Prof pens social work handbook

Professor and chair of the clinical practice concentration at the Graduate College of Social Work, Monit Cheung,  recently published “Child Sexual Abuse,” a book which serves as an extensive manual for the treatment and court preparation of child sexual abuse cases.

With sample interviews and a DVD that provides a step-by-step process in forensic interviewing, Cheung’s book is aimed at multidisciplinary professionals who work with child and adolescent victims.

“I have been a social worker for 35 years. I received my first child sexual abuse case in my caseload when I worked in a refugee camp in the 1970s,” said Cheung, who began her social work career in Hong Kong. “This experience of working with a child victim of sexual abuse in the refugee camp made me realize that this problem exists everywhere.”

Seeing that most authors in the field of child developmental psychology were American, Cheung decided to get her M.S.W. in Ohio State University.

After graduation, Cheung worked at a child protection agency and as an instructor in various colleges, where she wrote several research articles on forensic interviewing techniques, which eventually led to publication.

“This book is the essence of 30 years of preparation,” Cheung said. “I felt that it is important to write a book about these experiences with support from the current literature so that a systematic guide can be provided for those who work closely with children to prevent mistakes in child sexual abuse investigations.”

Cheung said preparing the manuscript was tedious, but with the encouragement of her publisher at Lyceum Books and the assistance provided by graduate students who helped complete the accompanying DVD, Cheung was able to finish “Child Sexual Abuse.”

“I feel very happy that this book was finally printed in Feb. 2012,” Cheung said. “A group of police officers who encouraged me to write this book since 1995, when I started a special training program in child protection in Hong Kong, were excited about this book and have ordered a copy for their own use. From the day I started writing, I knew that this would be a useful manual for social workers and other professionals.”

Cheung plans to prepare another manuscript featuring exercises using therapeutic games and guided imagery to aid the treatment of child and adolescent victims.

“Now that this book is published, I feel a sense of relief because I can now move on to other projects and continue to use my knowledge and experience in the field,” Cheung said.

“It will be another busy year for me, and my Dean has granted me a developmental leave to complete this new project. (There are) many more days and nights ahead of me … I will complete another book for children’s sake.”

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