Abstract

Placing the experiences of men at the heart of this book, Sarah Van Gogh outlines an integrative approach to effective therapeutic treatment of male sexual abuse.

In a culture where to be male is often to be expected to embody strength, power and being in control, male victims of sexual abuse can be particularly challenging to help. This book outlines seven composite detailed case studies representing men from a wide range of backgrounds and demographics. It lays out how the author's pioneering model of an integrative approach which includes psychodynamic, humanistic, relational, cognitive/behavioural, body-based and arts-based approaches can offer an effective model for working with this client group.

This key text provides a valuable resource for all those working with male survivors of sexual abuse.

Sarah Van Gogh has written this text with great intelligence, with tremendous sensitivity, and with distinct literary flair. Readers will be extremely moved by her unique compassion for male survivors of abuse and trauma, and clinical practitioners will learn a great deal from her many years of experience. In view of the high rate of suicide among those who have suffered early abuse, this book has the potential to save lives.
Professor Brett Kahr, Senior Fellow, Tavistock Institute of Medical Psychology, London, and Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health, Centre for Child Mental Health, London
This powerful book addresses a taboo and shame filled topic. Using a delicate sensibility but not shirking harsh realities, Sarah Van Gogh opens our eyes to the complexities of such work. She skilfully navigates neurobiology, trauma and dissociation alongside both classic and innovative therapeutic approaches. We are invited into the private confines of the consulting room where we meet and witness vulnerable victims, and are taken to the heart of their struggles, always respectfully, never voyeuristically, in work that gives hope for the curative power of intimate safe therapeutic relationships after profound trauma.
Graham Music, PhD, Consultant Psychotherapist, Tavistock Centre london
Sarah Van Gogh has worked extensively with male survivors, both in private practice and as a counsellor for the London-based charity Survivors UK. She lives in London.
Sarah Van Gogh has written a powerful and engaging book, driven by case vignettes from her private, individual clinical work, with which she has interwoven the theory of others and elaborated - through visual diagrams - her own understanding of the dynamics at play. This work is especially gripping in light of the men with whom she has worked closely who are typically ashamed of sharing such detail about themselves. Sarah shares the minutiae of the work so that we can truly get under their skin and understand their experiences with compassion and clarity.
Dr Estela Welldon, author of Mother Madonna Whore, and Playing with Dynamite. Founder & Honorary Life President International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy, and Visiting International Professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú