The arrest of former St. Margaret Mary Parish Pastor Stephen Pohl on federal child pornography charges proves the value of teaching children about abuse, and how important it is to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. The case began only after a student told his mother the priest had pulled him aside after school to take a series of photos on his cellphone. When Pohl asked him to sit with his hands on his knees, with his legs spread apart, the boy followed the priest’s orders, but told his mom it felt “weird.” Over a few days, the boy’s […]

The Indianapolis Star recently published a letter from Cathleen Graham, MSW, LCSW, and executive director of the Indiana Association of Resources and Child Advocacy (IARCA), thanking Indiana Gov. Mike Pence for supporting the state Department of Child Services through authorizing the hiring of 113 additional staff to keep up with and manage the influx of cases. Citing a 26.1 percent increase in the number of children who are in Indiana’s welfare system, Graham noted the increase is needed to provide appropriate services. Currently, IARCA agencies, serve about 3,900 children every day in foster homes, group homes and residential treatment facilities. […]

By Janice Wood Psych Central Children who have been abused or exposed to other types of trauma typically experience more intense emotions than their peers. But a new study has found that, with a little help, those children can learn to regulate their emotions, which could help them cope with difficult situations, as well as benefit more from therapy. A University of Washington-led team of researchers studied what happens in the brains of maltreated adolescents when they viewed emotional images, and then tried to control their responses to them. The researchers found that with a little guidance, these children have […]

The Associated Press A report by the Global Health Communication Center at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis found that adolescent sexual assault is “far too common” in the state. The report, “An Investigation into Adolescent Sexual Assault Underreporting in Indiana,” was made public last week at the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana’s meeting. “It confirms a lot of what we thought we knew and raises a lot of questions about things we still need to know,” said Democratic state Rep. Christina Hale of Indianapolis, who advocated for the study and presented its findings to the commission, along […]