When Dad Hurts Mom : Helping Your Children Heal the Wounds of Witnessing Abuse

Can my partner abuse me and still be a good parent? Should I stay with my partner for my children's sake? How should I talk to my children about the abuse and help them heal? Am I a bad mother? Mothers in physically or emotionally abusive relationships ask themselves these questions every day. Here, a counselor reveals how abusers interact with and manipulate children-and how mothers can help their children recover from the trauma of witnessing abuse. This book, the first ever of its kind, shows mothers how to: - Protect children and help them heal emotionally - Provide love, support, and positive role models, even in the midst of abuse - Increase their chances of winning custody - Help their kids feel good about themselves

Lundy Bancroft has spent over 17 years specializing in abusive men and also acts as a custody advisor. He is the author of Why Does He Do That? and The Batterer as Parent, as well as articles in medical journals and professional books. The former co-director of Emerge, the nation's first counseling program for abusive men, he now practices in Massachuesetts while training various state and judicial agencies in working with domestic abuse.