'Can you keep a secret? Years ago I had an abortion and never recovered.'The Journey states it takes at least ten years to move out of denial and seek help after choosing abortion. The effects of post-abortion syndrome (PAS) are devastating but in this manual from CARE for Life we have a training package to treat it.

The heart of the manual is a ten step 'journey' from first seeking help (step 1) through anger and grief to the way ahead (step 10). It is bound in an A4 clip file and well laid out with simple headings and diagrams.

The first section covers underlying principles such as the consequences of the 1967 Abortion Act, the pressures women undergo and the psychological effects that follow. Helping men and helping Muslims is covered well, but sadly not the other faiths.

The ethos is distinctly Christian but the cross cultural bridges into post-modern thought are made brilliantly while facing the hard issues step by step. I would feel comfortable to refer anyone to seek help from a counsellor using The Journey. The goal is to help women recover from abortion and while salvation will come to some during the programme, this is not the main aim. A catchphrase throughout is 'We cannot change the past, we do not know the future, but we can change the way we think'.

Here is a great toolkit for those in contact with PAS - counsellors, churches, GPs, pregnancy crisis centres - who want in-depth training. However, the price of £30 is going to put some off, and foreign markets like Africa will be excluded. A compact edition could be an idea so as to have the maximum sales for a growing problem. I would love to see this manual equip those called to a costly but crucial ministry.

Reviewed by
Mark Houghton
(GP, Sheffield)