Often excused by parents as `kids will be kids' behaviour, sibling abuse remains largely unrecognized. Symptoms of such abuse and its devastating effects on victims go undetected, victims do not receive appropriate therapeutic intervention, and transgressors do not come to the attention of the courts. The author of this book brings this neglected area `out of the shadows' with personal accounts of adult survivors, insights into why sibling abuse occurs, suggestions for prevention and implications for treatment.

Within every community in America, sibling sexual abuse can be found hiding in families who feel ashamed and lost about how to confront this problem. The cryptic nature of sibling sexual abuse preys about the vulnerable and its horrible effects feedback upon our tendency to ignore this problem. Sibling sexual abuse leaves no bruises. There are no broken bones. There are no holes in the walls. The bruises, brokenness, and holes are held tightly within the target of the abuse. Sibling Sexual Abuse walks the reader through the journey from the shocking disclosure of abuse occurring between sibling down a path of healing for families and communities. Sibling Sexual Abuse also addresses why this is important for every person in every community needs to get involved and participate in an open conversation about the dangers of sibling sexual abuse and what can be done to encourage hope and healing for these families. Sibling sexual abuse torments families of ever kind in America today. It does not care about a family's race, income level, religion, or political preference it is damaging families with a tsunami like force yet no one is talking about it. Sibling sexual abuse is America's silent epidemic because survivors and families are afraid of what would happen if they share their stories. So they are forced to suffer in silence as a result the devastating effects of sibling sexual abuse continue to mount, with a causality list that grows at a dizziness pace. This frank and thorough book written by a therapist who specializes in working with sibling sexual abuse in families describes what families need to do at each step in their journey.Sibling Sexual Abuse walks the reader through the journey from the shocking disclosure of sexual abuse within the family and describes what steps can be taken in order for families to heal. Sibling Sexual Abuse also addresses why it is important for communities to get involved and participate in a national discourse about the dangers of sibling sexual abuse and what can be done to support survivors and families and how they can heal from such a shattering and painful event.

Sibling Abuse Trauma will enhance your knowledge of assessment and clinical intervention strategies for treating intersibling abuse trauma in children, families, and adults. This informative book features: an overview of sibling relationship development, sibling physical assault, incest, and psychological maltreatment individual and systemic risk factors gender differences traumatic effects clinical case studies and interviews a sibling abuse assessment schedule specific sibling-oriented interventions Due to the lack of research specifically focused on sibling abuse issues, there is a gap in the training and education of abuse trauma professionals. Sibling Abuse Trauma is an innovative book that focuses not only on sibling incest, but also on sibling physical assault and psychological maltreatment from a survivor’s perspective. The authors utilize critical and empirical findings and rich case examples to illustrate how sibling abuse affects individual and family development, making further research and education in this area imperative. Whether you incorporate these findings into your clinical practice or become inspired to conduct your own research, Sibling Abuse Trauma will improve your understanding of how to treat and evaluate individuals and families with sibling abuse-related concerns.

When Nancy Kilgore was nine years old, her eleven-year-old sister Sherry led her into the scorching midday sun, tied her to a chair, and taped her eyelids to her eyebrows with electrical tape, leaving Nancy helpless for hours to stare into a blinding blue sky. For years, Sherry physically tortured her younger sister and threatened to kill her if the cruelty was revealed. Each time Nancy walked into her own bedroom she would have to repeat self-deprecating passwords: "I am ugly and stupid." "I am ugly, stupid, and no one loves me." "Please may I come in?" Girl in the Water details the most shuttering examples of sibling abuse, the untold secret in millions of homes. Each year, 19 million children are abused by their siblings and well over 80 million adults have suffered this type of abuse. With vivid imagery and heartbreaking accounts, Kilgore leads readers on a journey into the prison she was born into, where she is confronted with her childhood dreams, family bonds, coming of age in the shadow of terror, and the complex after-effects of bullying and sibling abuse that followed her into adulthood. Struggling to piece together her haunted past before it consumed her, Kilgore shares her inspiring metamorphosis and victorious battle from a fragile, shattered survivor to that of an eventual speaker and activist. Girl in the Water is the story of one woman, with a phoenix-like power, who came up against all odds and won. Her story will resonate with millions of adult sibling-abuse survivors who have never felt free to tell their stories . . . until now.

"[This] book elucidates the often-forgotten sibling subsystem and its importance for illuminating family dynamics; it is unique in its specific approach to violence and aggression."--PsycCRITIQUES Most people see aggression between siblings as an unavoidable, normal and ultimately harmless aspect of child development, yet it can often cause social adjustment and behavioral problems, some of which may be severe and even precursors to other forms of violence. This volume addresses a significant void in family studies and child development literature by providing an empirically based guide to the causes, assessment and treatment of sibling aggression. Caspi considers both extreme (severe physical and sexual abuse) and lesser (competition and antagonism) forms of aggression and provides a step-by-step treatment program for five family dynamics that commonly exacerbate sibling aggression. Treatment is based on task-centered and family systems models and bolstered by case studies. Key Features: Fills the void in the "emerging frontier" of sibling violence Addresses both severe and lesser forms of aggression Includes step-by-step assessment and treatment procedures Offers case studies Examines cross-cultural factors in sibling violence as well as abuse of disabled siblings

The traumatic affects of childhood sexual abuse can remain and recur throughout life for women who have not healed emotionally. This book by a family therapist shares stories from 18 women abused as children, explaining that healing can occur at any stage of life, and that healing, itself, occurs in stages. The author offers guidance to recognize the long-lingering potential affects of childhood sexual abuse including depression, anxiety, dissociation, and chronic shock, and she explains steps to take for recovery. Also presented are letters from women who have healed or are in recovery. Sexual abuse by men, juveniles, and female perpetrators is discussed, as is how children may act out the abusive behavior taught by perpetrators. The incidence of abuse by family members is also addressed. Duncan explains the dual dilemma—moral and legal—that women face in exposing a sexual perpetrator within the family when not protected by the legal system due to statutes of limitations. She also discusses controversial topics including false memory and disclosure of memory to the perpetrator.

Providing an arresting and readable overview of family violence, Understanding Family Violence presents a thorough exploration of the major types of family violence and details the range of abusive behaviors perpetrated within family systems. Author Vernon R. WieheÆs extensive study of family violence includes partner abuse in gay and lesbian relationships, battered husbands, sibling abuse, marital rape, response patterns of battered women, the cycle of violence, preconditions of child sexual abuse, emotional abuse, effects of abuse on victims, treatment of offenders, and much more. Case vignettes are used effectively throughout this text to describe violent events and to illustrate the victimsÆ experience and perception of the abuse. Focusing on prevention and intervention, chapters delineate reasons that various types of abuse continue, suggest how different types of violent behavior may be treated, and recommends prevention strategies. In addition, the author has created a comprehensive and cohesive volume by carefully defining terms at the beginning of each chapter and offering summarizing remarks, valuable references, and suggested readings at the conclusion of each chapter. Understanding Family Violence translates theory and research into a practical format, easily accessible to undergraduate and graduate students in areas including psychology, counseling, sociology, social work, nursing, family studies, and pastoral counseling. While the book is an overview and not intended as a "how-to" book, any practitioner engaged in an empirically based practice will find Vernon R. WieheÆs insight invaluable.