Help for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

This book argues that, with the proper therapy, women who were sexually abused as children can overcome their pain and begin to lead stable, fulfilling lives. Drawing on her own extensive counselling experience, Sister Vera Gallagher shows how, by sharing their experiences with other survivors, these women can learn to express their feelings without fear of being blamed and without being asked to "forgive and forget". She demonstrates through real life case studies how women in therapy come to terms with their trauma and learn to stop externalizing emotions through compulsive behaviour, drug and alchohol addiction, fears of intimacy, flashbacks, and feelings of guilt and self hatred. Counsellors on the other hand, may learn techniques for setting up and running group sessions so that clients can gain maximum benefit from each stage in the recovery process.