Published in Aspects Magazine, Autumn 2016 | Vol. 39 No. 4 Fourteen-year-old Alyssa* is no ordinary teenager; she has dealt with more trauma in three years than many people will experience in a lifetime. At age 11, Alyssa lost her father after a long battle with cancer. Just a year later, she was sexually abused by her mother’s first love interest since losing her husband; and at 13, the young girl’s trauma was magnified when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She developed a fear of strangers and men, withdrew from her friends and experienced extreme anxiety. To help, Alyssa and her