children that rely on less technology and sustainable real-world strategies to help with physical, emotional and mental well-being. It is excellent to collaborate with adults such as Cath, who labour to help adults understand the role they can play in creating safer online spaces for our kids.- Darryl Edwards, Movement Coach, author of the best-selling books "Animal Moves" and "My First Animal Moves", and a thought leader in creativity and innovation in fitness and health. Darryl developed the Primal Play Method® to inspire young and old to make physical activity fun. He blogs at PrimalPlay.com.As someone who works on the frontlines with Catherine Knibbs on the war on young people, she has nailed the chaotic weight of things battling for kids' attention, likes,clicks, follows, and time - but mostly end up doing huge damage to them in the process. Smart phones, social media, many of the so-called 'influencers' and less ethical brands have figured out there is huge profit in young people's low self-esteem, diminished well-being and faith that 'they alone' can fix it - with the 'they' often being bad advice, dodgy diets, dangerous exercise plan or a dependency on the filter and selfie culture that robs so much time and gives so much self-loathing in return. For all the parents, teachers, young people or just people who care about the future of young people - Catherine Knibbs' book is an essential read - it decodes all the modern mysteries and fads of the online world but also gives much needed tools to both protect your children - and you - from the many hostile forces they now have to contend with. - Chloe Combi, Author, Speaker, Columnist, Futurist, Host of 'You Don't Know Me.'Table of ContentsIntroduction. 1 Psychological games. 2 Trends, challenges and hoaxes. 3 Information, misinformation and disinformation. 4 Cyberbullying. 5 Cyberstalking. 6 Bodies, health and wellbeing. 7 Self-harm. 8 Professionals who harm. Helplines and organisations. References and bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking work of narrative nonfiction that investigates Munchausen by Proxy from the host and creator of the award-winning true crime podcast Nobody Should Believe Me.

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Book SynopsisA searing and powerfully written exploration of rape culture and surviving sexual violence, written by Catriona Morton, host of award-winning BBC Sounds podcast, After.Trade ReviewHonest and unapologetic, Catriona Morton's book brings nuance and poignant personal insight to a topic which is more than just 'timely' -- sexual violence is a lived a reality for many of us in society, and has always been. In so doing, she offers a guiding hand for any victim or survivor out there who has felt lost, isolated, or misunderstood. A book that builds community and understanding. * Winnie M Li, author of Complicit *A luminous, empathetic, inclusive and urgent book. This book taught me so much about trauma and survival, about the world, and about myself. Catriona's voice is clear and lucid and it is a lifeline to survivors everywhere and those who love them. I am so grateful for this book and I will return to it again and again. Everyone should read it. * Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of My Body Keeps Your Secrets *Through intimate, sensitive, and nuanced writing, Catriona Morton builds community with survivors across the world, and offers solidarity and illumination for those who may be stumbling through the darkness. Catriona's writing wraps the soul up in the warmest, most comforting of blankets, offers it a warm cup of tea, and listens without judgement and with a deep-rooted empathy that helps you feel incredibly seen. A truly beautiful book - one everyone should read. * Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin, the Politics Editor at BRICKS *One of the most important, impressive and compassionate books I've read on surviving sexual violence. The Way We Survive perfectly blends the personal with the political to create a series of raw, honest, moving and well-researched essays. This book helped me enormously in understanding my own CPTSD. I'm so glad I found it. * Katy Wix, author of Delicacy *Morton's own story is so inspiring - and provocative - and her honesty deeply uplifting. The conversations contained are generous, varied, exquisitely realised and profoundly nuanced. Morton provides a valuable resource to readers who carry forward difficult histories, and the result is beautiful. * Jessica Cornwell, author of The Serpent Papers and Birth Notes *

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Book SynopsisA heartbreaking and inspiring collection of true fostering stories perfect for fans of Cathy Glass and Rosie Lewis. Contains previously published stories Too Scared To Cry, The Girl No One Wanted and A Family For Christmas - brought together in this heartwarming and inspiring collection for the first time. *****Maggie Hartley is one of the UK''s most prolific foster mothers. This inspiring collection includes three heartbreaking, true short stories about the children who have passed through Maggie''s care. TOO SCARED TO CRYWhen Ben and Damien arrive on Maggie''s doorstep, the two toddlers are too scared to speak. More disturbingly still, their baby half-brother Noah is completely unresponsive - he doesn''t smile or play or crawl. The three siblings have been conditioned to be seen and not heard, and it''s up to Maggie to unpick what has caused this terrible void. THE GIRL NO ONE WANTEDEleven-year-old L

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Book SynopsisPowerful true-life stories of children who were saved by the British care system

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Book SynopsisWhen the Sonoma Complex fire came to Elisa Stancil Levine’s California doorstep in 2017, her world changed overnight. The devastating fire torched thousands of acres, but for Elisa, a world-class decorative artist, it was her reaction that night that cracked her wide open. A loving wife, mother, and grandmother, Elisa thought she had reckoned with her early childhood trauma. But when she fled the midnight firestorm without alerting a single neighbor, she had to ask herself: Who does that?In This or Something Better, Elisa revisits her past and the one force in which she has always found true kinship: the wild river. Nature, her lifelong ally, gave solace. Through teen pregnancy, her baby’s stillbirth, and a mystical near-death experience at eighteen, nature shaped her character, and it later informed her wildly successful career. But was there an unintended consequence?The fresh trauma of the firestorm sparked a quest: what treasure awaited if Elisa learned to trust human nature? Vivid, poetic, and intimate, This or Something Better reveals how true healing of deep wounds happens one exquisite layer at a time—and invites us each to consider and embrace our own path toward wholeness and authenticity. Trade Review“This riveting story of the ‘making of a maker’ is more than a memoir, it is a testament to nature’s role in creativity. The author’s persistence and intuitive spirit come through in every chapter, inviting readers to embrace their own path toward wholeness and authenticity. Moving, illuminating and inspiring.” —Heidi Gerpheide, publisher of California Homes Magazine“Levine’s story of resilience is framed by an account of a fire in California that threatened her home, her horses, and human life. . . . Her prose dazzles. . . . Driven by new experiences and personal revelations, the fascinating, creative memoir This or Something Better is a story about remaking a life.” —Foreword Reviews“In this beautifully written memoir, Elisa Stancil Levine takes the reader on a wild ride through her extraordinary life journey. Through it all she explores the combination of surrender and decisive action, trust and wariness, solitude and human connection, intuition and painstaking self-inquiry, and grace and sheer hard labor that lie at the heart of the great mystery of human resilience.” —Noelle Oxenhandler, author of The Wishing Year“Elisa Stancil Levine . . . is too much of everything—too loud, too passionate, too smart, too ambitious. Her only solace is her bond with nature. When her trust is violated she takes refuge in nature, yet keeps trying to find the relationships she wants and needs. Elisa’s story is essentially a spiritual quest. Readers will feel confident that she at last discovers what it really means to be human.” —Susan Speranza, author of Ice Out and The Tale of Lucia Grandi, the Early Years “Elisa Stancil Levine's memoir embarks on a rich journey to earlier times in the rural foothills of California—and sweeps up to date to firsthand accounts of wildfire and drought in today’s Sonoma County. Her stories of growing up in a world full of both wonder and danger are unique—told with frank detail, coming to conclusions about curiosities she encounters with both balance and generosity. She fills every page with beauty and learning.” —Rebecca Lawton, author of Swimming Grand Canyon and Other Poems

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Book SynopsisDoes your child struggle to know how their body is feeling? Do they find it hard to balance or feel uneasy when their feet leave the ground?Early trauma and neglect can have a profound effect upon a child's development. Sensory integration theory offers a way of understanding how the brain processes and stores movement experience, and how these experiences manifest at a physical and emotional level. This book explains how early movement experiences affect brain development and gives examples of how trauma can prevent basic sensory processing pathways from being correctly established. It shows how you can identify gaps in normal sensory development and offers ideas for how you can use physical activities to help build up the underdeveloped systems. Good bodily awareness forms the foundation of motor development as well as social and emotional skills and learning. This book will help your child to be more in tune with themselves and their bodies and feel more comfortable in their environment. Highly accessible with lots of practical tips and examples, this book is written for adoptive and foster parents, and will also be useful for social workers, fostering and adoption workers and those working in primary and early years educational settings.Trade ReviewThis book is a timely reminder of the importance of early movement and sensory experience for later development. Sarah Lloyd writes clearly and evocatively about the difficulties children can have when this early experience is missing and provides helpful examples of how parents and carers can help them to recover this necessary experience. This book is a must-read for any parents and carers parenting traumatized children. -- Kim S. Golding, Clinical Psychologist and Author of Nurturing AttachmentsSensory integration theory has emphasised to me that my child doesn't just do things to annoy - there is a missing or underdeveloped part of her from early childhood that needs to be expanded. There is always a reason why she acts in a particular way. Improving Sensory Processing in Traumatized Children helped me to be more playful in simple ways to improve her sense of the world in relation to her. -- Susan Grant, Foster Parent (Fife Council)I found this book fascinating as it gave such an insight into the development of the brain in babies, the importance of good early experiences and what happens when this is not the case. I am a foster carer who at present looks after two girls with quite complex needs. I found this book really helped me to understand some of the problems and difficulties that the children displayed. I had the children commando crawling around the floor and was shocked to realise one of the children couldn't do this, she just lay there. The book has lots of practical activities that you can do with children which I found really helpful. I would recommend this book to parents, carers, teachers and anybody else who works with or looks after children as it is an amazing tool. -- Sheila, Foster CarerTable of ContentsIntroduction: About This Book. 1. Sensory Integration and Children Who Have Experienced Abuse or Neglect. 2. What is Sensory Integration? 3. Using Sensory Integration With Children Who Have Been Abused and Neglected. Useful Reading and Websites.

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Book SynopsisA practical tool for the assessment of children and their families, this guide enables professionals to make informed decisions about child protection issues. Firmly rooted in current practice, it draws on the expertise of a practising consultant and experienced qualified social worker Jeff Fowler, whose work has already formed the basis of guidance reports for child protection agencies and court proceedings.Providing detailed checklists for collecting and interpreting information vital to a best practice assessment, it also includes practical sections that focus on assessing attachment issues, childhood experiences, alcohol and drug abuse, and parenting skills and abilities. It presents a central case study leading to an assessment report which can be used for case conferences, as a core assessment in care proceedings, or for statements in public and private law matters.This is a helpful tool for anyone undertaking assessments but also for others who may be involved in aspects of child protection work such as social workers, health professionals, teachers, and legal and criminal justice professionals.Trade ReviewA clearly written and informative text. -- Journal of Social WorkThis excellent book provides experienced practitioners or those working with close supervision from both health and social services with additional strategies to assess parents of children in need... The tool is designed to be used alongside the Framework for the Assessment of Children in need and their Families and is both child centred and family focused. This book would be equally useful to health visitors, school health nurses and social workers involved in the detailed assessment of family functioning. The checklists are not tick box tools but rather aide memoirs to lead discussion with parents to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to assess risk. It is to be recommended for staff who wish to enhance their level of practice. -- Community PractitionerBecause of the time restrictions that are vital in child protection, the book would be helpful for the assessment of parents. It is crisp and to the point and could usefully be discussed in training sessions or team meetings. Experienced workers may find this a useful addition to their toolbox. -- Community CareTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Starting Assessment: Beginning the Assessment; The Risk Indicator Checklist; The Core Assessment; The Assessment Plan; Introducing the Case Study; The Assessment Agreement; The Assessment Interviews; The First Assessment Session; Assessing the Parents. 2. Collecting Data for Assessment: The Family Structure; Chronology; Experiences from Childhood; Education, Employment; Perception of Self, Ideal Self; Self-Esteem; Exploring if People are Organised or Disorganised, Rigid or Flexible; Exploring Dominant and Submissive Behaviour; Alcohol Abuse; Drug Abuse; Anger and Violence; Schedule 1 Offences; Criminal History; Health; Previous Relationships; Present Relationship; Parenting Skills and Abilities; Perception of Children; Perception of Being a Parent; Parenting and Stress; Parenting and the Needs of Children; The Child; Attachment; Home Environment; Finances; Child Protection Concerns; Evaluating the Information. 3. Assessment: The Case Study: The Case Study Assessment; Positive Outcomes from the Assessment; Conclusion. Appendices: Exercises. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisPaul Mason’s father was a policeman. He was also a member of a sadistic paedophile ring. He would keep Paul locked up and naked in a tiny cupboard under the stairs of their home before sexually abusing him. This cycle of abuse continued for several years and also affected his brother. The cupboard became a horrific prison where fear and terror filled his every moment.The Cupboard Under the Stairs is a story of abuse at the mercy of adults whom Paul should have been able to trust. There followed a life almost destroyed by their actions. It is the harrowing story of one man’s fight for justice and an end to the horrific memories that still haunt him daily.

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Book Synopsis'We were just sacks of flesh existing as punchbags for their rage, or toys for their entertainment'Chris Wild lost his dad aged 11, leaving him to grow up in the care system. There, he witnessed the incessant physical and sexual abuse of children, with the only escape leading to the streets. So many others like him, failed by the systems put in place to protect them, ended up with nothing but drink, drugs, prostitution and crime as their normality.Later, working in a care home himself became the only way Chris could help, but he was shocked to discover little had changed and vulnerable children were still being failed. In Damaged, he shares heartbreaking memories of the care system along with the stories of all the boys, girls, men and women he met along the way - exposing why we must take action now to protect all of Britain's forgotten children.Trade ReviewA powerful book that pulls on your heartstrings * Denise Welch *Chris Wild's searing exposé of life in and around the children's care system in the early 1990s... this no-holds-barred, often distressingly graphic depiction of young lives lost to neglect and abuse in the north of England. The reader is at once moved, outraged and ashamed. Moved, because you would need a granite heart not to weep at the brutal destruction of innocence; outraged at how the perpetrators could get away with so much for so long, and how the system's indifference facilitated such horrors, and ashamed because chances are that you and I have, at some point, walked past and ignored these lost souls on the high street or in our local park...Read the book, get angry, and do anything and everything to ensure that, even in times of austerity and budget cuts, that those charged with caring for our nation's children remain scrutinised and accountable to the public. * outnewsglobal.com *

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Book SynopsisA young Chinese girl forced to work in a New York sweatshop calls child services on her mother in this powerful memoir about labour and self-worth, economic revolution and cultural dislocation. As a teen, Anna Qu is sent by her mother to work in her family’s garment factory in Queens. At home, she is treated as a maid and suffers punishment for doing her homework at night. Her mother wants to teach her a lesson: she is Chinese, not American, and such is their tough path in their new country. But instead of acquiescing, Qu alerts the Office of Children and Family Services, an act with consequences that impact the rest of her life. Nearly twenty years later, estranged from her mother and working at a Manhattan start-up, Qu requests her social services report. When it arrives, key details are wrong. Faced with this false narrative, and on the brink of losing her job as the once-shiny start-up collapses, Qu looks once more at her life’s truths, from abandonment to an abusive family to seeking meaning in work. Travelling from Wenzhou to Xi'an to New York, Made in China is a fierce memoir unafraid to ask thorny questions about trauma and survival, capitalism, and the struggle for individual dignity.Trade Review‘Made in China capture[s] the confusion and wonder of lives spent looking … Qu’s narrative is laced with bitterness and aching … The struggle … seems to be holding all of these conflicting emotions at once … Qu honour[s] these complexities, tell us we were not meant to swallow our pain and survive in this world without support systems.’ -- Chanel Miller * New York Times Book Review *‘Qu’s debut memoir untangles the knots of her complicated, traumatic past as she learns the truth about her own history and reckons with the hopes and constraints of the immigrant experience.’ * Time *‘With quick, vibrant prose, Qu’s memoir is absorbing and disturbing in equal measure.’ -- Christiana Bishop * New Statesman *‘Qu writes with clarity and restraint about her Cinderella-terrible childhood … Qu’s indelible account of her lonesome childhood should gain her everything she lacked then — confidants, witnesses, and fans — who will cheer when she finally reconnects with a long-lost beloved.’ -- Jenny Shank * Star Tribune *‘Anna Qu has written a thoroughly engrossing and nuanced memoir about triumph over trauma and the meaning of home. Made in China brings the immigrant experience to life and makes you root for Anna. A must read.’ -- Sopan Deb, author of Missed Translations‘Made in China is an important story told with intelligence and heart, and a study of discipline as a form of devotion — devotion to a mother, to a legacy, to our own dreams and to those of others, to being good. So much of American rhetoric is about what we are owed. This graceful memoir is about the much trickier problem of what we deserve. Which is, in the end, brightest love.’ -- Lacy Crawford, author of Notes on a Silencing‘Anna masterfully evokes her childhood with a power and grace that speak of an experience that no one should ever have to endure. This moving and unforgettable memoir needs to be read by everyone.’ -- Nicole Dennis-Benn, author of Patsy‘Made in China is a sympathetic, brave portrayal of the confusions, difficulties, and hurts that come with growing up between worlds. Anna Qu’s writing about her journey as an immigrant deftly shows how our origins — of economic status, of country — have lasting effects on the ways we approach family, work, and self. I was captivated and moved by her story.’ -- Alexandra Chang, author of Days of Distraction‘Qu rewrites the bootstrap narrative of immigrants building a better life for their children in her grim and entrancing debut. Her “path to the American dream” amounts to a devastating story of abuse and abandonment … Even in revisiting her harrowing memories, Qu writes from a place of empathy, transcending pain to embrace hope … This marks the arrival of a promising new voice.’ * Publishers Weekly, starred review *‘A nuanced examination of complicated ripple effects of intergenerational emigration. A powerful memoir of finding self-worth.’ * Library Journal *‘A grim yet gripping memoir of an unhappy, nearly loveless childhood and the author’s determined escape to a better adulthood … Well written … Brilliantly insightful … A simultaneously powerful and depressing latter-day Dickensian story sure to elicit sympathy from readers.’ * Kirkus Reviews *‘Poignant … Vividly narrated and psychologically perceptive, Qu’s story uses family trauma to find perspective on immigration and perhaps even America itself.’ * Booklist *‘What will haunt readers are the indelible feelings — of loss, fear, anger, and devastation, but, by book’s end, somehow, she has love … Anna Qu’s unflinching memoir recalls the love of her earliest years and the labour she endured to survive into adulthood.’ * Shelf Awareness *‘Lively … Qu presents her recollections in a precise, distressing chronology that sheds light on both the strictures of her Chinese cultural heritage and the sometimes arbitrary carelessness of the American social system meant to protect youngsters from neglect and mistreatment … Qu writes with great fluidity, giving her memoir a novelistic reach that speaks of a new career path in the realm of words and their truest meanings. Her mastery of English and her memory of several Chinese dialects will give her gritty memories a special punch for those trapped in similar circumstances, whether as immigrants, sweatshop workers, survivors of childhood abuse, or simply strong young women overcoming the odds to gain the best that life has to offer.’ -- Barbara Bamberger Scott * bookreporter *‘Made in China is a fierce, provocative look at the sacrifices made by immigrants in a new country, and the sacrifices they pass down to the next generation. It’s a story of family and trauma, resilience and collapse, and Qu is dazzling as she dismantles the mythologies surrounding the immigrant work ethic, making clear that a person’s humanity should never be connected with how “productive” they are.’ -- Kristin Iversen * Refinery29 *‘A heartbreaking reflection of the ripple effects of immigration.’ -- Katherine Ouellette * WBUR *‘A harrowing memoir about the indifference we show toward children, especially those who emigrate to the United States.’ -- Evette Dionne * Bitch *‘A deeply honest rendering of domestic conflict … Made in China is dynamic, a subversive and yet inherently personal piece of work … In this memoir, Qu doesn’t conform to labels. She rips off the tags others have created for her and creates her own.’ -- Valerie Wu * Asia Pacific Arts *‘Anna’s story shares a similar arc to the likes of Educated and The Glass Castle — memoirs with heroines who overcome seemingly insurmountable disadvantages through education and sheer will.’ -- Yoojin Na * BOMB *‘Unravels larger assumptions about immigration, labour, and trauma at both the personal and collective level, demonstrating how many seemingly disparate elements of our lives are deeply connected … It is a clear-eyed look at a reality that many in the United States would otherwise look away from … Remarkable.’ -- Julia Shiota * Ploughshares *‘Anna Qu has a tough story to tell, and she tells it with graceful candour … Made in China isn’t always an easy read, but it will make you examine the intricacies of mother-daughter love and the indelible influence of intergenerational trauma.’ -- Megan Vered * The Rumpus *‘A skillful and emotive excavation of a traumatic childhood split between China and the United States.’ -- Jonathan Chatwin * South China Morning Post *‘There are no easy answers here, and that’s what makes this memoir so absorbing.’ -- Elayna Trucker * Napa Valley Register *‘This candid, heartbreaking story centres on an uncommon immigrant narrative featuring a complicated mother-daughter relationship intermingled with the dark side of the pursuit of opportunity in America.’ * Oprah Daily *‘An emotionally-charged memoir about migration, belonging, and family-based abuse, Made In China is a confronting read. Ultimately, though, readers are left with a profoundly enlightening experience, owing to the skill that Qu applies when unpacking the various details of her experience. A profound story whose impact can be felt on a personal and societal level.’ * Happy Mag *‘[Made in China] vividly and poignantly documents [Anna Qu's] childhood, the darkness, occasional glimmers of light and, eventually, coming through.’ * The Sydney Morning Herald *

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Book SynopsisAn unique resource for all professionals who wish to understand witchcraft branding as a contemporary form of child abuse.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisA heartbreaking, powerful true story from Britain''s most-loved foster carer, perfect for fans of Cathy Glass and Casey Watson.When a terrified young girl is discovered hiding in the back of a lorry, she is quickly taken into the care of social services. Arriving on the doorstep of foster carer Maggie Hartley, she is painfully thin, bruised and unable to speak a word of English. What atrocities has she escaped to bring her here? Woken each night by the screams of Halima''s nightmares, Maggie is desperate to reach this damaged young girl. But without a shared language, she fears that she may never uncover the truth behind her terror.Can Maggie help Halima recover from the horrors she has endured, and help her build a new life for herself? Or will Halima forever be haunted by the ghosts of her past?

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Book SynopsisNow revised and expanded with 50% new content reflecting important clinical refinements, this manual presents a widely used evidence-based therapy approach for adult survivors of chronic trauma. Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) Narrative Therapy helps clients to build crucial social and emotional resources for living in the present and to break the hold of traumatic memories. Highly clinician friendly, the book provides everything needed to implement STAIR--including 68 reproducible handouts and session plans--and explains the approach's theoretical and empirical bases. The large-size format facilitates photocopying; purchasers also get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials. First edition title: Treating Survivors of Childhood Abuse: Psychotherapy for the Interrupted Life. New to This Edition *Reorganized, simplified sessions make implementation easier. *Additional session on eTrade Review"The second edition of this amazing resource builds on and expands the first edition. It conveys a deep understanding of survivors of abuse and presents a treatment model that flexibly addresses their varied needs. The book contains practical discussion and application and includes a wealth of handouts. STAIR Narrative Therapy fulfills the criteria for an evidence-based treatment, as it is built on theory, research findings, clinical observation, and client preferences. STAIR is a fitting acronym--the book presents a set of skills in a developmental and progressive sequence, one step at a time."--Christine A. Courtois, PhD, ABPP, private practice (retired), Washington, DC; consultant and trainer, trauma psychology and treatment “For therapists who want a clear, structured way to help trauma clients increase their coping skills and revise the narrative of their traumatic experiences, this book is a gem. The session outlines and client exercises are systematic and amazingly thorough. I particularly appreciate the book's respectful stance toward the client, the down-to-earth focus on emotion, and the accessible way topics such as complex trauma are laid out. This second edition is a great contribution to the literature. It will be particularly helpful to mental health professionals who are beginning the journey into treating the chaos of trauma with their clients."--Susan M. Johnson, EdD, Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology, University of Ottawa, Canada; Distinguished Research Professor, Marital and Family Therapy Program, Alliant International University, San Diego “Cloitre and colleagues have done a fabulous job updating and expanding their book on STAIR Narrative Therapy for childhood abuse and chronic interpersonal trauma. STAIR is now strongly supported by the authors' own research, as well as being grounded in the broader trauma research literature. The book offers a carefully delineated description of this brief yet comprehensive treatment. The step-by-step explanations and numerous downloadable handouts make this book an excellent learning tool for beginning therapists--it also has plenty to offer seasoned therapists. Highly recommended."--Catherine C. Classen, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco "The authors' theoretical and clinical model of early trauma and adversity leading to an interrupted life is a very helpful perspective to understand this important clinical group. This book provides a detailed treatment manual on how to conduct STAIR Narrative Therapy. Therapists will hugely benefit from the many case examples, handouts, and step-by-step instructions. A new chapter in the second edition describes adaptations of STAIR for specific populations and settings, showing that the authors constantly work on refining and developing their evidence-based approach."--Thomas Ehring, PhD, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany "This second edition leaves no stone unturned. It is an invaluable resource for both experienced clinicians and the next generation of therapists, who will gain a precise and systematic method for helping their clients with childhood trauma. This book uncovers the troubling complexities of trauma while presenting a promising path forward through STAIR Narrative Therapy."--David M. Greenberg, PhD, Zuckerman Postdoctoral Scholar, Bar-Ilan University, Israel; Visiting Researcher, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom-Wonderfully written, with quotes to reflect upon for each chapter, the book provides handouts, case scenarios, and explanations and summaries for the goals and skills developed per chapter section. It is a practice guide for anyone working with any type and any level of survivorship from trauma….This book meets the need of any audience who wants to be an agent of change in thought, word, and action for those who have somehow survived the very worst that life experiences could offer….Materials and descriptions provide step-by-step directives to reduce the potential for child trauma creating maladaptive adults with repetitive trauma-driven behaviors. Don't miss the chapters on resource loss, changing relationship patterns, and the resource of hope. The entire book is of benefit, but these chapters are amazing and substantive.--Doody's Review Service, 8/24/2020ƒƒThe book presents a solid theoretical foundation on which the authors have built a detailed plan of action to guide the therapist and, perhaps just as important, inform the client....The treatment sequence itself is brilliantly conceived. (on the first edition)--PsycCRITIQUES, 4/11/2007ƒƒThis is a wonderful book….Though trauma work is difficult, this book provides a coherent rationale and treatment program. (on the first edition)--Doody's Electronic Review, 9/15/2006Table of ContentsI. Theoretical Frameworks 1. A Resource Loss Model 2. Attachment: When Protector and Perpetrator Are One 3. Development in the Context of Deprivation II. Foundations of Treatment 4. Treatment Rationale 5. Building Emotional and Social Resources: Overview of STAIR 6. Working with Traumatic Memories: Overview of Narrative Therapy 7. Extending the Narrative: Transforming Shame and Loss 8. Guidelines for Implementing Treatment 9. Assessment of Client and Match for Treatment III. STAIR Narrative Therapy, Session by Session - Module I. Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR): Building Resources 10. Session 1. The Resource of Hope: Introducing the Client to Treatment 11. Session 2. The Resource of Feeling: Emotional Awareness 12. Session 3. Emotion Regulation: Focus on the Body 13. Session 4. Emotion Regulation: Focus on Thoughts and Behavior 14. Session 5. Emotionally Engaged Living: Distress Tolerance 15. Session 6. The Resource of Connection: Understanding Relationship Patterns 16. Session 7. Changing Relationship Patterns: Focus on Assertiveness 17. Session 8. Changing Relationship Patterns: Managing Power 18. Session 9. Changing Relationship Patterns: Increasing Closeness 19. Session 10. Self-Compassion and Summary of Skills Training - Module II. Narrative Therapy: Facing the Past and Imagining the Future 20. Moving from Skills Training to Narrative Therapy: How Do You Know Your Client Is Ready? 21. Session 11. Introduction to Narrative Therapy 22. Session 12. Narrative of First Memory 23. Sessions 13–17. Narratives of Fear 24. Sessions 13–17. Narratives of Shame 25. Sessions 13–17. Narratives of Loss 26. Session 18. The Final Session 27. New Developments for STAIR Narrative Therapy References Index

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Book SynopsisWhen Reece arrives at Cathy''s door aged 7 years old, he has already passed through the hands of four different carers in four weeks. As the details of his short life emerge, it becomes clear that to help him, Cathy will face her biggest challenge yet.The latest title from the author of Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller Damaged.Reece is the last of six siblings to be fostered. Having been in care for four months his aggressive and disruptive behaviour has seen him passed from carer to carer. Although only 7, he has been excluded from school, and bites people so often that his mother calls him ''Sharky''.Cathy wants to find the answers for Reece's distressing behaviour, but he has been sworn to secrecy by his mother, and will not tell them anything. As the social worker prepares for the final hearing, he finds five different files on Reece's family, and is incredulous that he had not been removed from them as a baby. When the darkest of family secrets is revealed to Cathy, ReecTrade ReviewREVIEWS FOR DAMAGED: 'Cannot fail to move those who read it.'Adoption-net ‘Heartbreaking.'Mirror ‘A truly harrowing read that made me cry.’Sun 'A true tale of hope. ****.'OK! ‘Foster carers rarely get the praise they deserve, but Cathy Glass’s book should change all that.****’First magazine ‘A hugely touching and emotional true tale.’Star magazine

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Book SynopsisI could not ignore the tiny spark of hope that whispered to me that there might be someone with whom I could be vulnerable and real, and that this time they might just not let me down...This is the story of Alexia and her therapist Kim, and their three-year therapy journey to begin Alexia's path to recovery. Written from both perspectives, it is a powerful and revealing account of a therapist-client relationship. Together, the authors show the manifold challenges that adult survivors of childhood abuse have to overcome, and offer insight to all therapists on how relational interventions can pave a way to healing.

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive resource is designed for training those who work with, parent and care for children and young people who have experienced the damaging effects of abuse, neglect and disruption to the primary caregiver relationship. Presented as an 11-session group programme, the pack offers an accessible overview of the core concepts of developmental trauma, trauma-informed therapeutic care, and self-care for carers. Reading materials, video clips and skills exercises support and reinforce each area covered. The underpinning model is Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), an approach which allows carers to get beyond the defences and blocked trust of children in their care using Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy (pACE). By helping participants understand and respond to the impact of developmental trauma on children, the resource aims to help reduce the spiral of failed relationships suffered by many young people who have been removed from their birth families.Table of ContentsSESSION 1: Attachment is a survival strategy; It's a marathon not a sprint SESSION 2: Non-verbal communication; Connecting to calm SESSION 3: Name it to tame it SESSION 4: Acting not re-acting SESSION 5: Finding your balance SESSION 6: PACE SESSION 7: SpACE - pACE for the Self SESSION 8: Be the thermostat not the thermometer SESSION 9: Structure and pACE to create a secure basis of safety SESSION 10: What you pay attention to with your heart and mind grows; Supporting not solving; Listening not lecturing SESSION 11: TRUST - Creating safety to help reduce stealing and lying SESSION 12: The places you'll go!

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