"Go Girls, I'm proud to be a Go Girls Leader; I am proud to say... I am Worth It" is an educational handbook for girls between the ages of 14 and 23 years of age. It can be used individually by girls and women but is best used in collaboration with other females. The handbook can be used to start school chapters in an effort to educate women on how to identify an abusive partner or situation. It can also serve as a means of preventing abuse as well as a guide on how to create a plan of action to get out of an existing abusive relationship. The handbook covers emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and physical abuse and is styled as a workbook so as to be interactive. It discusses the importance of forming Go Girls peer groups. The purpose of the handbook is to help girls/women empower themselves and to believe that they are worth being treated well. Believe it. You Go Girls!!
About the Author: For many years I worked as a therapist in diverse environments, from inpatient forensic psychiatric facilities to outpatient psychiatric clinics; and from individual and couples therapy, to working with groups and families. Moreover, having developed a mental health program in Costa Rica, I understand the complexity of providing bi-lingual, cross-cultural psychosocial services. Inspired by my work with trauma victims - victims of domestic abuse, political torture, crime, major illness, and natural disasters, my present focus is on empowering survivors of domestic violence both internationally and nationally. I am the Founder of Go Girls NY, which is an Non-Profit Organization. We provide services for survivors of domestic violence in Africa, India, and Latin America. My interest in working with women grew out of conducting therapy with both the perpetrators and survivors of abuse. I am passionate about empowering women/ girls and ending the cycle of abuse. In order to achieve this, women/girls need to have access to resources aside from education. The goal of this handbook is to educate girls and women about the characteristics of an abusive partner or situation, in an effort to help prevent domestic abuse and sexual violence. I encourage students to start school chapters and form peer groups in their high school or Universities.