Protecting Your Children from Sexual Predators » (FIRST ED)

Dr. Leigh Baker is a nationally recognized expert on child abuse. She holds a doctoral degree in psychology, specializing in early childhood development, from the University of Denver. Dr. Baker has treated abused children and their families for over fifteen years. In 1990 she founded the Trauma Treatment Center of Colorado, where she currently supervises the outpatient clinic and is in charge of the center's research, education, treatment, and outreach programs.

Predators are everywhere and they can strike at any time— and they come in all shapes and sizes. More than 1.2 million families will report child sexual abuse by the end of this year. Research suggests that many hundreds of thousands more boys and girls from all backgrounds and of all ages may experience abuse that is not reported. To keep your family from becoming part of these frightening statistics, you must read this invaluable book.

Protecting Your Children from Sexual Predators details everything you need to know and everything you need to do to keep your child safe. You will learn how to identify potential sexual predators, how to recognize the signs of the grooming behaviors that come before the actual act of sexual abuse, and how to arm your children with the necessary skills to prevent abuse.

Sexual predators commit the most heinous acts against the more defenseless members of our society. They often are disguised as harmless and caring people; they may interact with your children as their baby-sitters, youth group leaders, clergy, teachers, coaches, neighbors, medical professionals, and family members. What these predators hold in common is their ability to earn the trust of both the children they attack and their parents. In Protecting Your Children from Sexual Predators, Dr. Leigh Baker gives you the unique opportunity to meet these predators up close and to examine:

* The ten most common characteristics they display, such as refusal to take responsibility for their actions, sense of entitlement, and the need for power and control.

* How they lead their victims through the five stages of sexual abuse.

* The four types of personalities they commonly exhibit.

* How female sexual predators can gain access to your child.

* The ways that juveniles offend against other children.

* How sexual predators travel the Internet and the many ways that they can harm your child through cyberspace.

* How baby-sitting can pose a danger to your child if you don't take the necessary steps to ensure safety.

* How to use the sex offender registry to prevent known predators from gaining access to your child.

By allowing parents to identify sexual predators before their children are harmed, Dr. Baker takes the battle to end sexual abuse to the only front where it can ever truly be won: the home front.

Steven W. Litt

This...informative new book offers a thorough and compelling resource for families and those who work with them.