NCJ Number
161862
Date Published
May 2000
Length
163 pages
Annotation
This resource manual for a curriculum on victim empowerment, with attention to rape victims, contains a collection of articles and information written from either a mental health or a victim- services perspective.
Abstract
The first section focuses on understanding and responding to the trauma of victimization. The material addresses the identification and assessment of signs of crisis, secondary victimization, and cross-cultural issues in crisis. The second section considers post-traumatic stress disorder, rape trauma syndrome, and battering. After defining trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, the resource manual considers diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, rape-related post- traumatic stress disorder, the 10 warning signs of mental illness, depression, and becoming a "hostage" in the home. The third section provides a clinical perspective that encourages mental health professionals and providers of victim services to think of ways to deliver healing to victims beyond the traditional means of therapy. The issues discussed include the integration of awareness of victimization into treatment, therapy in the context of the survivor's life, the therapy relationship, and caring for ourselves and each other. A section of resources includes an outline for an interagency agreement and an interagency agreement example. A 127-item bibliography and a list of 26 resource organizations