Dr. Robert Sege, 2/23/21, positiveexperiences.org/blog
I met Dr. Bell at an American Academy of Pediatrics committee meeting, convened to develop strategies to address the epidemic of youth violence. Our charge was to develop ways that pediatricians could adapt their practice and counseling to reduce the risk of violence. Dr. Carl Bell spoke plainly about the need to build up the inherent strengths and community connections of urban teens. Compassion and understanding drove his work. In her beautiful obituary, NPR correspondent Michel Martin described him as “[caring] about everyone – both the victims and the perpetrators who were, he constantly reminded us, often interchangeable”
His comments challenged the traditional risk assessment strategies in common practice: teen violence did not spring from mental health issues; often, the path to violence began with a series of rational reactions to an irrational, discriminatory world. Society in general, and the adults in their lives in particular, had not succeeded in creating safe environments in which to live, learn, and play. Rather than engaging talented teens, many efforts at the time sought to “fix” what they viewed as broken ones.
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