Books for Friends of Women Facing Abuse

You can be an invaluable help to your friend. Learn what works.

Author Susan Brewster has looked at abuse from several sides. As a licensed psychotherapist with a Master's degree in Social Work, she has counseled abused women, their abusive partners, and their children. She has been the clinical director of a program for battered women. She also has been involved in a relationship with a batterer.

According to Brewster, being a support for a woman suffering abuse is not easy. It is tempting to try to take control of her life, and force her to get out of the relationship. It is tempting to just give up on her.

Friends often hold erroneous beliefs about abuse that make it difficult to be an "anchor in the storm." This book challenges those beliefs, and gives valuable tools for evaluating your friend's abusive relationship, along with tools for changing your own reactions so your friend can meet her self-esteem and stability needs with your help.

Understanding what an abuse victim feels and thinks will help you develop strategies to be a better support person.

If you have chosen to stand beside a victim of abuse, it is not going to be easy. But it will be very fulfilling for you, and inestimably valuable to her.