Garden of Secrets by Dr. Rosilda Alves

Garden of Secrets

Garden of Secrets

When Silence Ends, Healing Can Begin.

The Garden of Secrets is a deeply personal exploration of trauma, survival, identity, forgiveness, faith, and the difficult journey toward reclaiming your voice.

Garden of Secrets by Dr. Rosilda Alves

A story of truth, courage, survival,
and transformation.

Drawing upon lived experience and decades of clinical insight, Dr. Rosilda Alves confronts the silence and cultural stigma surrounding sexual abuse while offering survivors something equally important:

Hope.

This is not a story that minimizes pain or offers easy answers.

It creates room for truth.

For survivors, it can be a reminder that their experiences matter.

For families, it can open conversations.

For communities, it is a challenge to stop protecting secrecy and begin protecting people.

“Healing does not require us to pretend the past never happened. It asks us to stop allowing the past to silence the person we are becoming.”

Rosilda Avles Signature

More than a book.
An invitation to heal.

“Dr. Rosilda Alves is a courageous champion for the children of Cabo Verde and for all survivors of this peculiar kind of sexual trauma. Here, she confronts every taboo, and breaks through the shadows to shed light on the real pain of victims. Yet, she provides a way out with powerful pathways to healing. The book is a gift and we should be grateful.”

– Dr. Aminah Fernandes Pilgrim, Professor of African Studies

“Dr. Alves, a psychologist, has written an enlightening book about sexual trauma. This book sheds light on the victims, survivors and perpetrators and the process of thriving after experiencing an initial trauma or years of abuse. Dr. Alves describes a process of healing for both survivors and perpetrators with compassion a depth of understanding that comes from experience and healing.”

– Dr. Paul Gaiser, Clinical Psychologist

“Dr. Alves is one of the most talented clinicians I have ever known. Her book offers healing at the individual, family, and community levels. A must read for anyone impacted by sexual abuse, which is all of us!”

– Dr. Becky Pizer, Clinical Psychologist

“This book is truly the voice of the first and second generations of immigrants that have struggled to cope with the dynamics of the Cabo Verde culture. The study’s results validate the cries and experiences that for the most part do not get acknowledged.”

– Patricia Ferreira, College Student
A Life Built Around One Question

What would change if people knew they were safe enough to speak?

That question lives inside Rosilda’s books.
It lives inside the therapy room.
It lives inside her workshops.
And it lives inside every program supported through the Foundation for Hope & Healing.

Because when someone is heard, something changes.
When someone is believed, something changes.
When someone discovers they are not alone, everything can change.