About this item
Victims of sexual assault experience their trauma in different ways, and often one path to recovery and healing is right for one person, but not right for another. While there are some general mental health effects of sexual violence, this book outlines and describes the impact of particular types of sexual violation. Whether the survivor has experienced childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault during adulthood, marital rape, sexual harassment, sex trafficking, or sexual violence within the military, they will find aspects of her experience in these pages. Once survivors understand the ways in which they have been affected, they are introduced to various pathways to surviving sexual violence and moving forward. The chapters provide case examples and specific activities which give a fuller description of the ways survivors can make use of the particular approaches, which include mind-body practices, counseling, group therapies, self-defense training, and others.
About the Author
Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis is an associate professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, as well as an ordained minister in the AME Church. She is the 2015 awardee for the California Psychological Association Distinguished Scientist Award. She is also a past president of the Society for the Psychology of Women and a former American Psychological Association representative to the United Nations. She received the Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Service early career award. Dr. Bryant-Davis is director of the Culture and Trauma Research Lab at Pepperdine University and a past associate editor of the esteemed scientific journal Psychological Trauma. She is published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, she is author of the book, Thriving in the wake of trauma: A multicultural guide and she is co-editor of the books, Surviving Sexual Violence: A handbook of recovery and empowerment and Foundations of Resilience: Religion and Spirituality in Diverse Women's Lives. A licensed clinical psychologist in the Los Angeles area, Dr. Bryant-Davis earned her doctorate from Duke University and completed her post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical Center. Her research focus areas include trauma psychology, ethnic minority women, oppression, coping, and spirituality. Dr. Thema has served as a media mental health consultant for numerous news programs, talk shows, and docu-series on network and cable television stations, as well as for NPR and print media. ESSENCE magazine named her among women who are shaping the world. Considered a member of HuffPost's signature line-up of contributors, Dr. Thema is a regular blogger for HuffPost. Her latest post, The Hidden Parts of Partner Abuse: A Message to Controlling Partners, can be viewed by visiting http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thema-bryantdavis/.Dr. Thema also offers online courses and in-person workshops throughout the US and abroad. For more information, please visit www.drthema.com.