Just Before Dawn: Trauma Assessment and Treatment of Sexual Victimization

Just Before Dawn: Trauma Assessment and Treatment of Sexual Victimization

by Jan Hindman

Questions abound when attempting to understand the intricacies of trauma as a result of sexual abuse. Why does a rape victim of five years become the high school valedictorian and appear to be unscathed by her sexual abuse? Why did that 6th grader, after only being fondled on the outside of his clothing, put a shotgun in his mouth and in despair, end his short life? Why do three children, sexually abused by the same offender in the same daycare with similar circumstances, all appear to be traumatized differently, with varying responses to immediate healing or a lifetime of suffering? The answers to questions like these lie with a better understanding of the intricacies of sexual abuse trauma, challenging traditional myths and misconceptions, eventually striving toward new reflections of knowledge.

Just Before Dawn is an absolute necessity for any professional or layperson interested in understanding sexual victim trauma. This publication may also be helpful to professionals involved in civil cases, developing or administering sexual abuse treatment programs, providing expert witness testimony, constructing program treatment philosophies, coordinating offender and victim treatment, or prosecuting criminal sex abuse cases. And perhaps the most important purpose for this publication is for victims of sexual abuse, seeking a better understanding of how to navigate the road to recovery that seems so confusing.