Incorporating the voices of professionals counselling survivors of abuse, and those of the survivors themselves, this book provides the reader with a theoretical understanding of people who have endured abuse situations, as well as practical approaches to counselling them. Focusing on the emotional needs of survivors, the contributors discuss, from the viewpoint of their own experiences, effective and useful practice and the provision of appropriate and accessible services in this field.

The effects of different types of abuse and abusive environments, and a variety of methods for dealing with their aftermath, are explored, with chapters dealing specifically with, among other topics:

drug users who were sexually abused as children

issues for practice in working with domestic abuse

therapeutic responses to people with learning disabilities who have been abused

counselling people who self injure

psychodynamic counselling and older people who have been abused

the impact on professional workers.