Resources

Recommended Resources

  • Teen Challenge provides a broad scope of help and information in every area of drug and alcohol abuse. 3728 W. Chestnut Expwy. Springfield, MO 65802, (417) 862-6969, www.teenchallenge.com
  • Adult and Teen Challenge USA: David Wilkerson founded this faith-based recovery program in the 1960s.
  • American Addiction Centers: This group offers specialized help for first responders battling substance abuse.
  • Assessing and Addressing Opioid Use Disorder (OUD): This free interactive training module for health care providers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention includes credit for Continuing Medical Education.
  • Celebrate Recovery: A Christian 12-step program for people struggling with addictions. Pioneered at Southern California’s Saddleback Church in 1991, more than 35,000 churches worldwide now have groups using the program.
  • Crisisnextdoor.gov: A Web site the White House has created for individuals and families to share their stories.
  • Lighthouse Network: A free national hotline you can call to discuss your own or a loved one’s struggle with substance abuse or other mental health issues. A dedicated specialist then works with you to find the best faith-based treatment options for your needs, your insurance and your location. (844) 543-3242
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse: This agency has a wealth of information and other resources  for perusal.
  • Prescribed to Death: A three-minute film produced by the National Safety Council, talking to opioid users and those who’ve lost people to it.
 
 
 
Previous relevant podcasts: 
 

Care to Change’s director, April Bordeau, and therapist Jean Crane, talk with Josh Hershberger with the Indiana Family Institute, on how to impact the mental health crisis.  You can also find it on YouTube. 


Resources: 

Podcasts: 

 

9 Ways to Protect your kids from sexual abuse

God Made All of Me Children’s book God Made All of Me by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb is an invaluable resource and beautifully illustrated story to help families talk about sensitive issues with two- to eight-year-old children. Because the private parts of our bodies are private, home is the ideal environment for a child to learn

Every Day Actions to Keep Kids safe

Caring for Sexually Abused Children: A Handbook for Churches and Families (book) Dealing with the sexual abuse of a child is painful and difficult. When it happens to children within our church families, we all are affected and wonder how to respond.

  • What help should we seek?
  • What support can we offer?
  • What healing is possible?
  • What can we do to prevent abuse in the future?

In this warm and hopeful book, R. Timothy Kearney shows how healing, justice, forgiveness, restoration and protection can come through God’s people in the Christian community.

My Friend Is Struggling With Past Sexual Abuse (book) Through the aid of a heart breaking true-to-life story, Josh and Ed, offer biblical insights and practical instruction on what your friends can do to resolve past sexual abuse in their lives.

When a Man You Love Was Abused (book) The numbers of males abused in childhood are sometimes listed as low as 5 percent or as high as 33 percent. Though statistics are controversial, no one disputes the fact that childhood abuse is a continuing problem–or that such abuse can have devastating effects on future relationships. For all women who know and love a survivor of sexual assault, best-selling author Cecil Murphey has penned an honest and forthright book about surviving–and thriving–despite past abuses.

Not Quite Healed by Cecil Murphey and Gary Roe
“40 Truths for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse”

When a Woman You Loved Was Abused (book) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 80 percent of childhood abuse victims later suffer from at least one abuse-induced psychological disorder. It’s proven that the effects of childhood abuse follow women into adulthood. Yet few men are prepared to deal with those effects, even when their own wife is the one who is suffering. Offering hope for a healthy marriage relationship, When a Woman You Love Was Abused answers the questions men have and offers the advice they need to help their wives finally find peace.

Beyond Our Control by Leila Rae Sommerfield
“Reconstructing Your Life After Sexual Assault”

Breathe by Nicole Braddock Bromley 
“Finding Freedom to Thrive in Relationships After Childhood Sexual Abuse”

Caring for Sexually Abused Children: A Handbook for Families & Churches by R. Timothy Kearney 
Parental support is a crucial factor in a child’s successful recovery following sexual abuse. But supportive adults in the Church also play an important role. Learn a practical, proactive approach to recognizing and responding to this heartrending hurt.

Changes That Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud 
Discover four important steps to break free from a difficult past, learn to experience true healing, and find renewed strength to move forward in life.

Complete Guide to Baby & Child Care: From Pre-Birth Through the Teen Years 
Learn to meet children’s specific needs and create an environment where they can thrive. In addition to basic information on child-rearing, chapters also address physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.

Door of Hope: Recognizing & Resolving the Pains of Your Past by Jan Frank
As a victim of incest, Frank understands the emotions with which abuse victims struggle. Learn the symptoms and negative traits of abuse, and how to establish a healthy self-image and a right relationship with God and others.

Hush by Nicole Braddock Bromley 
“Moving From Silence to Healing After Childhood Sexual Abuse”

Mending the Soul: Understanding & Healing Abuse by Steven R. Tracy 
Tracy discusses the effects of physical, verbal, sexual, and spiritual abuse—as well as strategies for prevention and recovery.

My Friend Is Struggling With Past Sexual Abuse by Josh McDowell and Ed Stewart
Directed to teens, this resource provides biblical wisdom and practical advice about finding help and working toward healing—whether they have suffered sexual abuse directly or are friends with someone who has.

On the Threshold of Hope by Diane Mandt Langberg, Ph.D. 
“Opening the Door to Healing for Survivors of Sexual Abuse”

The Wounded Heart by Dan Allender, Ph.D.
“Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse”

God’s Hope for Wounded Hearts (Dan Allender, Ph.D.) 
Even in the Christian community, we often avoid discussing topics that cast doubt on God’s faithfulness and care—but doing so can make sexual abuse difficult to acknowledge. Allender shares from his own past to encourage others to bring their wounded souls to the Lord for healing, and to learn how to share their hearts with others.

Healing the Wounds of Childhood Sexual Abuse (Lisa Harper) 
Harper was abused as a young child. Despite having a successful ministry when she reached adulthood, she unconsciously continued to live with the shame of her history. But through Christian counseling, a deep trust in the Lord, and forgiving those who harmed her, she experienced true healing.

Mending the Soul by Steven Tracy
This book provides a well-researched biblical and scientific overview of abuse. A broad overview, it deals with the various types of abuse, the various effects of abuse, and the means of healing. Abuse can be sexual, physical, neglect, spiritual, and verbal.
 
 
The Sexual Healing Journey by Wendy Maltz 
Compassionate and enduring, renowned author, psychotherapist, and certified sex therapist Wendy Maltz presents a comprehensive program for healing that sensitively takes readers step-by-step through the recovery process, integrating expert advice with groundbreaking exercises, proven techniques, and first-person accounts of women and men at every stage of sexual healing. This compassionate resource can help you to:
  • Identify the sexual effects of sexual abuse
  • Eliminate negative sexual behavior and resolve specific problems
  • Gain control over upsetting automatic reactions to touch and sex
  • Develop a healthy sexual self-concept
The Wounded Heart: Hope for Adult Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse by Dan Allender Thirty years ago, with great courage and vision, Dan Allender brought Christians to the table to acknowledge, understand, and help victims heal from their experience of the evil of sexual abuse. His work continues to help victims and those who love them to honestly acknowledge their abuse, understand the unique challenge of repentance for victims of abuse, and learn to love boldly in defiance of their trauma. Ultimately Dan offers the bold assurance to sexual abuse victims that even they can find their way to joy and hope in the comforting embrace of a good God.

Books

Helpful videos

Articles

Activities: 

  • The Body Keeps the Score This book by Dr. VanDer Kolk . . . has written a fascinating and empowering book about trauma and its effects. He uses modern neuroscience to demonstrate that trauma physically affects the brain and the body, causing anxiety, rage, and the inability to concentrate. Victims have problems remembering, trusting, and forming relationships. They have lost control. Although news reports and discussions tend to focus on war veterans, abused children, domestic violence victims, and victims of violent crime suffer as well. Using a combination of traditional therapy techniques and alternative treatments such as EMDR, yoga, neurofeedback, and theater, patients can regain control of their bodies and rewire their brains so that they can rebuild their lives. The author uses case histories to demonstrate the process. He includes a resource list, bibliography, and extensive notes. This accessible book offers hope and inspiration to those who suffer from trauma and those who care for them. It is an outstanding addition to all library collections.
  • The Deepest Well This powerful work book brilliantly exposes and explores one of the most critical health issues we face today.  Dr. Burke-Harris combines a scientist’s rigor with a compassionate doctor’s heart to paint an unforgettable picture of what is at the center of what ails so many of our communities.  Anyone who cares about people who sometimes struggle should read this book.
  • The Anatomy of the Soul Do you want to improve your relationships and experience lasting personal change? Join Curt Thompson, M.D., on an amazing journey to discover the surprising pathways for transformation hidden inside your own mind. Integrating new findings in neuroscience and attachment with Christian spirituality, Dr. Thompson reveals how it is possible to rewire your mind, altering your brain patterns and literally making you more like the person God intended you to be. Explaining discoveries about the brain in layman’s terms, he shows how you can be mentally transformed through spiritual practices, interaction with Scripture, and connections with other people. He also provides practical exercises to help you experience healing in areas where you’ve been struggling. Insightful and challenging, Anatomy of the Soul illustrates how learning about one of God’s most miraculous creations―your brain―can enrich your life, your relationships, and your impact on the world around you.
  • The Soul of Shame Whether we realize it or not, shame affects every aspect of our personal lives and vocational endeavors. It seeks to destroy our identity in Christ, replacing it with a damaged version of ourselves that results in unhealed pain and brokenness. But God is telling a different story for your life.

    Psychiatrist Curt Thompson unpacks the soul of shame, revealing its ubiquitous nature and neurobiological roots. He also provides the theological and practical tools necessary to dismantle shame, based on years of researching its damaging effects and counseling people to overcome those wounds.

    Thompson’s expertise and compassion will help you identify your own pains and struggles and find freedom from the lifelong negative messages that bind you. Rewrite the story of your life and embrace healing and wholeness as you discover and defeat shame’s insidious agenda.

  • Try Softer In a world that preaches a “try harder” gospel―just keep going, keep hustling, keep pretending we’re all fine―we’re left exhausted, overwhelmed, and so numb to our lives. If we’re honest, we’ve been overfunctioning for so long, we can’t even imagine another way. How else will things get done? How else will we survive?

    It doesn’t have to be this way.

    Aundi Kolber believes that we don’t have to white-knuckle our way through life. In her debut book,     Try Softer, she’ll show us how God specifically designed our bodies and minds to work together to process our stories and work through obstacles. Through the latest psychology, practical clinical exercises, and her own personal story, Aundi equips and empowers us to connect us to our truest self and truly live. This is the “try softer” life.

    In     Try Softer, you’ll learn how to:
    • Know and set emotional and relational boundaries
    • Make sense of the difficult experiences you’ve had
    • Identify your attachment style―and how that affects your relationships today
    • Move through emotions rather than get stuck by them
    • Grow in self-compassion and talk back to your inner critic
    Trying softer is sacred work. And while it won’t be perfect or easy, it will be worth it. Because this is what we were made for: a living, breathing, moving, feeling, connected, beautifully incarnational life.
  • The Connected Child, by Dr. Karyn Purvis The Connected Child is the literary equivalent of an airline oxygen mask and instructions:  place the mask over your own face first, then over the nose of your child. This book first assists the parent, saying, in effect,  ‘Calm down, you’re not the first mom or dad in the world to face this hurdle, breathe deeply, then follow these simple steps.’  The sense of not facing these issues alone–the relief that your child’s behavior is not off the charts–is hugely comforting. 
  • The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel Siegel n this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids throw tantrums, fight, or sulk in silence. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth.

    Complete with age-appropriate strategies for dealing with day-to-day struggles and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child,     The Whole-Brain Child shows you how to cultivate healthy emotional and intellectual development so that your children can lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives.
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