ONE AVERAGE BUT DETERMINED WOMAN SETS OUT TO SHAKE UP THE JUSTICE SYSTEM IN THE NAME OF SIX WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MEN. The 1992 death of mill worker, Tom Monfils, and the resulting trial of six men accused of his murder shocked a community. In 2009, Joan read a factual book about the case which sent her on a mission to seek justice for these men. Realizing a deep emotional connection to them, she ignites the interest of a retired crime scene expert/private investigator who initiates a reinvestigation. Reclaiming Lives provides an uncomplicated examination of our nation's criminal justice system. Its overall message validates truths in the face of adversity, delivers hope where there was none, and demonstrates the capacity to overcome insurmountable obstacles. As of April 30, 2021, the National Registry of Exonerations reports that some 2,776 actually innocent, but wrongly convicted, individuals in the U.S. have been exonerated since 1989. As "Reclaiming Lives" painfully reveals, however, this number represents only a fraction of the total number of actually innocent people who have been wrongly convicted since 1989, but not yet exonerated. Joan Treppa's dedicated, years-long effort to obtain justice for the "Monfils Six" defendants is testament to the inherent difficulty in overturning wrongful convictions, even when the evidence of actual innocence compellingly refutes the prosecution's case. "Reclaiming Lives" teaches the reader why it is not only critical to prevent wrongly convictions from occurring in the first instance but also why the criminal justice system must be far more willing than it has often been to correct these injustices after they are shown to have occurred. - Steve Kaplan, former post-conviction counsel for Keith Kutska.

This book takes an innovative approach to using narrative therapy in counselling people who have been subject to childhood sexual abuse. Reclaiming Lives from Sexual Violence presents an illustrative case study of the authors, Tim the therapist in consultation with Dale the client, who was sexually abused as a child by a clergy member. The book is unique in documenting their therapeutic work using transcripts taken directly from their sessions together. This narrative approach invites the reader to consider different ways of engaging in therapy in order to challenge the dominant social discourses around masculinity and shame. Looking at shame from a position of value awareness rather than a deficit perspective, this book extends counselling to consider the individual experience as political and one that must be shared outside the one-to-one therapy environment. This will be an essential resource for beginning or established therapists and practitioners working with clients who have been victims of sexual violence.

Tammy Lofink, a wife and mother of two children, experienced a parent's worst nightmare. At the tender age of 18, her son, Robert Mason Lofink, died of a drug overdose. The grief, suffering and turmoil which followed were almost too much to bear. Tammy decided that she had to change the direction of her life after her son was gone. She co-founded Rising Above Addiction, which raises funds for urgently-needed treatment for addiction. Her son's legacy lives on through her vision to help other people, so that they never have to go through the pain she and her family have experienced and continue to endure.Reclaiming My Life is a poignant and triumphant journey through the loss of a child. It is also an introduction to the world of addiction through the eyes of people who have overcome the battle. The book is a testament to the ability to survive, cope and rise above even the most difficult circumstances in life.Tammy openly tells the story of her other life experiences, which shaped her along the way. Her wisdom, her courage and her bravery are sure to provide the hope which can help others who seek inner peace after a tragedy.Young people who are using drugs, adults whose pain medication has led to addiction, parents of youth who are worried, as well as family, friends and loved ones, will be riveted by Tammy's personal storytelling style. With each turn of the page, Tammy surprises, engages and comforts the reader through his or her journey.

It is estimated that at least one in four or five women and one out of ten men was sexually abused as a child by a family member. Most of those people continue to suffer in adulthood because of undeserved guilt, anxiety, and shame. Reclaiming Our Lives, written by a survivor of abuse and a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of adult survivors of abuse, uses interviews with survivors and a healing approach to track the adult problems and what to do about them. Issues of trust, power, control, sexuality, and intimacy are examined in detail. The book concludes with an alphabet of survival tactics and a fourteen-step guide for growth for the survivor.

While there are numerous memoirs available chronicling individual women's struggles with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders, this is the first book to bring together many people's stories to create a complete and candid picture of the recovery process.

Have you ever wondered where the abundant life Scripture promises is, and how you seem to have missed it? Do you ever catch yourself saying, “Those were the best years of my life?” A failed relationship, a health crisis, a job loss, the death of a loved one—all can cause us to hide out, go numb, give up. Before we even know it, we’re simply coping with life instead of living it to the fullest. It happens to most of us at one point or another. For author and Bible study teacher Denise Hildreth Jones, it happened in the wake of her devastating divorce. But she fought desperately to reclaim her God-designed heart, and now, in her transparent, authentic style, Denise challenges you to do the same. Sharing stories from her own journey and others she’s walked alongside, Denise will help you identify ways you’ve given your heart to “lesser gods” like performance, people-pleasing, and control, and how to find your way back to God’s design for your life—to laughing, loving, and living life to the fullest.

This book takes an innovative approach to using narrative therapy in counselling people who have been subject to childhood sexual abuse. Reclaiming Lives from Sexual Violence presents an illustrative case study of the authors, Tim the therapist in consultation with Dale the client, who was sexually abused as a child by a clergy member. The book is unique in documenting their therapeutic work using transcripts taken directly from their sessions together. This narrative approach invites the reader to consider different ways of engaging in therapy in order to challenge the dominant social discourses around masculinity and shame. Looking at shame from a position of value awareness rather than a deficit perspective, this book extends counselling to consider the individual experience as political and one that must be shared outside the one-to-one therapy environment. This will be an essential resource for beginning or established therapists and practitioners working with clients who have been victims of sexual violence.