Abused Women and Survivor Therapy: A Practical Guide for the Psychotherapist [Hardcover]

Lenore E. Walker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1994

In this state-of-the art treatment manual, Lenore E. A. Walker contends that traditional psychotherapies for trauma victims have been insufficient in treating abused women. As the problem of violence against women continues to plague society, cutting across all demographic sectors, Walker describes critical modifications to traditional practice that will allow practitioners to work more effectively with female victims of abuse. These modifications result in an integrated compilation of the most successful assessment and intervention strategies, called "survivor therapy." Abused Women and Survivor Therapy discusses the major forms of abuse experienced by women: rape and sexual assault, battering, sexual abuse by therapists, and discrimination/sexual harassment in the workplace. Walker examines the effects of gender, race, ethnicity, culture, and sexual orientation on each form of abuse; discusses clinical considerations and treatment approaches; evaluates commonly used assessment instruments; and analyzes forensic issues in cases involving violence against women. Walker maintains that successful treatment models must account for the specific impact of the various forms of abuse, the individual's unique psychological response to the world, the impact of traditional socialization of women and men, and therapist transference and counter transference. These considerations can be applied in the course of a therapy that seeks to re-empower abused women by helping them to regain their self-esteem, reestablish healthy relationships, and reclaim a sense of control and choice in their lives. Abused Women and Survivor Therapy helps the newly trained as well as the experienced practitioner to identify, assess, and treat women who have been abused physically, sexually, or psychologically. It provides a touchstone by which future progress in research and practice with abused women can be measured.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 529 pages
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 1st edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557982295
• ISBN-13: 978-1557982292
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #491,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and informative, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Abused Women and Survivor Therapy: A Practical Guide for the Psychotherapist (Hardcover)

Current societal beliefs and the impact on victims of sexual abuse is something any psychotherapist should be aware of. The tendency to blame the victim is still very much present throughout our society and even in psychological practice. Regrettably, I doubt that psychiatrists and psychotherapist who still hold such traditional beliefs would ever buy this book in the first place. Is there any value in this book then for those who already are aware of the negative impact and the implicit assumptions we often have about women and victims of sexual abuse? It definately is if you want to be more informed and incorperate the main principles of survivor therapy in your clinical practice. Even though many of these principles such as safety, empowerment, validation and an emphasis on strenghts appear to be self evident, they do deserve special attention when carefully considering the societal impact in the destruction of these principles in women. However, do not expect this book to be giving you a detailed approach to survivor therapy in how to use it in practice however. Only a small part of the book is dedicated to this specifically, which is probably the greatest weakness of the book. Many more interesting connections could have been made between societal beliefs and the principles of survivor therapy. If society in itself forms the theoretical foundation of survivor therapy, then this could have been made more explicit and approached in a more methodological manner, which would have led to a more detailed explanation of what survivor therapy exactly is.