Former Social Worker Discusses Dynamics of Abuse

There’s abuse in wealthy, suburban homes tucked away in gated communities like the homes found in Beverly Hills.

(PRWEB) October 1, 2006 --There’s abuse in wealthy, suburban homes tucked away in gated communities like the homes found in Beverly Hills.

“While working as a social worker, I saw abuse in all types of families. There’s abuse in wealthy, suburban homes tucked away in gated communities like the homes found in Beverly Hills. There’s abuse in middle class families and rural and inner city families. To be able to get to the root of deep family problems, I learned how to get people to relax, so they would open up and tell me the truth.” This is the message conveyed by Maxine Thompson (www.maxinethompson.com), a woman who worked in social services for more than 20 years. “When I first started working in social services, I was naive,” Maxine shares with Denise Turney, host of CBK’s “Off The Shelf” (www.chistell.com). “Then I started to see how bad abuse in some families is. It was my communication skills that allowed me to help clients help themselves,” Maxine goes on to convey. “It helped me get through the day, because case loads are heavy, and I found I had to get people to respond honestly so I could get them proper help.”

After working to remove children from abusive homes and to help families confront their hidden dysfunction so they could begin to heal, Maxine Thompson took her communication skills, sat down and poured her experiences into a series of poems. One of those early poems earned her runner-up in Ebony magazine’s first writing contest. Yet, moved by the family tragedies and triumphs she discovered while working as a social worker, Maxine penned the highly acclaimed book aptly titled The Ebony Tree. It is Maxine’s books and experiences as a social worker that CBK’s Denise Turney discusses with the author on “Off The Shelf”, one of the Internet’s longest running and leading multi-cultural talk shows that airs at www.blakeradio.com.

The show’s host has a penchant for probing her guests for answers to eradicate global illiteracy and community dysfunction. When asked why she founded “Off The Shelf” which airs at www.blakeradio.com on the Rainbow Soul Channel, Turney is clear. “Off The Shelf was created to give the world another resource through which to enjoy and thoroughly celebrate the power of the written word! I ask listeners to think about the enormous and life-changing impact words have on their lives. It is nothing short of astounding what words and story do to the human landscape. From families, to communities to nations to the universe – story has always been there. My dream,” shares Turney, “Is to bring a multitude of readers stories that stir their hearts, as well as heal, encourage, guide, teach, and support their own dreams!”

Besides founding and hosting the hit literary talk show, “Off The Shelf”, Denise Turney has authored Portia, Love Has Many Faces, Spiral, Long Walk Up and Open Something In Your Heart To Love. Turney’s new book, Long Walk Up, will hit stores early 2007. Recipient of two Navy Achievement Medals, Turney continues to serve. She states that, “Just as with social work, writing is about connecting with other people and addressing situations that focus on the human condition. It is for this – to connect with others on a deep emotional and thought level – that I write.”

Turney has nearly 30 years of writing experience to her credit. She has appeared in Parade Magazine, Essence, The Trenton Times, The Bucks County Courier Times and various other magazines and newspapers around the United States. Turney’s works are featured online at www.chistell.com where readers can read and listen to early chapters of her books for free.

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