In this article, the authors tell the story of one family's journey toward healing using the Child First home visiting and Circle of Security Parenting interventions. Parents with complex trauma histories frequently float through services for years looking for guidance to help them address their struggles. Often, these services do not offer…

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was first included in the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders" in 1980. Long used to describe the reactions of soldiers affected by stress in combat situations, PTSD is now recognised as a disorder affecting abused and neglected infants and…

Every Australian citizen expects state and territory governments to protect children from child abuse and neglect. Protecting children from harm is seen as good. This however is not a simple matter. The ultimate act in protecting children is to remove them from parental care. This causes trauma for the child and pain and distress for parents no…

This article describes the role of a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to represent the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. CASA volunteers are everyday citizens who have undergone screening and training with their local CASA program (National…

Contemporary western understandings of "childhood" reflect (adult) cultural projections of children as (sexually) innocent, vulnerable beings. In this paper, I examine how projections of children and their "sexual culture" are maintained and reproduced through child sexual abuse therapy in North America. I argue that such specious frameworks pose…

"Neisseria gonorrhoeae" infection in a prepubertal child is virtually diagnostic of sexual abuse, provided perinatal infection has been excluded. Therefore, it is imperative that "Neisseria gonorrhoeae" be correctly identified. We present two cases of false positive "Neisseria gonorrhoeae" meningitis encountered at two different children's…

Even though disabled children are targets of various forms of abuse, such issues remain mostly undocumented open secrets in many countries including Ghana. The article is based on a qualitative data provided by three key informants. Six stories emerged from the data and are discussed in terms of four main forms of abuse. Labelling theories are…

This year the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families stated "Children and youth in the child welfare system are increasingly being dosed with psychotropic drugs to manage emotional problems and disruptive behavior that might better be addressed by psychosocial treatments to meet their complex needs." Children with histories of…

This article chronicles the development of the field of Sexual Offender Treatment in the United States since the 1980's. It offers an analysis of the Relapse Prevention model, a case study, and a summary description of contemporary field advancements. Through historical and personal reflection, the author summarizes lessons learned as five…

When the sexual abuse of children is revealed, it is often found that other nonabusing adults were aware of the abuse but failed to act. During the past twenty years or so, the concealment of child sexual abuse (CSA) within organizations has emerged as a key challenge for child protection work. Recent events at Pennsylvania State University (PSU)…

The mental health field has long recognized the negative consequences associated with a range of traumatic events, including physical assault, sexual assault, natural or man-made disasters, accidents, and medical incidents (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). The shockingly high prevalence of exposure to violence among America's…

Boys Town has created a program called In-Home Family Services to deliver help to families in stress. In-home family intervention programs have become widely used to help more families who are at risk and experiencing difficulties with a wide range of problems including domestic violence, child behavior problems, parent-child and family…

Child sexual abuse as well as accidental trauma may cause acute injuries in the anogenital area. Most data on residual findings following genital trauma come from longitudinal studies of children who have been sexually assaulted, undergone surgical procedures, or experienced accidental trauma. Like injuries in other part parts of the body, such…

Periodic mass school shootings and the steady slaughter of youth on the streets of our cities are both products of cultures of violence. The authors highlight key factors that promote or prevent such acts, beginning with the little-known account of a young boy who perpetuated the most deadly school violence in history.

Summer and winter breaks from school can be highly anticipated times for students and educators. However, for students living in poverty, the break from school can bring hidden challenges that school psychologists should be aware of when preparing for vacation. Research has shown that school breaks affect students from varying socioeconomic status…