the resource project
Recommended Books
Recommendations Following a Child's Disclosure of CSA
When Your Child Has Been Molested: A Parent's Guide to Healing and Recovery
Authors: Kathryn Brohl Hagans & Joyce Case Potter
Written specifically for parents following a child's disclosure, this compassionate guide explains how to respond, support your child through investigations, and promote long-term healing.
Helping Your Child Recover from Sexual Abuse
Authors: Caren Adams & Jennifer Fay
A practical resource that helps parents understand trauma, support recovery, answer difficult questions, and rebuild their child's sense of safety.
The BRAVE Model
Author: Farrah Khan
A simple survivor-centred framework for responding when someone discloses sexual or gender-based violence. Khan created the model as a survivor, educator and advocate; it is grounded in survivor expertise, community knowledge and research.
The BRAVE Model — Farrah Khan
Know My Name
Author: Chanel Miller
Destigmatizes the victim & reverses the narrative to recapture empowerment and agency through a traumatizing hospital/trial/police process. Helpful for parents or older teens.
Loose Girl: A Memoir of a Promiscuousy
Author: Kerry Cohen
An autobiography that helps to destigmatize hypersexualized reactions from SA trauma.
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
Authors: Gabor Maté & Daniel Maté
Canadian physician Dr. Gabor Maté explores how trauma influences physical and emotional health throughout life. This book helps parents understand why healing requires safety, connection, and compassion rather than blame.
Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
Authors: Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Maté
A Canadian parenting classic that emphasizes the importance of secure attachment between children and caregivers. Particularly valuable for families rebuilding trust and safety after trauma.
We Heal Together: A Colouring Book for Black Survivors
Author: Consent Comes First / Carleton University Sexual Assault Support Centre
Developed from the We Heal Together support group founded by Casandra Fullwood and explicitly acknowledges the effects of anti-Black racism, colonialism, sexual trauma and hypersexualization on Black survivors.
We Heal Together and other survivor resources
The Body Keeps the Score
Author: Bessel van der Kolk
A landmark book explaining how trauma affects the brain and body, and why trauma-informed care is essential to recovery.
What Happened to You?
Authors: Oprah Winfrey & Bruce D. Perry
Introduces a compassionate, trauma-informed perspective by asking, "What happened to you?" instead of "What's wrong with you?"
The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog
Author: Bruce D. Perry
Through real-life stories, Dr. Perry explains how childhood trauma shapes development and how caring relationships foster healing.
Predators
Author: Anna C. Salter
An evidence-based look at grooming, offender behaviour, and common misconceptions about child sexual abuse. A valuable resource for parents seeking to better understand abuse dynamics and prevention.
The Whole-Brain Child
Authors: Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson
Provides practical, research-based parenting strategies to help children regulate emotions, strengthen resilience, and build secure relationships after stressful experiences.
Allies in Healing
Author: Laura Davis
Written for partners, parents, and loved ones of survivors, this book offers practical guidance on supporting someone through the healing process while maintaining healthy boundaries and self-care.
You Choose What to Do Next: A Guide for Navigating the Criminal Legal System as a Sexual Assault Survivor
Author: Consent Comes First, Toronto Metropolitan University
A trauma-informed guide to navigating the criminal legal system that emphasizes informed choice, realistic expectations and the distinction between the legal process, justice and healing.
Neurodivergence and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder from Sexual Assault: A Toolkit for Moving Forward
Author: AIDE Canada
This was developed following direct requests from autistic people in focus groups and includes autistic and neurodivergent self-advocate contributors. Part 2 addresses disclosure, not being believed, police reporting, the Canadian legal process and adaptations that may help neurodivergent survivors access treatment.
AIDE Canada — Part 1
AIDE Canada — Part 2
Community Impact Statement: Women and Girls with Disabilities and the Impact of Sexual Assault
Author: DAWN Canada
An important disability-rights perspective to childhood sexual violence: caregiver dependence, communication barriers, credibility, institutional abuse, access to justice and why disabled survivors may distrust systems.
DAWN Canada — Community Impact Statement
To see our complete book recommendation list please visit our main website: theironwoodproject.ca/book-list
For parents wanting to deepen their understanding of trauma and child development:
Scattered Minds — Dr. Gabor Maté (understanding stress, attachment, and child development)
Rest, Play, Grow — Dr. Deborah MacNamara (Canadian developmental psychologist; attachment-based parenting)
A Note for Parents
No single book can answer every question that follows a child's disclosure of sexual abuse. These resources are intended to provide education, reassurance, and practical guidance while complementing support from trauma-informed professionals. Healing is rarely linear, but with safety, supportive relationships, and appropriate care, children and families can move toward recovery.