"The Link Between Childhood Trauma and Mental Illness gives mental health professionals who are not child abuse specialists knowledge and skills that are especially relevant to their direct service role and practice context.

It introduces to these practitioners a conceptual bridge between biomedical and psychosocial understandings of mental disorder, providing a multidimensional approach that allows professionals to think holistically and connect clients' abusive pasts with their present-day symptoms and behaviors. Building upon this conceptual foundation, which includes a review of the most up-to-date research findings, the book then focuses on direct practice issues, including how to ask clients about child abuse, the nature of power in the helping relationship, the full recovery process, effective treatment models, client safety issues, and ways to listen to clients' stories.

Also included are valuable insights into helping clients who are in a crisis situation, the particular needs of male victims of child abuse, racial and cultural considerations, and the professional's self-care."--BOOK JACKET.