Trust and Betrayal in the Treatment of Child Abuse

Therapists working with child abuse in public agencies walk a particularly fine line. Positioned between the family and the larger welfare system, as well as between parent and child, therapists must maintain the trust of conflicting parties while dealing with the myriad frustrations this situation entails. This insightful volume examines the paradoxes of child-at-risk work and illuminates the social context in which it is set. Amply illustrated with case examples and interviews with parents, the book reveals the ways that families perceive therapists and the reasons behind what is often described as "resistance" to intervention. Therapists gain an understanding of the layers of trust and betrayal that pervade the experience of abusive families in the welfare setting, and learn how to acknowledge this experience and apply it toward positive change.