Stolen Childhoods: Thriving After Abuse

Demonstrates that reclaiming life in adulthood is possible for survivors of childhood abuse.

Stolen Childhoods: Thriving After Abuse focuses on how survivors of childhood abuse can finally break their silence and begin the process of recovery by understanding the impact their abuse history has on their adulthood. Filled with real life client conversations, along with her own experiences as a patient, this work helps readers stop reliving past abuse and thrive in their recovery. It demonstrates the tremendous hope that can come from having a witness, and feeling heard and believed.

Throughout the book, the reader witnesses how adult survivors of childhood abuse can use relationships with therapists, partners, or supportive family members to combat their feelings of shame and guilt. Botwin walks readers through ways survivors can develop trust with others and move through emotions of fear and grief. She offers examples of learning how to manage traumatic responses in situations that trigger flashbacks, feelings of unsafety, or fears of being unprotected. Offering actionable steps to healing throughout, Botwin helps readers on their journeys to reclaiming their right to live safe, happy, full lives.

Shari Botwin, LCSW, has been counseling survivors in recovery from all types of traumas in her Cherry Hill, New Jersey private practice for over twenty-five years. Her second book, Thriving After Trauma: Stories of Living and Healing (Rowman & Littlefield) was published in 2019. Botwin has served as an expert witness in high profile cases related to abuse and sexual assault. In July 2022, Botwin presented a webinar for The Trauma and Recovery Institute in China on the role of an eating disorder in staying stuck in childhood abuse. Botwin has conducted Keynote presentations for CE credits for Advanced Recovery Systems, Stockton Institute, and Rutgers University. Botwin has given expert commentary on breaking stories related to trauma on a variety of international outlets, including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Parents, Sports Illustrated, and others. Botwin lives outside of Philadelphia with her twelve-year-old son and two cats.