Dr. Bruce D. Perry to Speak on Assessing and Treating Traumatized Children

Sept. 22, 2011 - PRLog -- Adelphi University Institute for Parenting is proud to present internationally-renowned authority on child maltreatment and neuropsychology, Bruce D. Perry M.D., Ph.D., at the Fifth Annual Master Seminar: Early Experience, Child Maltreatment, Trauma, and the Neurosequential Model© of Assessment and Treatment on November 3, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Adelphi’s Ruth S. Harley University Center, second floor, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. After his presentation, Dr. Perry will be signing books from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The books will be available for purchase.

Recent research explains that with positive nurturing and caregiving experiences, the brain develops healthy capabilities. When an infant’s cries lead to his being comforted, pathways develop in his brain that will help him learn how to get his needs met. Overtime, these pathways are strengthened by continued positive experiences. An infant whose cries are met with abuse develops different pathways in his brain. That child’s ability to be calmed will be impaired. Without intervention, these undesirable pathways and connections will cause developmental derailment. As that young child grows older, the ongoing emotional and behavioral challenges that he struggles with will have their roots in how the pathways in his brain formed during this early critical period of development.  

During the presentation Dr. Perry will discuss several essential, basic principles of brain development that are critical when working with traumatized children. He will also describe the “Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics”© (NMT), developed by Dr. Perry himself, and explain how to apply it when treating traumatized children. With the use of therapeutic activities, NMT is designed to provide consistency, familiarity, nurturance, predictability, and a sense of control to the maltreated child. Dr. Perry will use case examples to clarify these concepts and describe clinical situations in which NMT can be used effectively.  

Dr. Perry is the Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy, a non-profit organization based in Houston, Texas which aims to improve the lives of high-risk children through research, direct service, and education. Dr. Perry is known as a teacher, clinician, and researcher in children’s mental health and the neurosciences. His research centers on examining the long-term effects of trauma on children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Perry has acted as a consultant on multiple high-profile cases involving traumatized children, including the well-known 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado. Along with Maia Szalavitz, Dr. Perry coauthored The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, the best-selling book based on his work with maltreated children, and, more recently, Born for Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered.  

The Adelphi University Institute for Parenting strengthens families by providing programs which support and increase parents’ abilities to create healthy, nurturing, and developmentally-appropriate environments. These programs include training, service, and research for parents, educators, students, and service providers within a culturally-sensitive framework.

Registration is required to attend this event. Visit Adelphi.edu/parentinginstitute or call (516) 877-3060 for the full program details and registration information. Program fees for this event start at $125 for early registration (before October 1) or $145 for regular registration (on or after October 1). The fee for full-time Adelphi faculty is $85 and $68 for registered full-time Adelphi students.

About Adelphi University: Adelphi is a world class, modern university with excellent and highly relevant programs where students prepare for lives of active citizenship and professional careers. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,000 students from 41 states and 60 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University, chartered in 1896, maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.

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Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island.