We're back from our Best of the Best series to talk with Dr. Isha Metzger, a clinical psychologist, a University of Georgia researcher, and head of The EMPOWER Lab. But her real claim to fame: she noticed that the gold-standard treatment for children delivered at CACs wasn't working for her Black clients, dug into it, and came up with a brand-new adaptation to serve Black children and families, build their trust, and see themselves reflected in the work of healing from trauma. In fact, Just as concrete barriers need to be lowered to help families engage with treatment, the messages embedded within that treatment must include racial socialization and messages that include messages of strength, joy, pride, and voice. How can CACs and clinicians ensure they're meeting the needs of Black kids and families, or of other BIPOC kids? What are white clinicians to do to ensure that the messages in treatment fit the experiences of their BIPOC clients? And what are the implications for family engagement? 

Topics in this episode: 

• What is racial socialization? 
• How social and racial messages affect treatment outcomes
• Culturally specific treatment strategies
• How racial adaptations for treatment models work
• Racial trauma and polyvictimization
• The role of celebratory experiences in treatment
• Racial justice
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Mental health disparity

Resources:

"Healing Interpersonal and Racial Trauma: Integrating Racial Socialization Into Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for African American Youth"

The EMPOWER Lab at the University of Georgia

Dr. Metzger's research

UGA Racial Trauma Guide

Coping with Racial Trauma (infographic)

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Greater Than the Sum—Multiple Adversities in Children’s Lives (originally "Mending the Tears of Violence") is the third in a three-part series of best-of-the-best episodes. Adversity and violence are common in kid's lives. The cumulative burden creates a lifelong vulnerability to physical and psychological issues. So how do we help kids thrive? What strengths are most important? Sherry Hamby, research professor of psychology at the University of the South, discussed trauma’s cumulative impact and how teachers, parents, and advocates can help kids.

Topics:

• Adversity and violence (2:02)
• Polyvictimization, dose response (7:20)
• Resilience, polystrengths (12:30)
• Symptom relief is not well-being (20:39)
• Important strengths (23:08)
• Recovering positive affect (30:14)
• Helping kids (35:30)

 Links:

Sherry Hamby, Ph.D.,  Life Paths Research Center director and ResilienceCon founder

ACE study

David Finkelhor, Heather A. Turner

National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence 

“Polyvictimization: Children’s Exposure to Multiple Types of Violence, Crime, and Abuse”

Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire

Ann S. Masten, Ordinary Magic: Resilience in Development

“Sense of Purpose—The Most Important Strength?”

“From Poly-Victimization to Poly-Strengths: Understanding the Web of Violence Can Transform Research on Youth Violence and Illuminate the Path to Prevention and Resilience” 

“Poly-victimization, Trauma, and Resilience: Exploring Strengths That Promote Thriving After Adversity”

“Health-related quality of life among adolescents as a function of victimization, other adversities, and strengths”

MMPI

“Developmental Stage of Onset, Poly-Victimization, and Persistence of Childhood Victimization: Impact on Adult Well-Being in a Rural Community–Based Study” 

Two-by-Ten 

James Pennebaker

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit nationalchildrensalliance.org. And join us on Facebook at

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We're taking a short summer break and re-airing several of our most popular episodes that are especially relevant in light of current events. This week, we'll explore how kids fare after abuse: The Hidden Cost of Resilience. Earlier this year, we spoke to Dr. Ernestine Briggs-King from Duke University School of Medicine and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network about resilience in kids who have suffered abuse, and how what we see on the surface isn't always the full story. What does the research tell us about the long-term issues that even the most resilient children may face? And what impact do racism and other forms of discrimination have on kids, both as an adverse experience itself and as it affects their recovery from trauma?

Topics in this episode:

• What is resilience?
• Factors that help people be resilient
• Abuse disrupts social connections
• Racism, homophobia, and other compounding factors
• The hidden cost of resilience
• Talking to caregivers
• Racism’s impacts, and the role of caregivers
• Resources

Links:

Ernestine Briggs-King, Ph.D., Duke University School of Medicine, and the Center for Child & Family Health

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Robert Pynoos, MD, UCLA

Gene Brody, Ph.D. “UGA Research Uncovers Cost of Resiliency in Kids,” by April Reese Sorrow, May 20, 2013, University of Georgia Columns.

“Is Resilience Only Skin Deep? Rural African Americans' Preadolescent Socioeconomic Status-Related Risk and Competence and Age 19 Psychological Adjustment and Allostatic Load,” by Gene H. Brody Tianyi Yu, et al, July 1, 2013, Psychological Science, Vol. 24(7): 1285-1293.

“Family Support Buffers the Physiological Effects of Racial Discrimination,” by Gene Brody, March 1, 2016, Association for Psychological Science Observer.

 “The Hidden Cost of Resilience,” by Leonora Desar, June 6, 2013, Psychology Today.

Professor Ann S. Masten, University of Minnesota, author of Ordinary Magic: Resilience in Development

This New Yorker article, “How People Learn to Become Resilient,” talks about the work of Norman Garmezy and Emmy Werner.

Sir Michael Rutter

National Child Traumatic Stress Network 

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org. And join us on Facebook at

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We’re taking a short summer break and re-airing several of our most popular episodes that are especially relevant in light of current events. First up: the pandemic. When schools shut down to help slow the spread of the virus, one of the consequences was kids isolated at home, away from the teachers and other professionals who are most likely to spot the signs of abuse and take action. In 2018, more than two-thirds of reports to child abuse hotlines came from people who had contact with kids as part of their job. What’s good for public health isn’t always good for the safety of an individual child. Across the country, reports of abuse dropped dramatically. That doesn’t mean the abuse stopped. It just disappeared behind closed doors. 

That makes it even more crucial that people in the community, like us, speak up when we believe a child is in danger. But, far too often, we hesitate. Before we can persuade our friends and neighbors to report suspected abuse, we have to understand why they don’t. One of our very first guests on One in Ten was Wendy Walsh, of the Crimes Against Children Research Center. We spoke about The Bystander Effect—Why People Don’t Report Child Abuse. Listen again as we explore the issues and the policies and practices that could help us keep children safe. 

Topics in this episode: 

• Why don’t people speak up? (3:30) 
• Are people aware they should report suspected abuse? (7:20) 
• At the heart of people’s concerns about reporting abuse (10:52) 
• Negative perceptions about child protective services (13:16) 
• The SHINE Campaign (17:20) 
• Research priorities, and barriers to research (18:50) 
• Universal mandatory reporting (23:50) 
• What needs to change? (25:34) 
• Catching kids falling through the cracks (28:08) 
• The one takeaway (30:31) 

Links: 

Wendy A. Walsh, Ph.D., is a research assistant professor of sociology at the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire  

The statistic about who reports abuse is from Child Maltreatment 2018 at acf.hhs.gov 

Granite State Children’s Alliance, KNOW AND TELL program 

SHINE Campaign on Facebook and on Instagram

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org. And join us on Facebook at One in Ten podcast.

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We have two guests for you: one offering insights into research on the impact that the coronavirus pandemic is having on mental health, and the other giving us the perspective from the field. First up is Rabah Kamal, a senior policy analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation. Before COVID-19, about one in five adults in the U.S. reported being worried, anxious, or depressed on a regular basis. Among teenagers, about 12% reported anxiety or depression. And that was before a global pandemic hit. What impact is the pandemic having on mental health? What factors raise the risk of problems? What helps? 

Then you’ll hear from Carole Campbell Swiecicki at Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in South Carolina about the mental health impact of the pandemic on her CAC’s clients, her staff, and the CAC’s multidisciplinary team partners.

Topics in this episode:

• Prevalence of mental health issues in the U.S. (1:52)
• Impact of COVID-19 on mental health (4:29)
• Innovation and the future (26:45)
• Health care workers and first responders (36:48)
• What families are facing (40:36)
• Essential vs. non-essential workers (44:19)
• Impact on kids, and how we can help them (49:27)
• Going back to work (1:01:15)

Links:

Rabah Kamal is a senior policy analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) which is not related to any health insurance organizations

KFF’s “The Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health and Substance Use”

The National Survey of Children’s Health

Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam

World Health Organization

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Coping with Stress

Carole Campbell Swiecicki, Ph.D., is executive director of Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center and a clinical assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Video diaries appeared in a CBS News story in May 2020

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: COVID-19 Behavioral Health Resources; Mental Health and Coping links for individuals; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) COVID-19 resources

Our own COVID-19 resource page is publicly available

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org. And join us on Facebook at

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Before anyone had ever heard of COVID-19, professors at Central Michigan University and Montclair State University were examining whether forensic interviewers could use telehealth technology to connect with children in remote or rural service areas in cases where child abuse was suspected. It was interesting research but not particularly urgent, because whatever their findings, most forensic interviews would still be conducted face-to-face. Then the pandemic hit.

Forensic interviews are conducted by specially trained individuals who must talk to children about abuse allegations in ways that are unbiased, fact-finding, legally sound, and not traumatizing. With communities across the country shutting down, we needed to know: Are teleforensic interviews as accurate and effective as face-to-face interviews? And are children OK with them? We talked to professors Debra Poole and Jason Dickinson to find out what they’ve learned.

Topics in this episode:

• Why research teleforensic interviewing? (1:43)
• The reaction (before the pandemic) (6:46)
• A matter of equity; and, what the study found (9:48)
• Unanswered questions (17:50)
• Interviewer discomfort (25:03)
• Building psychological safety (33:12)
• What additional training will interviewers need? (38:40)
• What’s next to study? (44:50)
• Our next episode (49:00)

Links:

Jason Dickinson, Ph.D., acting chairperson, Social Work and Child Advocacy, Montclair State University (New Jersey)

Debra Poole, Ph.D., experimental faculty, Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University 

Martine Powell, Ph.D., professor, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia)

National Science Foundation

Crimson Barocca, LCSW-C, forensic interview program supervisor, Baltimore Child Advocacy Center (Baltimore, Maryland)

Leyla Sandler, MSW, LICSW, forensic services director, Safe Shores, the D.C. Children’s Advocacy Center

TF-CBT, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Mister Rogers

Nicole Lytle, Ph.D., assistant professor, Social Work and Child Advocacy, Montclair State University

“Montclair Researchers Aid Child Witnesses With Tele-Forensic Interviewing,” Patch, March 27, 2020

Additional information on teleforensic interviewing at Children’s Advocacy Centers can be found on the COVID-19 resource page on NCA's website.

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org. And you can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/OneinTenPodcast.

 

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Today’s episode is a bit of bonus content for you. Adverse childhood experiences—also known as ACEs—can have lifelong effects. But does that mean we should screen everyone for ACEs? Recently, we spoke to Dr. David Finkelhor, from the Crimes Against Children Research Center and the University of New Hampshire, about the change in rates of abuse and neglect over time. If you listened to that episode, “Bad News Is a Story; Good News Is a Statistic,” what you didn’t hear was the conversation we had about the idea of universal screening for ACEs. Would such screening actually help? If not, what would? We spoke for just a few minutes on the topic, but we think you’ll find it interesting.

Topics in this episode:

• When screening works best (1:28)
• Our under-resourced behavioral health system (7:23)
• Our next episode (11:01)

Links:

David Finkelhor, Ph.D., sociology professor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, and co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire

“Bad News Is a Story, Good News Is a Statistic” 

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org. And visit One in Ten on Facebook at facebook.com/OneinTenPodcast

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Research shows that about 75% of physical abuse starts as physical discipline gone terribly awry. We have years of data showing spanking is ineffective—and in fact, harmful to kids. But often the topic is treated as a third rail by many child abuse professionals: avoided and ignored.

We spoke to Stacie LeBlanc, CEO of The UP Institute and a champion of no-hit zones. Why is it so difficult for child abuse professionals to discuss spanking with parents? How do we get past the culture wars on this topic? And how can we open a respectful conversation that moves beyond “Well, I turned out fine”? How can no-hit zones help?

This episode was recorded over Zoom, and there are some minor sound quality issues.

Topics in this episode:

·         Concerns for kids during the pandemic (1:17)

·         Connection between spanking and physical abuse (2:53)

·         The research (4:15)

·         Poyvictimization and adverse childhood experiences (6:03)

·         A common problem that’s hard to talk about (8:05)

·         Handling parents’ objections (13:17)

·         A respectful approach (21:00)

·         Banning spanking, changing social norms (2:48)

·         How to start a no-hit zone (26:23)

·         Our next episode (34:06)

Links:

Stacie LeBlanc, CEO of The UP Institute

No Hit Zone Toolkit

The No Hit Zone concept was created in 2005 by Dr. Lolita McDavid at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio

Elizabeth Gershoff, Ph.D.

Painless Parenting

National No Hit Zone Committee

Stop Spanking

U.S. Alliance to End the Hitting of Children has a list of organizations with policy statements on this topic

American Academy of Pediatrics, put out a policy statement in November 2018

Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children has a map of global progress on the issue

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org.

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Child protection professionals have tough jobs on any day. Add in a pandemic, and you’re piling stress on top of stress. We talked to Françoise Mathieu, executive director of TEND, an academy in Canada offering resources and training to address the needs of workers in high-stress, trauma-exposed workplaces like Children’s Advocacy Centers and their partner agencies. 

Françoise is a globally recognized expert on addressing burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma in these high-stress workplaces. Naturally, she’s a great person to talk to about how to cope with the added stress and fear of a pandemic while working in fields that already have their share of these issues on the best of days. What’s a healthy response? Why should we stop saying, “Well, when things go back to normal …”? How do we deal with the ever-present feeling that we’re not doing enough? And how do we care for ourselves and our colleagues while keeping our distance? This interview was recorded on Zoom, and there are minor fluctuations in sound quality.

Topics in this episode:

·         Reacting to the pandemic: denial first (1:28)

·         Feeling guilty that you’re not doing enough (8:23)

·         Grief and the new normal (19:11)

·         Caring for yourself and others (31:34)

·         A sense of moral injury (38:40)

·         Healthy habits to get you through the crisis (43:21)

·         Free resources (50:50)

·         Our next episode (53:58)

Links:

Françoise Mathieu, executive director of TEND

“This Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint: Strategies to Address Wear & Tear in Helping Professionals During COVID-19”

Black swan theory 

NCAC

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink

Linda Cordisco Steele

“Leaders Are People Too: Staying Well During COVID-19,” interview with Dr. Patricia Fisher 

Karen Hangartner

TEND’s COVID-19 resources.“Feet on the Floor.” The Three Minute Breathing Space. Staying Well During COVID-19.

Secondary Traumatic Stress Consortium COVID-19 Resources

NCA’s COVID-19 response page

Stephen Covey’s Circles of Concern and Influence (video)

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org.

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Prof. David Finkelhor joined us to discuss a recent one-year uptick in rates of child sexual abuse in the U.S.—and the longer-term reduction in rates of abuse and neglect (down more than 60% since 1992). What might have caused the uptick? And why are we so quick to spot bad news when the bigger news of a substantial decrease gets so little attention? Does child abuse prevention education in schools work? And what do we need to do to keep driving rates of abuse down?

Topics in this episode:

·         An uptick in child sexual abuse? Should we be concerned? (1:34)

·         Rates of abuse and neglect in the U.S. have gone down more than 60% since 1992 (4:49)

·         Could our success make people take the issue less seriously? (13:34)

·         Prevention education (18:20)

·         Interesting research questions (23:40)

·         Learning from COVID-19 responses and innovation (26:44)

·         Our next episode—if you like the podcast, please share it! (31:15)

Links:

David Finkelhor, Ph.D., sociology professor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center, and co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire

Children’s Bureau (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System

Minnesota Student Survey

National Crime Victimization Survey (U.S. Department of Justice)

Steven Pinker’s Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now

Erin’s Law

NCA’s COVID-19 resources page is publicly available and includes telemental health resources

For more information about National Children’s Alliance and the work of Children’s Advocacy Centers, visit our website at nationalchildrensalliance.org.

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