Dr. LeslieBeth Wish joins NOL to share important information about incest and to provide resources for incest survivors.

Dr. Wish earned her Doctorate in Adult Developmental Psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She also earned a masters degree in Clinical Social Work and Management from Bryn Mawr College, and a masters degree in English Literature from Ohio University. Her three-year post-graduate training in Family and Marital Systems is from Georgetown University’s Family Center, under the esteemed Dr. Murray Bowen. She earned her undergraduate degree in both History and English from Carnegie-Mellon University. She lived and studied family and childcare practices in Moscow, Russia, during the Soviet Communist years.

Her work as the Clinical Director of the New England Institute of Family Relations, the first sexual dysfunction clinic in New England, and her research-based book, Incest, Work and Women, earned her national esteem as a pioneer in sexual dysfunction and women's love and career issues.

She is quoted widely in national magazines such as Shape and Self, and websites such as www.bustle.com. She appears regularly on This Week in America and is a feature writer for www.digitalromanceinc.com and www.personalgrowth.com.

Her website www.lovevictory.com has been named as one of the top 101 websites to watch.

We discuss:

1. The prevalence of sexual abuse

2. Why people don’t report it

3. Why parents often stay in denial about it

4. Why sexual abuse in families starts

5. Why sibling sexual play is often discounted

6. What Genetic Sexual Attraction is

7. Signs that a child might be being abused

8. Long-term effects of early abuse that show up in adulthood, e.g. drug or alcohol abuse, self-injury or suicide attempts, gambling, overeating, fear of emotional intimacy, career issues and more

9. When relatives say it’s consensual

10. How Dr. Wish works with her patients to work through the trauma by developing emotional bravery and use their intuition

11. How to work through trauma when you have to see and interact with the person who abused you often, as part of family activities

12. Visit APA.org for a therapist if you are seeking help in your area or contact Dr. Wish via her website www.lovevictory.com.

And last but not least, here are the links for her two books:

Smart Relationships: How Successful Women Can Find True Love

The Love Adventures of Almost Smart Cookie