US Survivor Moms’ Companion For Pregnancy Workbook – PAPERBACK

Description

Survivor Moms’ Companion — Help for New Moms Coping with Trauma – For Pregnancy (US Version) PAPERBACK EDITION
by Julia Seng and Mickey Sperlich
with Sara Dunbar, Clare Law and Emma Lowrie

Excerpt from Foreword by Esther Giller, former President, Sidran Traumatic Stress Institute
According to the National Center for PTSD (https://www.ptsd.va.gov), “A little more than half of all women will experience at least one traumatic event in their life. The most common trauma for women is sexual assault or child sexual abuse. About one in three women will experience a sexual assault. Women are also more likely to be neglected or abused in childhood, to experience domestic violence, or to have a loved one suddenly die.”

Over the years, Sidran Traumatic Stress Institute has worked with female survivors who have made (or been forced into) less than ideal choices regarding parenthood. Many opted out completely, fearing they could never be “good enough” moms. Others gave birth and struggled daily through the experience. These women received little or no guidance specific to their trauma histories. Still others gave their babies up for adoption, hoping adoptive parents could give them a better, more stable life. Most tragically, many tried but were unable to keep their children safe, and lost them to child welfare services systems instead.

With the high rate of posttraumatic stress—often unrecognized among women of childbearing age, I was very interested in Seng and Sperlich’s groundbreaking research and their subsequent book, Survivor Moms (Motherbaby Press, 2008). I asked them to contact me if they ever decided to use that scholarly material to address the practical needs of pregnant women with trauma histories.

They did. And with that, Survivor Moms’ Companion (SMC) was born.

SMC is an inherently relational program. That’s because trauma perpetrated in a relationship is best healed in a relationship. The program is modeled on the relationship between a tutor and student. This approach softens the power dynamics typical of medical care. It also helps participants practice and strengthen connections with responsive and supportive peers.

We are very excited that the SMC is now a reality. We hope that this evidence-based intervention—the only intervention specifically developed for use during the perinatal year—empowers the long-neglected population of survivor moms. We also hope that it will help them make better choices, strengthen their connections with others, embark on a lifetime of satisfying motherhood and nurture a generation of safe and happy children.

This workbook is intended to provide information that will make it easier to seek out the treatment survivor moms may need. It is not a substitute for consulting qualified maternity and early parenting care, as well as and mental health professionals, for recommendations specific to any particular situation.