WHAT: As parents and others cope with fears and anguish over the deaths and maiming of innocent victims of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, Dr. Tanya Sharpe is available to speak to the media about how to help people confront the trauma and how to reassure children. This is especially pertinent given the death of an 8-year-old child. WHO: Tanya Sharpe, PhD, MSW, assistant professor at the School of Social Work, has experience working with victims of violence including children who witness violence or the traumatic death of relatives, or people in their communities. Dr. Sharpe helped to develop and teaches Master’s of Social Work courses including: Social Work Response to Mass Violence and Disaster, Qualitative Cross-Cultural Research, and Human Behavior and the Social Environment. Bio: http://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/faculty_and_research/bios/sharpe/
WHEN: Dr. Sharpe can be interviewed at 401-706-3829, or by email: [email protected] The following comment is available for immediate release. INFO: What’s a parent to say or do? Dr. Sharpe responds: “Making room for truthful dialogue about disaster planning and practice in our homes, schools and communities must, unfortunately, be incorporated into the ‘new normal.’ Reestablishing a sense of familiar routine (e.g., attending school, recess, homework, family dinners, etc.) can be helpful for children and families’ mental stability. In the aftermath of mass violence incidents it is important that the public support and sustain a sense of calm, and communicate accurate information.”
The University of Maryland is home to the Graduate School and schools of dentistry, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work and it is the founding campus of the University System of Maryland.
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