A Safe Place for Joey. Mary MacCracken

Endorsements

      “MARY MACCRACKEN IS AS GIFTED A WRITER AS A THERAPIST. THIS IS HER BEST BOOK YET!”

      – Josh Greenfield, author of A Child Called Noah

      “EACH CHILD PRESENTS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE AND EACH CHAPTER A MOVING EXPERIENCE.”

      – Jean Vitalis, Educational Therapist, Board of Trustees, Churchill School

Copyright

      This book recounts the essence of my experience and in that sense is a true story. However, it is not intended as a literal account, and it is not to be taken as a portrayal of any living person. All names (except for my family’s and mine) of individuals, places, and institutions are fictitious.

      HarperElement

      An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

      1 London Bridge Street

      London SE1 9GF

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      First published in the United States as Turnabout Children by Signet, 1987

      This updated edition published by HarperElement 2015

      © Mary MacCracken 1986, 2015

      Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2015

      Cover photograph © Vanessa Munoz/Trevillion Images (posed by model)

      Mary MacCracken asserts the moral right to

      be identified as the author of this work

      A catalogue record of this book is

      available from the British Library

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

      Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at

       www.harpercollins.co.uk/green

      Source ISBN: 9780007555185

      Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2015 ISBN: 9780007555192

      Version: 2015-01-12

Dedication

      This book is dedicated to my own three children – Susan, Nan, and Steve – and their families, in small return for the joy they’ve given me.

      And also to my four stepchildren – Michael, Joan, Karen, and Mark –and their families, who have enriched my life.

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

       Endorsements

       Copyright

       Dedication

       Acknowledgments

       Meeting Myself

       Joey

       Eric

       Changes

       Ben

       Alice

       Charlie

       A Safe Place

       Appendix

       Exclusive sample chapter

       Also by Mary MacCracken

       About the Author

       Moving Memoirs eNewsletter

       Write for Us

       About the Publisher

Acknowledgments

       I particularly want to thank:

      All the children I’ve worked with and their parents. This book might well have been titled “Lessons from Children.”

      My husband, Cal, for standing by, putting up with, and continuing to encourage me.

      My daughter Susan, for reading every word of every draft and for offering insights, comments, and unfaltering faith.

      My daughter Nan, for joining me in private practice, and sharing her talent for growing children.

      Gene Young, my friend and first editor, for buying my first book, The Lost Children, and for thoughtfully editing both Lovey and City Kid and much of A Safe Place for Joey.

      Fredrica S. Friedman, my current editor, for her hard work, enthusiasm, and careful guidance of this book in its final stages.

      Carl Brandt, my agent, for watching over my books, both here and in other countries.

      Ruth Watson, for reading, typing, and uncomplainingly retyping the many drafts of this book.

Meeting