Resources for Therapists & Other Professionals

In this section we recommend books, training opportunities, and organizations.

These resources are for therapists and other professionals who work with men with histories of unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood – and for men looking for resources to suggest to therapists and other professionals who are helping them heal.

First of all, there are some essential books that specifically address the experiences and needs of men with childhood histories involving unwanted or abusive sexual experiences. Cick on a book's cover or title for its Amazon.com page.

	Victims No Longer: Men Recovering from Incest and Other Sexual Child Abuse by Mike Lew This is the 'classic' book on the topic, which has recently come out in a new edition, extensively revised and updated, including an expanded resources section.
	Betrayed as Boys: Psychodynamic Treatment of Sexually Abused Men by Richard Gartner The authoritative work on psychodynamic therapy for this population.
	Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse by Mic Hunter Another classic, rich with clinical examples and suggestions.

Second, we recommend other great books that many therapists have found very helpful for treating clients with histories of various kinds of interpersonal trauma. After all, most men who have had unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood have also experienced other traumas as children or adults.

Book titles with an * have training programs associated with them (see Training Opportunities).

	Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror by Judith Lewis Herman A classic still viewed by many therapists as the best book on psychological trauma and its treatment. Loaded with insights on 'Complex PTSD' and the stages of recovery.
	Treating Survivors of Childhood Abuse: Psychotherapy for the Interrupted Life by Marylene Cloitre, Lisa Cohen, & Karestan Koenen Presents an integrative psychotherapy approach grounded in extensive clinical experience and research, with session-by-session guidelines, and suggestions for tailoring interventions to individuals. Large-size format for easily copying handouts, worksheets, and other tools for managing symptoms, building emotion regulation and interpersonal skills, and processing traumatic memories and associated feelings.
	Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance Abuse* by Lisa Najavits A fantastic resource for clinicians working with men struggling from addiction and other posttraumatic symptoms related to unwanted or abusive childhood sexual experiences. As one of many rave reviewers puts it, this book gives therapists "the structure of a manual as well as the freedom to be a flexible, creative clinician."
	Internal Family Systems Therapy* by Richard Schwartz One of the most effective and influential recently developed therapies, not only for the treatment of trauma but a variety of problems experienced by individuals, couples, and families.
	Trauma and the Body: A Sensorimotor Approach to Psychotherapy* by Pat Ogden, Kekuni Minton, & Claire Pain A "body-oriented talking therapy" for the psychological and physiological symptoms of trauma. Has many effective methods that can be integrated with other approaches.

For more recommended books, see 'For Therapists & Other Professionals' in Recommended Books.

As all therapist know, reading books is not enough to achieve clinical competence and effectiveness. Fortunately, there are many excellent training opportunities available, both specific to treating the men served by 1in6 and more generally applicable to clients with histories of childhood trauma.

Of course, which workshops are a good match for a particular clinician depends on one's theoretical orientation(s), preferred approaches, and clinical style.

Here we recommend several trainings that we are confident will be helpful to many therapists working with the men we serve.

Workshops by Mike Lew and Thom Harrigan - For 20 years these pioneers have offered a variety of trainings for therapists and other professionals around the world.

Seeking Safety - Seeking Safety is a clinician-friendly and well researched present-focused therapy to help people attain safety from trauma/PTSD and substance abuse. Clinicians and clients both appreciate the non-confrontational approach and its respect for the client's complexity, dignity, and intelligence. The treatment is available as a book (see above) that provides guidance for clinicians and client handouts. Training can occur either via videotape, onsite training, attending an existing training, or telephone consultation. Three trainers recommended by Lisa Najavits, the developer of Seeking Safety, for their experience working with childhood sexual abuse and men, are Kevin Reeder, Ph.D. (based in Little Rock), Martha Schmitz, Ph.D. (in San Francisco), and Kay M. Johnson, Ph.D. (in New York).

Internal Family Systems Therapy - As noted above (book recommendations) IFS is a relatively new treatment model that has already greatly benefitted many therapists and their clients. Many IFS trainers, like the program's developer Richard Schwartz, are very experienced at working with men with histories of sexual and other childhood traumas. The training model involves six intensive three-day trainings and supervision over a year. For more info, visit the Center for Self Leadership.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy - As noted above (book recommendations) and described on the website of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, this is "a body-oriented talking therapy that integrates verbal techniques with body-centered interventions in the treatment of trauma, attachment, and developmental issues.... The courses taught by SPI are based on principles of mindfulness and mind/body/spirit holism and informed by contemporary research in neuroscience, attachment theory, trauma, and related fields."

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - A great deal of research has proven that EMDR is a powerful way to promote healing by transforming traumatic memories. Also, EMDR can be especially accessible and helpful to men with histories of unwanted or abusive sexual experiences, because unlike other 'memory processing' interventions, it does not require them to talk about the content of their memories, which can be a huge obstacle due to shame and guilt. For more information, see our EMDR page. Trainings are available from the EMDR Institute and the EMDR International Association.

Interventions for Dissociation - Dissociative symptoms and disorders are not uncommon among adults with histories of chronic childhood trauma, but many clinicians have not received adequate training to assess and treat them. Excellent training is available from two organizations listed below, Sidran Institute and International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD).

MaleSurvivor - An organization "commited to preventing, healing, and eliminating all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men through support, treatment, research, education, advocacy, and activism." The MaleSurvivor website has several resources for professionals, including online articles, a comprehensive bibliography, and a discussion board (where professionals can request information, feedback, etc. from men with histories of unwanted or abusive sexual experiences in childhood).

International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) - "The world's largest professional membership organization specializing in the field of traumatic stress. It is an international, multidisciplinary organization that promotes the advancement and exchange of knowledge about severe stress and trauma. ISTSS embraces and presents perspectives across races, ethnicities, and cultures." ISTSS member benefits include paper and electronic subscriptions to the Journal of Traumatic Stress, discounted rates for the ISTSS annual meeting, and free access to the Resources for Clinicians section of the ISTSS website, which includes adult and child assessment instruments, treatment manuals and other validated tools "to assist the busy clinician and researcher."

Sidran Institute - Sidran has a variety of great resources for therapists and other professionals, including customized trainings as well as books, DVDs and videos. They have particular expertise on dissociation and its treatment.

International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) - "An international, non-profit, professional association organized to develop and promote comprehensive, clinically effective and empirically based resources and responses to trauma and dissociation." ISSTD trainings are for clinicians working with clients (at least one while undergoing the training) who suffer from severe dissociative symptoms. Both in-person and distance learning trainings are available.

Trauma Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association - Established in 2006 by researchers, clinicians, educators, and public policy experts. From the website: "We provide a forum for scientific research, professional and public education, and the exchange of collegial support for professional activities related to traumatic stress. By doing so, we facilitate a state-of-the-art response by psychologists and move our understanding of trauma psychology forward. We offer a specifically psychological voice to the interdisciplinary discourse on trauma, blending science, practice, and a commitment to human welfare in our work."

As always, please feel free to give us feedback, especially by suggesting books or training opportunities for us to recommend.