Gang violence is contagious
"Its spread mimics infections such as HIV, says US professor Gary Slutkin, who advises treating it as a public health problem. London group Chaos Theory is taking his approach to the streets..."...
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Copying is social phenomenon, not just learning, say scientists
"Mimicking the behaviour of mum and dad has long been considered a vital way in which children learn about the world around them. Now psychologists at The University of Nottingham have shown that copying unnecessary behaviour is more likely to be a...
For crime victims, trauma intervention is smart strategy - California
"Considering my physical and psychological state then, needless to say it was an overwhelming experience that seemed to exacerbate, not address, the trauma I was feeling. What I needed was someone who would understand my needs and help me address...
Sampling of stories - April: National Child Abuse Prevention Month
A Camden, NJ Hospital Places Visual Reminders Against Child Abuse - New Jersey “Children respond to (abuse) by sometimes by becoming aggressive,” says Cooper emergency medicine and child abuse specialist Dr. Kathy McCans (third from left...
WATCH: Ali Forney Center Asks Religious Parents to End Abuse of LGBT Youth - New York
"The New York City drop-in center for homeless LGBT youth is taking on religion-based familial rejection.... "With a series of videos and an op-ed in The Huffington Post , New York City's Ali Forney Center is encouraging religious parents not to use...
Sex offender halfway home holds 'open house' - Washington State
"...The Unity House in south Seattle opened its doors to the public, offering a rare look inside a sex offender halfway house. "Jim Tharpe, Unity House owner, looks at his home as an educational center for convicted sex offenders released from prison....
In my twin sister’s rape, there were many victims
"In the United States, nearly one in five women have been raped at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — most of them before age 25. Across the planet, more than one in three women will be...
Leaving the Shelter Doubled My GPA - New York
"Living in a shelter as a kid was horrible. Every time my peers at school spoke about their life at home, I felt uncomfortable knowing I was homeless. The shelter didn’t have cable TV, which left me out of many conversations at school. "I was...
Predicting Suicide Attempts among Treatment-Seeking Male Alcoholics: An Exploratory Study - abstract
Abstract Documented risk factors for suicide among alcohol-dependent patients are sensitive but insufficiently specific to effectively identify individuals who are prone to future suicide attempt. As a first step to assess factors not previously...
Monies for conducting Trauma Informed Care Projects?
We are working closely with the Domestic Abuse and Homeless Shelters here in town. We would love to help them start a transitional child care at their sites to transition children back into day to day life that have experienced trauma. Does anyone...
Taking on Trauma
Adrian Rogers, a reporter for the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, WA, did a great job in this story -- Taking on Trauma -- about how elementary schools in Spokane have integrated trauma-informed practices. Otis Orchards Elementary School, in the...
Parental Alienation Syndrome rejected from DSM-V
In the Winter/Spring 2013 publication of The National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health, this article appeared: Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS)Pseudoscientific Theory Used Against Survivors in CourtIs Rejected from the DSM-V Joan Meier, Professor of Clinical Law, George Washington University Law School In the last year, it was decided that Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS) and its offspring (Parental Alienation Disorder) will not be included in the...
D.C. students use photography to protest school security
This story from the Washington Post is heartbreaking. Having seen schools that have changed their approach to school discipline, I don't think that turning our schools into prisons, as evidenced in this story, is necessary. The small band of guerrilla...
Rape
"There has been a lot in the media lately about victim responsibility and the culture of violence in our community.... "I am also very troubled by the media coverage of this event. Why are we focusing on the victim and her responsibility in this?......
Mental illness a frequent cell mate for those behind bars
"Eugene King ran away from home at the age of 16, the start of a lifelong pattern of drug abuse, crime and incarceration.... "In retrospect, King said, he realizes he was using illicit drugs at least in part to self-medicate a variety of psychiatric...