Stolen Childhoods: Thriving After Abuse

Emphasizing that validation and connection are the foundations for healing childhood abuse, Shari Botwin has written an invaluable guide offering hope and a safe path forward for navigating the complexities of healing past trauma and its impact in adulthood. Written with great care, wisdom, and warmth, this book is a source of actionable steps and strategies for each step of the journey, making it a vital tool for survivors seeking to reclaim their lives.

--Bree Bonchay, MSW, LCSW, psychotherapist, and author of I Am Free: Healing Stories of Surviving Toxic Relationships with Narcissists & Sociopaths

Courageously sharing her own story as well as innumerable stories of her clients, survivors of childhood abuse, Shari Botwin spells out tools and pathways to healing and offers a toolbox for mental health professionals. A unique and valuable contribution to the recovery literature.

--Judith Ruskay Rabinor, PhD, psychologist, author of The Girl in the Red Boots: Making Peace With My Mother

Shari Botwin gets what it's like to be abused by someone you look up to and are dependent upon. If you ever wanted to feel understood & learn new tools for building resilience and strength, this book is for you.

--Jane Shure, PhD, LCSW, cofounder of The Resilience Group

As a survivor and co-survivor of child sexual abuse, I found this book very relatable, easy to follow, and helpful. I really appreciated the way Shari used her personal lived experiences, clinical knowledge, and client stories, combined with actionable steps for healing and moving forward. I will definitely recommend this book to the clients I support because it is comprehensive without being overwhelming.

--Christy Heiskala, credentialed advocate

Written in a clear, matter-of-fact style that is easy to digest, Shari Botwin's Stolen Childhoods: Thriving After Abuse is a step-by-step guide for survivors that dives into the difficult process of recovery after the tragic abuse experienced in childhood. From the types of therapeutic modalities that can help heal, to the symptoms one would experience in adulthood after the fact, the book is a map for those searching their way to a clearer understanding of themselves or people in their lives. She reaches out to the audience in a voice that feels very intimate, as she takes us on a journey that besides informing us, also slowly reveals her own experience with abuse in a frank and open-hearted manner that helps the reader trust her. As stories of abuse today continue to populate the collective psyche in the news and in the courts, Botwin is sure to be an enlightening part of the current conversation.

--Rennik Soholt, television producer and documentary filmmaker

We are learning more and more about the affects of childhood trauma on adults. In true Shari form, this book thoughtfully provides straightforward, compassionate and actionable advice that turns hope for healing into a tangible reality.

--Beth Ann Mayer, Freelance Writer

As an adult survivor of child abuse, I am always interested in reading the stories of other survivors, along with creative ways to work through and overcome adversity. Author Shari Botwin, really dug deep, and broke down many barriers in regards to abuse, therapy and the reality that far too many people continue to suffer in silence.

I highly recommend this book as an additional learning tool for not only survivors, but for the health care workers who assist in helping someone learn how to validate their own internal pains.

I have personally done the self-work to weed through my past abuse, and I have been on a tremendous healing journey. Even at my stage in the healing process, I found this book to be extremely helpful. I believe we all learn something new from each other's stories, perspectives and medical education.

Breaking the silence is the key to freedom. I consider myself a voice for the voiceless, and I respectfully walk with Shari Botwin as she continues to raise hers.

--Lisa Zarcone, author, child & mental health advocate, public speaker, blogger, social media influencer, and radio personality

As a therapist who has personally overcome the profound challenges of sexual abuse Shari Botwin brings professional expertise and firsthand understanding to guide others on their healing journey.

Standing as an expert witness, Shari affirms the path to recovery is not solitary; together, we navigate towards healing, resilience, and the reclamation of one's sense of sense.

--Reena Friedman Watts, host of the Better Call Daddy show

Shari Botwin has done it again! With disarming candor and the great heart of an altruist, she shines a bright light on childhood sexual abuse and its devastating aftereffects. She goes on to give us a map of hope for the journey of growth and healing - both for people living the experience and for clinicians working with them. Her personal experience blended with years of experience in the field breathes life and fire into this book.

--Elizabeth N. Kuh, child & adolescent psychiatrist, private practice