Healing the Harm Done: A Parent's Guide to Helping Your Child Overcome the Effects of Sexual Abuse [Paperback]

Jennifer Y. Levy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2005

With both English and Spanish text included under the same cover, this guide provides practical, compassionate advice for parents on dealing with abused children's troublesome behaviors and emotional concerns. It addresses topics such as sleep disturbance, inappropriate sexual behavior, worries about the future, and the parents' own life struggles as they assist their children to recuperate and become healthy survivors.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I wrote this book because I realized that parents whose children have been sexually abused needed some clear, simple assistance in coping with this incredibly tough issue. I added a Spanish version to make it useful to a wider audience. This book is dedicated to all the clients - children, adult survivors, and parents - who have done me the honor of sharing their stories and their pain with me over the years. I hope it will help other parents and their children to have a successful healing journey.

From the Inside Flap

This guide is meant to help you deal specifically with your child's emotions and behaviors. It is not intended as a means to discover whether or not your child has been sexually abused, and none of the effects discussed should be taken as proof of abuse. For example, abused children fequently have nightmares, but so do many other children. This guide assumes that you have already been through the intial stages of shock and disbelief and that you now know that your child was abused. This book is not a substitute for professional help. Whenever a child is abused, whatever the circumstances, families are under tremendous stress. This is not a do-it-yourself project. This guide will help you to find a therapist who is experienced and skilled in working with children and families and who is particularly knowledgeable about sexual abuse.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 88 pages
• Publisher: Xlibris Corp (August 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413455476
• ISBN-13: 978-1413455472
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,482,901 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jennifer Y. Levy-Peck, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with trauma survivors and in program development for the past 30 years. Dr. Levy-Peck co-founded a domestic violence program and has served on the Board of Directors of a sexual assault center and a child abuse prevention/advocacy center. As a psychologist, she has provided therapeutic treatment in a variety of settings. She has given presentations on sexual assault and abuse topics at national, regional, and local conferences. In her current position, Dr. Levy-Peck provides support and resources to community sexual assault programs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE BEST, April 11, 2006

By 

K. Taff "HELPING VICTIMS" (CARROLLTON,OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Healing the Harm Done: A Parent's Guide to Helping Your Child Overcome the Effects of Sexual Abuse (Paperback)

I WORK WITH VICTIMS OF CRIMES AND HAVE BEEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND VICTIM ASSISTANCE FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER GIVEN TO VICTIMS OF THIS TYPE OF CRIME AND RECEIVED NOTHING BUT PRAISE FROM PARENTS WHO HAVE LEARNED FROM IT. THE BOOK IS WELL WRITTEN FOR PARENTS TO READ AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO HELP CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN ABUSED. I RECCOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY PARENT OF AN ABUSED CHILD NOT ONLY TO HELP THE CHILD, BUT FOR GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This book would be a wonderful booklet, August 15, 2007

By 

Aunt Laya Saul "Laya Saul, author of the best... (http://www.auntlaya.com) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Healing the Harm Done: A Parent's Guide to Helping Your Child Overcome the Effects of Sexual Abuse (Paperback)

"Healing the Harm Done" covers a lot of ground. What's there is well written, and the author's compassion comes through clearly. If you are looking for an overview of the issues that will need to be addressed, especially with younger children, this book could be a good place to start. I work with teens and, unfortunately, anyone who works with teens has teens who have been sexually abused. I'm always on the lookout for tools and ways in which I can help facilitate healing. This book gives you information on the issues involved with healing and then recommends other books for parents to read to really facilitate the healing process.

The text itself is only about 35 pages altogether when you factor out the table of contents and the Spanish text. There are seven sections of information and suggestions. So, even though it's covering a lot of topics, each section is very short. This might be just what some parents need and want but I wish it would have been more clear to me before I bought the book.

"Healing the Harm Done" would be great as a booklet for police, doctors, and social workers (who might be able to buy the book in quantity) to hand out to parents as a jumping off point for information. (The book will tell you what to do, but doesn't always tell you how to do it.) For parents who want more detailed information, this may not be your best option.

I recommend that anyone considering buying this book read the excerpt.

5.0 out of 5 stars CAC review, January 26, 2012

By 

CAC - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing The Harm Done: A Parent's Guide to Helping Your Child Overcome the Effects of Sexual Abuse (English and Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

This book is what I have been waiting for. I am a forensic interviewer at a Child Advocacy Center and this book is a resource that I confidently recommend to parents whose children have been abused. There are so many resources out there concerning child abuse, but not enough resources to help parents themselves and their children. What I liked about this book is that it is directed to the average parent. It does not contain jargon and is a practical and yet a sensitive guide for parents. The websites in the book were also wonderful resources.It is also available in Spanish. Levy-Pecks pamphlet "Now That You Know" is also a must for anyone who works with abused children or parents of abused children.