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Tough Topics

This guide offers local services and resources covering a variety of community needs, including suicide, substance abuse, sexual assault, gender identity, as well as many others.

From the PPLD Collection

We Believe You

ore than one in five women and 5 percent of men are sexually assaulted while at college. Some survivors are coming forward; others are not. In We Believe You , students from every kind of college and university--large and small, public and private, highly selective and less so--share experiences of trauma, healing, and everyday activism, representing a diversity of races, economic and family backgrounds, gender identities, immigration statuses, interests, capacities, and loves. Theirs is a bold, irrefutable sampling of voices and stories that should speak to all.

Sexual Assault and Abuse

Since young women today receive conflicting and confusing messages about dating, sexuality, and image, it is not surprising they can find themselves wondering if they've been sexually abused. It is estimated that a sexual assault occurs once every two minutes. That means that teens need to be aware of the many forms sexual abuse can take and the best practices for trying to prevent it. This guide will help them make sense of the issue, emphasizing that the victim is never to blame. Readers will be armed with crucial information that will help them know what to do if it happens to them or their friends or loved ones.

Sexual Assault in the Military

Sexual assault and harassment in the military have been a critical subject for years. Many victims may be reluctant to press charges because of fear of retaliation, damage to their careers, and widespread uncertainty regarding the military justice system. However, when circumstances arise, there are resources available to assist victims and families in their efforts to report, seek help, and recover from the effects of sexual assault. Yet, finding those resources can be challenging, especially in a time of crisis. Sexual Assault in the Military serves as an easy-to-use, comprehensive reference guide for military members and their families about sexual assault and harassment.

Date Rape

The statistics tell a horrific story: one in six women and one in 33 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Over 93 percent of juvenile sexual assault and rape victims know their assaulters. Written by a therapist, Date Rape helps readers understand this sensitive issue and gives those who have experienced it advice and coping strategies. Topics include the effects of rape, from depression to post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide, as well as the benefits of disclosure and trust.

Recovering from Rape

Practical advice on overcoming the trauma and coping with police, hospitals, and the courts - for the survivors of sexual assault and their families, lovers, and friends.

Asking for It

Every seven minutes, someone in America commits a rape. And whether that's a football star, beloved celebrity, elected official, member of the clergy, or just an average Joe (or Joanna), there's probably a community eager to make excuses for that person.In Asking for It , Kate Harding combines in-depth research with an in-your-face voice to make the case that twenty-first-century America supports rapists more effectively than it supports victims.

Domestic Violence

This thoroughly revised second edition is an examination of domestic violence from social, legal, and historical perspectives.

Domestic Violence

Each title in the highly acclaimed Opposing Viewpoints series explores a specific issue by placing expert opinions in a unique pro/con format; the viewpoints are selected from a wide range of highly respected and often hard-to-find publications.

My Partner, My Enemy

While domestic violence has greater social and legal visibility today then it did in the past, the problem still remains a massive and ongoing crisis. My Partner, My Enemy brings truth and reality to a matter that desperately needs to be addressed. So how do we help reduce and eliminate intimate partner abuse, especially when the public knows so little and much goes unreported? By exploring the severity of the problem through true case studies of violent and abusive men, and their motivations, Leventhal successfully brings to light the problem and ways to help.

Family Violence

Family Violence discusses family violence as a worldwide phenomenon, as well as, the signs and symptoms of domestic violence prevalent in different cultures.

The Courage to Heal

The Courage to Heal is an inspiring, comprehensive guide that offers hope and a map of the healing journey to every woman who was sexually abused as a child--and to those who care about her. Although the effects of child sexual abuse are long-term and severe, healing is possible.

Baffled by Love

For three decades, Laurie Kahn has treated clients who were abused as children--people who were injured by someone whom they believed to be trustworthy, someone who professed to love them. Their abusers--a father, stepfather, priest, coach, babysitter, aunt, neighbor--often were people who inhabited their daily lives.Love is why they come to therapy. Love is what they want, and love is what they say is not going well for them.
Kahn, too, had to learn to navigate a wilderness in order to find the "good" kind of love after a rocky childhood. In Baffled by Love, she includes strands from her own story, along with those of her clients, creating a narrative full of resonance, meaning, and shared humanity.

How to Talk About Assault

Source: Uplift

Local Resources

Below the Surface

Below the surface is a crisis text line for teens that recognizes the fine line between feeling OK and not OK. It's free, confidential, and, since every struggle is different, personal. All counselors are trained to help texters deals with their unique situation.

Click Here for more information on the program and FAQs.

Just text TALK to 38255 or call 1-844-493-8255 if you are unable to text to connect with a counselor.

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