Book review: Working with the Trauma of Rape and Sexual Violence: A Guide for Professionals
| Author | Tinneke Van Camp |
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758017718301 |
| Date | 01 September 2017 |
| Published date | 01 September 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Book reviews |
Sue J Daniels
Foreword by Ivan Tyrrell
Working with the Trauma of Rape and Sexual Violence: A Guide for Professionals.
London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016; 229p.; ISBN 978-1-78592-111-7 (paperback)
Reviewed by: Tinneke Van Camp, California State University, Fresno, USA
DOI: 10.1177/0269758017718301
Sue Daniels is a therapeutic counsellor who specializes in trauma and rape-related post-traumatic
stress disorder (RR-PTSD). Her book on working with the trauma of rape and sexual violence is a
resource guide for professionals like herself. The author reveals that ‘I can only write what I hear
and encounter on a regular basis and from the experiences that have been shared with me over the
years. [ ...] It is my ultimate hope that this publication may convey perhaps a new understanding,
opening up new possibilities of working with those who have had to endure the aftermath of the
vile and twisted behaviours perpetrated upon them’ (p. 18).
The book begins with a rather unusual and unsettling prologue – we witness the rape of a young
woman. If the goal was to grab the reader’s attention, that mission was most certainly accom-
plished. Chapter 1 then offers a convenient summary of the traumatic effects of rape and sexual
violence. This includes a lucid explanation of the immediate fight, flight or freeze response, a clear
and expertly illustrated account of what PTSD is, and an insightful description of how the emo-
tional reactions during a rape or sexual assault remain imprinted on the brain, resulting in emo-
tional responses to various cues that may trigger traumatic memories. Daniels also emphasizes the
importance of the quality of inte raction with law enforcement o fficers and its impact on the
victim’s ability to recover and engage in the criminal justice proceedings.
Chapters 2 to 6 offer succinct descriptions, definitions and legislative developments with
regards to various forms of sexual violence, more particularly male rape (including prison rape
and anti-gay sexual violence), drug-facilitated sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse (including
satanic and ritual abuse), sibling sexually abusive behaviours, grooming and conditioning beha-
viours, internet child pornography, pseudo-paedophilia, and child sex trafficking. There is surpris-
ingly little on acquaintance, date or marital rape. That is somewhat restricted, but Daniels never
claims to draw from a representative sample of cases and explains that she relies on what she
encounters in her practice, which might mainly include the particular forms of sexual assault in the
book.
In the following chapters, the book moves on to discuss particular medical and legal issues.
Chapter 7 draws the professional’s attention to the impact of sexually transmitted diseases and
Chapter 8 addresses forensic medical examination (which can be rather invasive and, therefore,
exacerbate trauma). Chapter 9 concerns relevant policy-related developments in the UK, such as
the cherished shift in legislation and policies regarding the significance of consent from ‘no means
no’ to ‘yes means yes’. In Chapter 10 the sex offender registry is explained. Daniels also zooms in
on paedophile vigilante groups, online groups that pose as children or teenagers to expose online
grooming of minors for sexual abuse. She acknowledges that such initiatives are not unequivocally
appreciated, but in her view ‘anything that prevents child abuse and adults preying on children can
only be regarded as progress’ (p. 119; emphasis added). More nuance would have been opportune.
Should such kinds of investigations not be controlled by (undercover) police rather than untrained
citizens? The latter might act out of the most noble intentions, but they do, for instance, not abide
by the same deontological standards as law enforcement, which is problematic.
Book reviews 343
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