Abstract
Child sexual abuse is a complex and pervasive problem that affects children and families worldwide. The process of identifying, assessing, and treating survivors may prove to be a daunting and overwhelming task because there are multiple systems involved in the process (law enforcement, child welfare professionals, school personnel, clergy, and clinicians). Cheung takes an interdisciplinary approach in presenting the best practices for interviewing and treatment. She provides a comprehensive guide for child welfare professionals, school personnel, and church review boards regarding standardized approaches in working with survivors of abuse. Cheung incorporates a feminist perspective through her inclusion of case vignettes from the perspective of a female child survivor. Her empowerment approach is further exemplified by the inclusion of techniques for responding to tactics that are used in cross-examination and interventions, such as a strength-based wellness intervention and group interventions for adult female survivors.
Cheung begins with an introduction to the history of the child welfare system, laws surrounding abuse and neglect, and related terminology. She provides eight chapters that cover forensic interviews, preventing false allegations, using a free-narrative approach to interviewing, screening strategies, best-practice interviewing protocols, preparation for court, empirically based treatment modalities, self-care, secondary trauma, the roles of professionals, and advocacy work. Each chapter concludes with additional tips for parents and professionals, resources, sample forms, and outlines of empirical studies.
In Chapter 6, Cheung describes childhood sexual abuse in the context of family incest and highlights the need for the entire family to receive both individual and family treatment. In addition to describing effective treatment modalities for the child victims, child abuse survivors, and the perpetrator, she offers suggestions for the treatment of the family with a focus on the nonoffending parent. She highlights that “nonoffending mothers do have strengths, principally the strength of enduring highly dysfunctional family situations and continuing to feed and clothe their children” (p. 240).
Another unique characteristic of the book is its focus on the child victim’s perspective in promoting child welfare. Cheung presents a case example called “Julie’s Case” that is based on a composite of several real cases. “Julie’s Case” is used in each chapter to illustrate various concepts. In addition, the book includes a DVD that models research-based interviewing techniques in both nondisclosure and disclosure cases. The text presents suggestions for improvement or modification of the techniques to correspond with the latest research findings. Overall, readers will find this book to be an ongoing resource to inform their practice skills, particularly in relation to working with female survivors of childhood sexual abuse.