The New York Times presents a sobering article about child abuse and neglect. The main focus of this article is a report done in New York City that investigates the trends seen in children who have died because of abuse or neglect. One such trend cited in the article is the occurrence of children being left in homes with caregivers that have been reported a number of times in the past. To read more click here.
The rates of child abuse and neglect are incredibly high in the United States. The maltreatment death rate is triple Canada’s and 11 times that of Italy. In fact, within the industrialized world, the United States has worst childhood abuse record. This BBC article presents some information as to why the United States has this problem. The BBC article presents information in both an investigate view, with video and an expert view with a written article. To visit the site, click here.
Children who are being bullied experience detrimental effects. Bullying can also have lingering effects for those children when they grow up and become adults. This MSNBC article documents a study done in Australia and New Zealand that has shown that bullying has been linked in later problems with both mental and physical health. To read the entire article, click here .
Dr. David Kolko will be coming to North Dakota on October 3-5, 2011 to provide training in his therapy technique “Alternatives for Families-A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy” or AF-CBT. AF-CBT is designed to help children that have been the victim of physical abuse or a related situation involving excessive physical discipline or force and their families, including the abusive caretaker. It incorporates techniques and principles from a number of perspectives, including learning and behavioral theory, family systems, cognitive-behavioral theory and developmental victimology. AF-CBT targets characteristics and contributors related to the abusive experience and tries to discourage the use of violent or coercive behavior by focusing on instruction in intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. AF-CBT is most suitable for school-aged children with a recent history of abuse who exhibit some level of behavioral dysfunction, and to caregivers who may resort to uncomfortable or unsafe forms of physical punishment or coercion. It was developed to reduce heightened levels of conflict, hostility and physical force. Both the child and the caregiver are important participants in this treatment.
Dr. Kolko’s work primarily deals with the study and treatment of disruptive behavior disorders and children’s antisocial behavior, including childhood firesetting, sexually abusive (offending) behavior in youth, child physical abuse and related forms of maltreatment, and adolescent depression/suicide.
Much of his current treatment research work is devoted to dissemination and implementation efforts designed to adapt and then transport effective interventions for these clinical problems to various community settings or systems serving children, youth, and families, including pediatric primary care, juvenile justice, child welfare, public health/safety, and mental health.
Dr. Kolko routinely conducts professional seminars and trainings on a national and international basis to teach evidence-based treatments to practitioners working with the above-mentioned populations. This includes workshops on the treatment approach (“Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy”) that he developed for families involved in child physical abuse or physical force, and which has been recently adapted for use with early-onset disruptive behavior disorders.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The following is a list of websites that provide information regarding child protection to caregivers, educators and youth.
Brook Peters, a fourteen-year-old filmmaker, recently showed his documentary of 9/11 at the Tribeca Film Festival. Entitled “The Second Day,” the film captures the memories of what fellow classmates recall of their second day of kindergarten, 9/11/2001. Brook Peters’ film illustrates how 9/11 has particularly impacted the Millennial generation, those born from 1980 to 2000. An article by USA Today also highlights the unique effects 9/11 has had on the Millennial generation. To read the USA Today article, click here.
The following links feature Brook Peters’ story.
CBS News Video
ABC News Video
Washington Times Article
Since the Great Recession, families struck by foreclosures and lost jobs are struggling to get by. Although unemployment rates have improved, it is still estimated that it will take years to recover from all of the lost jobs. CBS news recently covered a story of families in Seminole County, Florida. Click here to watch 60 Minutes Video—Hard Times Generation: Homeless Kids.
USA Today recently featured an article about passengers’ response to the seemingly lack of assistance provided by airline carriers following a near-disaster flight. Scott Bruni, a passenger of a plane that safely landed after its right wing had struck the runway, was frustrated by the lack of emotional support provided by the airline.
NPR recently featured a first responder’s story about facing PTSD outside of the battlefield. Michael Ferrara had served as a ski patroller, paramedic, and member of a search and rescue team for 30 years when he began experiencing symptoms of PTSD. This article addresses the culture of first responders and how it can make it difficult to talk about emotional trauma. To listen to or read the story, click here.
As news of the Arizona shooting reached homes across America, many are left shaken in bewilderment. The suspect, Jared Loughner, is accused of killing 6 people, including nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green. He is also suspected of attempting to assassinate Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and injuring at least 12 others. Governor Jan Brewer, in her State of the State address, said, “Saturday’s events were not just an attack on those individuals we loved and lost, but an assault on our Constitutional Republic—on our democracy—on all we treasure and hold dear—as citizens and public servants.”
The holidays often remind youth of what has changed in their lives in the past year. This can be especially difficult for children who have experienced some sort of trauma. The holidays may be different because of a missing family member, new environment, or changing traditions. It is important to help youth through changing times, especially around the holidays.
Bullying has also received a lot of attention in the last month due to the recent suicides said to have been brought on by bullying. In response, many are pushing for legislation to be passed to help stop bullying. If passed, an anti-bullying bill would broaden the definition of bullying to “conduct that places people in reasonable fear of physical harm based on their real or perceived identity in regard to race, sexual orientation or gender identity, among other factors.” Currently, bullying is most often addressed at the local or state level, where definitions of bullying vary by large degree. Most states have anti-bullying laws, but there are still five states that do not and North Dakota is one of them.
“A condition experienced by children born into chaotic environments that can cause developmental brain problems is on the rise, brain researchers say.”
Click the Minnesota Public Radio link below to learn more about the fasicinating work of Meghan Gunnar, a professor of child development at the University of Minnesota.
We are excited to announce our guest speaker for the 2nd Annual Meeting of the TCTY.
Monica M. Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at The University of Colorado-Denver in the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine. She is the Director of Training and Evaluation in the Child Trauma Program at the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, an active member site of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).
The Treatment Collaborative for Traumatized Youth (TCTY) successfully kicked off its second learning collaborative on July 15-16, 2009. Nearly 40 clinicians representing 19 different mental health facilities across the state of North Dakota gathered at the Radisson Hotel in Fargo to begin their training in Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Over the course of one year, these clinicians will receive ongoing consultation from the TCTY Training Team as they begin to utilize these new evidence-based treatment models in their practice.
Members of the TCTY attended a training conducted by Drs. BigFoot and Schmidt from the The Indian Country Child Trauma Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This training program provided specialized training to TCTY Clinicians working with American Indian children and their families.
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