Although numerous books have been written about childhood incest and trauma, until now none of them has combined the best of what scientific psychology has to offer with detailed representation and narrative about the ways that childhood sexual trauma within the family context affects the lives of adult survivors. Naming the Shadows is the first book to offer practitioners and students-in-training an in-depth exploration of a trauma-focused approach to individual and group psychotherapy that respects scientific rules of evidence and at the same time attempts to honor the complexity and subjectivity of an individual survivor's experience. Roth and Batson, psychologist and psychiatrist, respectively, with many years of expertise in treating survivors of sexual trauma, explain how targets of treatment are conceptualized as identity and relational issues that derive from an enduring adaptation to childhood trauma. The authors believe that, at its best, psychotherapy provides a therapeutic social context in which survivors can achieve a true understanding of their adaptation and gain self-knowledge of the meaning and enduring influence of traumatic childhood experience. Drawing on the authors' own innovative research, on the widespread experience of colleagues, and on vivid dialogue from survivors themselves, Naming the Shadows has important implications for our understanding of the process of coping with childhood sexual abuse.

A widely used and accepted form of intervention, group therapy has been successfully applied to a variety of populations. This book addresses the here-and-now needs of practitioners working with adult incest survivors. It explores the benefits of this treatment modality in ameliorating symptoms experienced by this client population, and examines both content and process issues in incest therapy groups. Drawing on both current research literature and their own clinical experience, the authors discuss: group treatment research issues; problems experienced by clients; how to prepare both therapist and client for the therapy process; and typical group phases. Other topics explored include problems that can affect the group as a

A program you can use for time limited clients suffering from sexual abuse!Breaking the Silence: Group Therapy for Childhood Sexual Abuse guides you through initial establishment and group formation to its termination. The step-by-step approach outlines themes and issues common to this population, raises pertinent questions, and highlights common pitfalls or problem areas in conducting therapy. You’ll discover innovative ways to work with survivors of childhood sexual abuse by addressing these key therapy issues: issues of trust, sexuality, and disclosure family dynamics emotional expression transference/countertransference male survivors group sessions the impact of abuse a concise fifteen-session, time-limited, psycho-educational group therapy program for adult survivors of sexual abuse The program planning approach described in Breaking the Silence allows you to adapt the program to meet your individual clients’needs. The concise fifteen-session, time-limited psycho-educational group therapy program for adult survivors of sexual abuse is designed to therapeutically address the long-term sequelae associated with a past history of child abuse. The literature review of childhood sexual abuse treatment, along with this program and the invaluable sections on male survivors, sexuality, and other areas dealing with the emotional repercussions of childhood sexual abuse, are invaluable sources of information for helping survivors develop and maintain healthy relationships and balanced lives.

In addition, some of the major concerns that therapists will have to consider are addressed. Furthermore, the very nature of the material that is presented by these women is so emotionally charged that a case is made for the group to be run by co-therapists and for therapist debriefing. Evaluation of the group is presented in the form of self-report and feedback from the participants and individual therapists. The group could easily be used as the basis for empirical research into its effectiveness. Additionally, it offers the beginning incest therapist a small but concentrated body of information about the population. No conclusions will be drawn about the proposed program since that is beyond the scope of this project.

Because of the high prevalence of childhood incest in therapy-seeking populations of women, it is important to determine the treatment approaches that are most effective in resolving the negative consequences of this traumatic event. Although there is a general consensus in the clinical literature that a group treatment approach offers unique therapeutic benefits for this population that are not available in individual therapy, there is little empirical evidence to support this contention. The purpose of the present study was to empirically assess the effectiveness of a group treatment program on intrapersonal symptomatology and interpersonal difficulties in a clinical population of women with a history of incest. Subjects for the study were drawn from participants in a group treatment program conducted by a community-based, mental health agency and developed specifically for women with a history of incest. Thirty-two women who participated in the 20-week group treatment program were compared to thirty-one women who were wait-listed for the program for a similar period of time on measures of intrapersonal symptomatology and interpersonal difficulties. In addition, the effects of the group treatment program across time were examined by assessing intrapersonal symptomatology and interpersonal difficulties in group participants six months following completion of the group treatment program. Results indicate that a time-limited group which focuses on the original trauma is effective in reducing intrapersonal symptomatology for women with a history of incest and that this improvement is stable over time. Although the women who received group treatment felt more support from friends following their experience in the group and appeared to see themselves in a more positive light in their relations with other women over time, interpersonal difficulties, in general, did not show as much improvement as intrapersonal symptomatology. Clinical implications of these findings as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric illnesses affecting both children and adults. Anxiety disorders may develop from a complex set of risk factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events. Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is characterised by excessive, unrealistic worry that lasts six months or more; in adults, the anxiety may focus on issues such as health, money, or career. In obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) individuals are plagued by persistent, recurring thoughts (obsessions) that reflect exaggerated anxiety or fears; typical obsessions include worry about being contaminated or fears of behaving improperly or acting violently. Panic Disorder, a third type of anxiety disorder, is when people suffer severe attacks of panic which may make them feel like they are having a heart attack or are going crazy for no apparent reason. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can follow an exposure to a traumatic event such as a sexual or physical assault, witnessing a death, the unexpected death of a loved one, or natural disaster. Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia; SAD) is characterised by extreme anxiety about being judged by others or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or ridicule. In regards to specific phobias people with specific phobias suffer from an intense fear reaction to a specific object or situation (such as spiders, dogs, or heights); the level of fear is usually inappropriate to the situation, and is recognised by the sufferer as being irrational. Drugs used to treat anxiety disorders include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, beta blockers, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). This new book brings together leading research from throughout the world.