Psychologists Help Raise Awareness During April's National Child Abuse Prevention Month WHAT: Throughout National Child Abuse Prevention Month, psychologists with expertise in child abuse and prevention are available to discuss related topics, including:

• Parental training for at-risk families• Prevention of shaken-baby syndrome• Evidence-based child welfare programs• How housing can impact child welfare

WHO:

Sharon Portwood, PhD, JDInstitute for Social CapitalUniversity of North Carolina at CharlotteWork phone: (704) 687-7916 or (704) 687-3296Cell phone: (980)254-2345Email: [email protected]

Expertise: Executive director of Institute for Social Capital and professor of public health services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Can speak about child abuse and trauma, family violence, psychology and law, public policy, therapeutic jurisprudence and violence prevention.

Karen S. Budd, PhDFamily and Community ServicesDePaul University, ChicagoWork phone: (773) 325-2020Email: [email protected]

Expertise: Professor of psychology and director of clinical training at DePaul University and director of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Program at DePaul's Family and Community Services. Can discuss training to strengthen parenting skills and decrease risk of child abuse and neglect and forensic assessment of parenting capability in child protection cases.

John Lutzker, PhDCenter for Healthy DevelopmentGeorgia State University, AtlantaWork phone: (404) 413-1284Home phone: (770) 841-0522Email: [email protected]

Expertise: Center for Healthy Development, professor of public health at Georgia State University. Can discuss evidence-based skills training for parents to prevent child abuse.

Preston A. Britner, PhDUniversity of ConnecticutWork Phone: (860) 486-3765Email: [email protected]

Expertise: Professor of human development and family studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut. Can speak about the intersection of housing and child welfare; primary prevention of child abuse and neglect through the promotion of positive parenting practices; preventing traumatic brain injury (shaken baby syndrome); social policy and law affecting children and families; and family-focused, community-based programs.

David J. Kolko, PhD, ABPP University of Pittsburgh School of MedicineWestern Psychiatric Institute and ClinicPittsburgh, Penn.Work phone: (412) 246-5888Email: [email protected]

Expertise: Professor of psychiatry, psychology, pediatrics and clinical and translational science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the Special Service Unit at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. Can speak on assessment and treatment of family conflict, child physical abuse and children’s behavior problems, as well as efforts to disseminate evidence-based interventions to community-based, child welfare or mental health settings. BACKGROUND: An estimated 1,545 children died of neglect or abuse in 2011 and some 681,000 children were victims, according to the U.S. Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau. Psychologists help child abuse victims recover and they are also heavily involved in raising public awareness and developing effective prevention programs. For more information, visit: http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/abuse.aspx

________________________________________The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 134,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.

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