Child Abuse Trauma

Theory and Treatment of the Lasting Effects

"This book is the best this practitioner has seen for its practical definitions and concrete suggestions. At the same time, it reviews what research there is and notes the many areas in need of further study. . . . The controversial use of hypnosis for the recovery of repressed memories and gender differences in reaction to abuse are particularly well covered. I recommend this book for all practitioners and educators." --Mary J. Coe, review in The American Journal of Family Therapy "I found this both remarkably informative (the book provides an excellent synthesis of current literature on child abuse research) and liberating when thinking about past and present clients. Briere has a special talent for making sense of the internal experience of child abouse survivors. An excellent book which should be on the bookshelf of counsellors or therapists working with adolescents or adults. " --Peter Yeo in Counselling Researchers and clinicians in the child abuse field have tended to specialize in one form of maltreatment, rather than examining the interrelationship between the various types of abuse and neglect. In response to this fragmentation, Child Abuse Trauma offers a fresh perspective that considers unique and overlapping long-term effects of all major forms of child abuse and neglect. From sexual and physical abuse to maltreatment by alcoholic or drug-addicted parents, from the exploration of solutions to the parameters of treatment, this enlightening volume outlines complex ways in which abuse impacts later psychosocial functioning. Briere reframes traditional notions of psychopathology and describes with optimism and compassion treatment approaches to abuse-related posttraumatic stress, interpersonal dysfunction, self-destructive behavior, impaired self-reference, and borderline personality disorder. This thought-provoking and important volume will be an invaluable tool for abuse specialists and general therapists who want to understand the connection between many forms of psychological distress and the lasting impacts of child maltreatment. Students in the fields of psychology, victimology, family studies, gender studies, and sociology will also benefit from this book. "John N. Briere has written an important and eminently readable book. As any clinician can attest, without appropriate intervention, hurt children often grow up to be hurt adults. This book describes a process by which former child victims of maltreatment--adult survivors--can move beyond the trauma and long-term negative sequelae of their experiences. Unlike many professionals, who tend to focus on a specific area of child maltreatment (e.g., adult survivors of sexual abuse, physical abuse), Briere presents a model that clinicians will find useful regardless of the type of maltreatment experienced by the client." --Families in Society "The book is well written and provides a thorough integration of research and theory in the area. It is an excellent reference guide for clinicians and may be useful for scholars in the social sciences as well. The content is compassionate and elucidating as the author sets out to debunk myths surrounding victims of child maltreatment. Briere makes a strong case for therapy centering around survivors' strengths rather than focusing on individual psychopathology. . . . Child Abuse Trauma is an excellent overview of an abuse perspective. Briere is objective and is careful to discuss potential drawbacks to abuse-oriented therapy." --Contemporary Psychology "This book is, among other things, an excellent reference guide. . . . Dr. Briere's special talent is in making sense of the internal experience of child abuse survivors. He helps us understand that much of what seems pathological is really creative, albeit ultimately dysfunctional strategies for survival." --from the Foreword by Lucy Berliner "Major forms of child abuse, including psychological, physical, and sexual, as well as emotional neglect and living with substance-addicted parents, are covered here. . . . This is an excellent, intense study by an experienced psychotherapist; it alerts clinicians, novices or experienced, to the frequency of child abuse and suggests how it can be understood and treated in later life." --Henry Hicks, Ph.D., Maimonides Community Mental Health Center, Brooklyn, New York "The book is very state-of-the-art. I particularly like the treatment sections that address the issues of co-dependency and hospitalization. I can't say enough about John N. Briere's ability to communicate. The book is concise and yet its scope is amazing. . . . This is a remarkable and brilliant book. . . . I learned a lot from reading it and feel quite energized and stimulated." --Eliana Gil, Ph.D., Private Practice "Briere, a proficient writer, is also a clinical psychologist specializing in psychological trauma, and this book is based on his extensive clinical experience and scholarly research with adult survivors of child abuse. . . . Includes a good reference guide and a combined author-subject index. Graduate; faculty; professional." --Choice "This reviewer found Child Abuse Trauma to be an informed and useful guide to understanding and treating child abuse survivors. A unique aspect of the book is its focus on the broad spectrum of child abuse trauma and the interrelationships among the various forms of abuse and their consequences. . . . Illustrative case examples are utilized throughout the book. The work is indeed a welcomed and helpful pioneering effort in the fledgling field of child abuse-focussed treatment. The significant value of the book makes constructive criticism difficult. . . . A major strength of the book is that Briere manages to be theoretical and scholarly, yet also practical. Clinicians will find enormously valuable this focus on issues and dilemmas which inevitably arise during trauma therapy. For example, the book includes an excellent discussion on when and how to explore abuse-related memories, versus when and how to prepare clients for this work and support them in the work. The section on dealing with self-issues is also particularly elucidating and helpful. . . . The author bravely addresses notions such as 'codependence,' 'resistance,' and borderline personality' and their limited usefulness in abuse-focused treatment. . . . Generalist clinicians occasionally serving abuse survivors will find it illuminates and informs trauma treatment. Clinicians specializing in abuse-focused therapy will discover much of value in this volume, and I would anticipate, find themselves recommending it to supervisees as well as seasoned colleagues." --The Advisor "Briere offers what is known and seems to be working in individual, one-to-one psychotherapy to treat seven major psychological disturbances found in survivors: post traumatic stress, cognitive disorders, altered emotionality dissociation, impaired self-reference, disturbed relatedness, and avoidance." --The Women's Advocate "Child Abuse Trauma has much to offer psychotherapists who treat child abuse survivors. Its strength lies in the attention Briere devotes to a supportive, eclectic, and multimodal psychotherapeutic approach, and his ability to demonstrate the interrelations between child maltreatment and adult psychopathology. . . . Briere successfully illustrates that trauma during childhood engenders effects that persist into adulthood, and that traditional psychotherapy must be reframed to deal better with the complex nature of child abuse." --Family Relations ABOUT THE SERIES: "A project with an exciting blend of scholarship and practical expertise." --David Finkelhor, University of New Hampshire