Books for Therapists on Sexual Trauma

Sexual trauma is an extremely difficult thing to heal from, which makes the role of the mental health practitioner even more important. With deep sensitivity, the following books tell inspirational stories about people that suffer from traumatic sexual experiences, exercising the reader’s empathy and compassion. Some of the books also detail respected approaches to work with patients with sexual trauma.

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“Girls Like Us” by Rachel Lloyd

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Girls Like Us tells the deeply moving and striking story of Rachel Loyd, a survivor of the commercial sex industry. The author bravely shares her experiences with the reader to make us reflect on the way society treats young girls and the abuse many of them suffer every day of their lives. Loyd also talks about the foundation of her organization, New York City’s Girls Education and Mentoring Service, that helps girls in the sex industry to find new paths for their lives, giving us a sense of hope for the future.

“Treating Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse” by Jody Messler Davies and Mary Gail Frawley

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From a psychoanalytic point of view, this book offers a model for the treatment of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The book’s propositions expand greatly on the interrelational aspect of the psychotherapy, discussing subjects like transference and countertransference applied individually to adults who’ve suffered sexual abused as a child. By casting light on important factors that influence the success of the treatment, this book allows for the therapist to reach the buried experiences of the patients.

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“Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: Beyond Villians and Victims” by Alexandra Lutnick

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The sex-trafficking industry in the United States is highly complex and harmful, posing as a problem that desperately needs to be addressed. In this book, Alexandra Lutnick does exactly that, as she writes on what contributes to a person’s involvement in sex-trafficking, the responses that the government gives to the situation, the treatment methods applied to the industry’s victims and other relevant topics that aim to raise awareness on this issue and urge the creation of policies and programs that control sex-trafficking.

“The Courage to Heal” by Laura Davis and Ellen Bass

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The Courage to Heal tackles the difficult topic of women that survived child sexual abuse, and their journey towards healing. Authors draw from their professional and personal experiences to deliver a powerful guide on achieving a healthy mental state, retelling the emotional stories of other survivors and providing useful advice and tools to process the trauma endured by abused women to help them move on to a better tomorrow.

“Sexual Healing. Ein sexuelles Trauma überwinden” von Wendy Maltz

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Considered a classic in its field, this comprehensive guide will help survivors of sexual abuse improve their relationships and discover the joys of sexual intimacy. Wendy Maltz takes survivors step-by-step through the recovery process using groundbreaking exercises and techniques. Based on the author’s clinical work, interviews, and workshops, this guide is filled with first-person accounts of women and men at every stage of sexual healing.

This compassionate resource helps survivors to: Identify the sexual effects of sexual abuse. Eliminate negative sexual behavior and resolve specific problems. Gain control over upsetting automatic reactions to touch and sex. Develop a healthy sexual self-concept.

“Sexueller Missbrauch von Kindern und Jugendlichen: Ein Handbuch zur Prävention und Intervention für Fachkräfte im medizinischen, psychotherapeutischen und pädagogischen Bereich” von Jorg M. Fegert, Ulrike Hoffmann, Elisa König, Johanna Niehues und Hubert Liebhardt

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This manual offers a presentation of the basic technical knowledge on this topic, which has never been presented in Germany to this extent and with this practical relevance, thanks to the contributions of well-known authors. The presentation of practical references, concrete procedures and relevant legal aspects should contribute to a better theoretical understanding and an increase in competence in dealing with (potential) cases of abuse in professional practice. Concepts and exercise materials that were created and evaluated as part of an online course for supplementary face-to-face courses are also available in this book. The aim is to enable the readers to lead the discussion of the important topics in their area of work as multipliers, so that they can communicate with colleagues, e.g. to reflect on your own professional context in team discussions, supervision groups or further training.

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