The Trauma of Sexual Assault: Treatment, Prevention and Policy

Rape and sexual assault are common crimes in our societies, but work on its psychosocial impact and critiques of procedures and interventions are hard to find. The Trauma of Sexual Assault fills these gaps. It focuses on adult victims and opens up the debate with research findings, theoretical perspectives and implications for treatment, longer-term management and future policy. Jenny Petrak and Barbara Hedge have skillfully drawn on the clinical practice of their authors to provide: the first text to consider the psychological impact of sexual assault on women and men; a comprehensive flow-through model of psychological and social management from the initial presentation of the assaulted person onwards; wide-ranging discussion of relevant issues, including culture, gender and sexuality, the assaulted and the assailant, and social and legal topics; details of prevention and treatment, including the psychological and physical impact of sexual assault. The Trauma of Sexual Assault is a much-needed and accessible reference for clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors and therapists, nurses, the criminal justice system, and all professionals working in settings providing services for sexual assault.