From RAND
In a 2005 national study, researchers found that more than half the children asked had been physically assaulted in the recent year; more than 1 in 8 had suffered child mistreatment; 1 in 12 had been sexually victimized. What to do, not only about such ferocious harm to young people but also to try to ease their fear, anxiety, depression and even post-traumatic stress syndrome? That once might have been the sole province of therapists or other mental health professionals. But with school budgets in free fall and violence against and around children all too common, researchers have tried to provide teachers and counselors with tools to address the pressing needs and concerns of traumatized kids. They worked for a decade with UCLA and LAUSD and pilot-tested their program in real-life settings with poor minority kids, mostly inner city Los Angeles Latino youths. The therapeutic approach shows promise and is now getting wider exposure.
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