It was at an Easter Sunday family brunch that Catherine Spoerl found her son James staring out the kitchen window with tears rolling down his face. The year was 2002, and the news regarding the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston sex abuse scandal had just broken. Cass, as she is called, remembers...
Part II: The Hidden Crisis of Sibling Sexual Abuse Part I of “The Hidden Crisis of Sibling Sexual Abuse” shone a rare spotlight on the silent epidemic of sibling sexual abuse (SSA) that affects a staggering number of families in our nation. In last week’s blog post, we examined the prevalence,...
Sibling relationships are some of the most powerful yet undervalued in the family lives of children and adolescents. Not only are sibling relationships often the most enduring in the family, but they also play a significant role in identity formation, attachment, as well as social, cognitive, and...
Well, well, well: Pennsylvania lawmakers and Governor Wolf had no problem reaching an agreement on the annual budget. We can thank federal covid relief for filling state coffers. Did you hear the celebrations coming from Harrisburg offices? Yup! It’s time for summer vacation!! Who can...
*Updated as of 3/31/23 Over the past three years, more than 400 bills targeting the trans community have been introduced across the United States. These bills are part of the coordinated movement by conservative legislators to limit the rights of all transgender[i]people, and many of these...
Our nation’s child welfare system exists to fulfill society’s collective commitment to protecting children when they become victims of serious abuse. Unfortunately, this system is deeply flawed, and youth involved in child welfare services are often retraumatized, revictimized, or otherwise poorly...
Delores stands next to a pink rosebush planted by counseling center staff to honor her courage and bravery. There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you ~ Maya Angelou As a trauma...
Cognitive biases are tendencies to make certain decisions or behave in certain ways. Cognitive biases are predictable behavioral or decision patterns that all humans share. Often, these biases use mental shortcuts to make decision-making faster and easier. And these shortcuts are usually good....
The latest issue of The Pennsylvania Lawyer magazine features an article by attorney Ashish Joshi, who is a proponent of the so-called “parental alienation defense.” The article includes extensive discussion on the purported merits of parental alienation theory in our family court system. The...