ABSTRACT
Child maltreatment is an extremely complex and challenging issue for therapists to address, whether they are treating child victims, perpetrators, non-offending parents, or adult survivors. Competent clinical practice begins with an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of child maltreatment, including its various forms, prevalence rates, common risk factors and consequences, and the response systems in place to address it. This chapter addresses these issues and lays the groundwork for the information about assessment, therapy, and clinical work with adult survivors found in subsequent chapters. Although our focus is on abuse perpetrated by family members, children also may be maltreated by perpetrators outside of their families. Thus, clients in counseling also may be impacted by abuse perpetrated by others, such as clergy, teachers, coaches, and others in their lives (Farrell & Taylor, 2000).
