Healing The Child Within
childhood trauma recovery • empowering healing • inspiring hope • healing the child within •
About Kerri & Healing The Child Within
My name is Kerri. I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who has walked the path from traumatised to whole again. Today, I use music, storytelling, and creative expression as powerful tools to support others on their own healing journey. My mission through Healing The Child Within is to offer a grounded, hopeful perspective that reminds every survivor they are not alone and that true restoration is possible.If you want to listen to or read my full story, click the links below.
Listen on the Kristi McVee Podcast
Hosted by Kristi McVee, an ex-police detective and child abuse prevention expert. Through CAPE-AU, Kristi's mission is to highlight, advocate for, and stop child sexual abuse by offering online safety courses, speaking engagements, and educational resources including Operation KidSafe, equipping individuals and communities to create safe environments for children.
Read on Bravehearts
An Australian child protection organisation dedicated to preventing and treating child sexual abuse through counselling, education, training, research, and support services for survivors and their families. Bravehearts provides free resources for parents and carers, specialist programs for children and young people, and advocacy for systemic change.
Our Books
The White Canvas
A Poetic Journey of Healing, Hope and Renewal
The White Canvas is a deeply moving and inspiring story told through poetry. It follows the life of a young girl whose innocence and joy are shattered by the actions of someone who seeks to harm and destroy what is beautiful within her. Through powerful imagery of a blank canvas, paint, and artistry, the poem explores the lasting impact of trauma, the hidden wounds carried into adulthood, and the courage required to face the past.
As the girl grows into a woman, she discovers that healing is not about pretending the darkness never existed but about finding the strength to reclaim her story. With determination, creativity, love, and self-discovery, she begins to paint over the pain, transforming what was once broken into something beautiful and meaningful.
This heartfelt book is a testament to resilience, survival, and the remarkable ability of the human spirit to heal. It offers hope to anyone who has faced adversity, reminding readers that while life may leave scars upon our canvas, those scars do not define the masterpiece we can become.
A powerful story of courage, recovery, self-acceptance, and the enduring belief that every life can be painted anew.
Written by Kerri Sloper.
The Price
A Courageous Story of Survival, Strength and Living Beyond Trauma
The Price is a powerful and deeply honest exploration of the hidden cost of surviving childhood abuse. Through moving poetry, Kerri Sloper gives voice to the lifelong impact trauma can have on a survivor, revealing the fear, hypervigilance, anxiety, and emotional scars that often remain long after the abuse itself has ended.
The story follows a little girl who survives unimaginable experiences and grows into a woman determined to build a life beyond her past. Yet she discovers that healing is not a destination but an ongoing journey. The "price" she pays is not for her own actions, but for the harm inflicted upon her by another—a burden carried through sleepless nights, painful memories, and moments when the past unexpectedly resurfaces.
Despite these challenges, the poem is ultimately one of hope, resilience, and empowerment. It explores how survivors learn to manage the waves of fear and anxiety, nurture the wounded child within, and find strength in family, purpose, and connection. As healing unfolds, the focus shifts from merely surviving to helping others, transforming pain into compassion and understanding.
Written with raw honesty and heartfelt insight, The Price shines a light on the realities of trauma while celebrating the extraordinary courage of those who choose to keep moving forward.
A compelling story of endurance, recovery, and the strength to reclaim a life filled with hope, purpose, and love.
Written by Kerri Sloper.
The Why Inside
A Powerful Journey from Questioning to Healing
The Why Inside is a deeply personal and profoundly moving story told through poetry, exploring the lifelong impact of childhood trauma and the search for answers that many survivors carry within them. Through a heartfelt conversation between a woman and the little girl she once was, the poem captures the painful questions that linger long after childhood has passed: Why did it happen? Why did no one see? Why did no one help?
As the adult reflects on her past, she begins to understand that some questions may never have answers. Instead, she discovers that true healing comes not from understanding the actions of those who caused harm, but from nurturing the wounded child within, embracing her emotions, and allowing herself to move forward with courage and self-compassion.
Written with honesty, vulnerability, and hope, The Why Inside explores themes of survival, resilience, intuition, healing, and personal growth. It speaks to anyone who has struggled with unanswered questions, offering reassurance that while the past may shape us, it does not have to define our future.
This inspiring book is a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the transformative power of healing. It reminds readers that peace is found not in the answers we seek, but in the life we choose to build beyond the pain.
A touching story of resilience, self-discovery, and finding freedom beyond the question of "why."
Written by Kerri Sloper.
The Cover Up
A Powerful Story of Grooming, Deception, and the Courage to Speak the Truth
The Cover Up is a poignant and thought-provoking poetic story that shines a light on one of the most misunderstood aspects of child abuse—the manipulation, deception, and grooming that allow abuse to remain hidden for so long.
Through the powerful metaphor of a spider weaving a web, Kerri Sloper explores how perpetrators carefully entrap not only children but also the adults around them. Charming, convincing, and skilled at deception, the abuser creates a network of lies that blinds families, friends, and communities, leaving a vulnerable child isolated and unheard.
As the story unfolds, readers witness the devastating consequences of disbelief and silence, as a child's cries for help are overshadowed by the carefully constructed image of the abuser. Yet amidst the darkness, a message of hope emerges. The child grows, finds their voice, and begins the difficult journey of breaking free from the web of lies that once held them captive.
More than a story of survival, The Cover Up is a call to awareness and action. It challenges readers to recognise the signs of grooming, listen to children, question appearances, and understand that abuse often hides behind a mask of respectability and trust.
Written with honesty, compassion, and insight, this powerful book encourages adults to become protectors, advocates, and allies for vulnerable children.
A compelling and courageous story about truth, resilience, and the importance of believing children when they speak.
Written by Kerri Sloper.
What Readers Are Saying
Phoenix Harmony
Music that heals...
Coming Soon
empowering healing • childhood trauma recovery • inspiring hope • healing the child within•