Overcoming the trauma of becoming getting raped as a teen, Cowan draws from her past to share her journey, her triumphs and her strategies, helping women unpack their purses to live more fulfilling lives.

WASHINGTON, D.C. โ€“ July 14, 2020 โ€“ Montrella Cowan, a licensed therapist and relationship expert, author and speaker has penned a gripping new book, โ€œThe Purse โ€“ An Essential Guide to Healthy Relationships,โ€ that offers timely advice and strategies on how to avoid unhealthy relationships.

Based on her own heart-wrenching personal experiences of becoming a teen mother after getting raped by a friend, she has devoted nearly 20 years advising individuals, couples and families, Cowanโ€™s book pulls no punches in helping women overcome trauma and identify the signs of an unhealthy relationship โ€“ and how to move beyond it to live a healthy, enriching life.

โ€œThe Purseโ€ (The Vision of Fruition Group, 2020) is available at Amazon and all online bookstores.

โ€œI learned for sure that I donโ€™t break, that I wasnโ€™t spoiled and I damn sure wasnโ€™t weak,โ€ writes Cowan, who takes a holistic approach to her psychotherapy, tapping into the mind, body, and spirit to help people have healthy relationships and families.

Cowan, who has her Masterโ€™s degree in Social Work (MSW) and owner of Affinity Health Affairs uses the analogy of a womenโ€™s purse to unpack those items typically in a womanโ€™s purse, such as โ€œThe Mirror,โ€ โ€œThe Sewing Kit,โ€ โ€œThe Keys,โ€ โ€œThe Panty Liners,โ€ โ€œPepper Spray and Tissue,โ€ โ€œLip Gloss,โ€ and โ€œPerfumeโ€.

She guides readers through a series of โ€œrecipesโ€ to take steps to assess their own lives and provides tools to improve oneโ€™s self-worth. โ€œYears spent in one bad relationship after another have gifted me with pearls of wisdom, and now, I gift them to you as you create and maintain a healthy, harmonious, and loving romantic relationship!โ€ Cowan writes.

Readersโ€™ reviews illustrate how the book is touching a nerve with women โ€“ and men. Wrote one woman, โ€œIโ€™m up reading your book and your story speaks to me when it comes to relationships. My past relations soooo much like yours and your healing is soooo much like what I am now going throughโ€ฆ thank you for sharing your story!โ€ One man wrote, โ€œYour book touched my soul because I went through trauma too. Everyone should read your book because it is so inspiring.โ€

The Washington, D.C.-area based licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW) sticks to a fundamental theme throughout her book where she urges women to, โ€œNever be afraid to demand better from the people around you, especially when it comes to romance.โ€ She believes too many women, especially those who experienced trauma, give up on themselves and their dreams to keep others happy instead of finding happiness in their own lives. โ€œForgiving yourself is one of the most important things that you can do because it requires first being honest with yourself,โ€ Cowan advises.

To learn more about Cowan, go to Affinity411.com. For interviews, contact Neil Foote, Ascendant Group Branding, neilfoote@ascendantgroupbranding.com, 214-448-3765.

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