The following post was written by one of our Social Work interns, Kyle, who’s been interning with us since August. He’s attending Oakland University and wishes to pursue a career in the Human Service Field. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is classified as a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress as a result of an injury or severe psychological shock. The person experiencing PTSD typically recalls the event in vivid recall, and often even has dreams replaying the event over again; this individual typically finds themselves disconnecting from their loved ones, feeling depresse ..read more

The holidays can be a magical and exciting time for children as family get-togethers begin, receiving presents, and making memories with loved ones. However, for others, it can be a particularly blue time of the year as holidays can bring feelings of sadness, anxiousness, and loss. This could be especially true for those who experienced a trauma such as abuse, neglect, or death of a loved one. The holidays for these children can be triggering as it can be a reminder of the time when they were abused, or that their loved ones are no longer around. Figuring out if a child is hiding sadness, or ..read more

The following post was written by one of our Social Work interns, Brooke, who’s been interning with us since August. She’s attending Saginaw Valley State University and wishes to pursue a career in the Human Services Field. “Several popular dating apps, including Tinder, have failed to protect children from being sexually exploited on their platforms, a new report charges.” WHAT IS TINDER? Tinder is basically a free dating app that matches people based off of several different factors. These include age, location and mutual friends and interests. If you come across a person you’re interes ..read more

The percentages of individuals who have experienced cyberbullying at some point in their lifetimes have nearly doubled (18% to 34%) from 2007-2016. October is National Bullying Awareness Month. As many know, Bullying remains a serious problem in today’s society. It is unwanted, aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort.  Cyberbullying is willful and repeated harm inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices. Cyberbullying has become the most prevalent form of bullying in today’s society. Wi ..read more

The following post is written by one of our Criminal Justice interns, Bianca, who has been interning with us since September. Bianca attends Oakland University and is interested in pursuing a career in the Human Services Field. Child sexual abuse is more prevalent than most people realize. CDC research indicates that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are victims of abuse. It is important to note that the vast majority of sexual abuse is under reported. In 2006, Child Protective Agencies had 3.6 million referrals, involving the alleged maltreatment of children. About a quarter resulted in a substan ..read more

The following post is written by one of our Criminal Justice interns, Chelsey, who has been interning with us since August. Chelsey attends Central Michigan University and is interested in pursuing a career in the Human Services Field.   “The internet is a wonderful tool, but technology is increasing faster than the safety message is.”  Children are using the internet more frequently in today’s society. There are a variety of ways they are using technology such as, tablets, TV’s, computers, and cell phones. Often times, children are given a tablet or phone to keep them occupied and distracted ..read more

 "One out of every 4 children attending school has been exposed to a traumatic event that can affect learning and/or behavior." As a new school year begins, it is important for school administrators, teachers, and staff to be aware of the number of students who are impacted by trauma. As children spend the majority of their time within their schools throughout the year, school personnel are at the front line of recognizing the symptoms of trauma in their students. Unfortunately, with trauma, the symptoms can go unrecognized, as they can be mistaken for ADHD and other behavioral problems. This ..read more

The following post is written by one of our Criminal Justice interns, Jared, who has been interning with us since May. Jared attends The University Of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is interested in pursuing a career in law. Larry Nassar, a former USA gymnastics physician and Michigan State employee, molested an unprecedented amount of children that were under his “care”. Practicing for nearly 40 years, Nassar was able to use the guise of medical treatment to get his victims alone, often inviting them to his house for one-on-one sessions. His position and credibility allowed him to perform unlawfu ..read more

The following post is written by one of our Criminal Justice interns, Meloddy, who has been interning with us since May. Meloddy attends Oakland University and is interested in pursuing a career in the Human Service Field.   Below is a story of a Metro Detroit sex trafficking survivor who believes more protection is needed for kids in every neighborhood to combat the issue of human trafficking in our communities. According to WXYZ Detroit, Flores is a ..read more

The following post is written by one of our Criminal Justice interns, Megan, who has been interning with us since May. Megan attends Western Michigan University and is interested in pursuing a career in government. People always talk about the psychological effects that physical and/or sexual abuse can have on a person but what about emotional abuse? Let’s start off with what emotional abuse is exactly…. Emotional abuse (or psychological abuse) is “any abusive behavior that isn’t physical, which may include verbal aggression, intimidation, manipulation, and humiliation, which most often unfold ..read more