How to Interview Sexual Abuse Victims : Including the Use of Anatomical Dolls

The appropriate and sensitive use of anatomical dolls is one of the topics explored in this comprehensive introduction to the process of interviewing child sexual abuse victims.

Co-creator of the dolls, Marcia Morgan, takes readers through an interview from beginning to end. She provides guidelines on how to create an environment intended both to minimize a child′s trauma and to enhance the amount, quality and validity of information obtained. She examines problems practitioners might encounter with young children and provides material on pre-interview preparation, training exercises and a listing of audio-visual resources.

For the beginning case worker or those who wish to know about the relevant issues without necessarily becoming directly involved, this little book provides a useful introduction. --Child & Family Behavior Therapy "The language is conversational, the style directive, addressing the reader personally and the instructions are explicit and stepwise. Following detailed preparation for the interview, there are good suggestions on how to help the child begin talking about any sexual abuse which she might have experienced. Avoidance of leading questions, with examples, is repeatedly advocated." --Danya Glaser in ACPP Review & Newsletter Taking a comprehensive look at a complex task, How to Interview Sexual Abuse Victims is an excellent introduction to the process of interviewing children and includes a special segment on the appropriate use of anatomical dolls. Marcia Morgan, cocreator of the dolls, walks the reader through an interview from beginning to end and provides information on how to create an environment intended to minimize the child′s trauma as well as enhance the amount, quality, and validity of information obtained. The book examines problems professionals might encounter with young children and material on preinterview preparation. In addition, there are sections included that provide training exercises, a glossary, an annotated bibliography, and a listing of audiovisual resources. Based on the author′s many years of experience, as well as case law, How to Interview Sexual Abuse Victims is ideally designed for use by professionals including police, social service workers, and prosecutors. "Overall, this brief book is a worthwhile contribution to the literature on the interviewing of child witnesses. . . . Those who use, or who are considering using, dolls should ensure that they are familiar with this book′s contents." --Ray Bull, review in Expert Evidence: The International Digest of Human Behaviour Science and Law "Highly recommended." --Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin Book Club