Author: TYA_StaffWriter

Child sexual assault — statutes of limitations laws in your state

Each state has laws that prevent a child sex offender from being prosecuted.

When a crime is committed, there is a window of time that a state has to charge the perpetrator. The laws that determine this time frame are called criminal statutes of limitations.

As high-profile cases of sexual violence continue to make headlines—and as survivors seek to report crimes—it can help to have a better understanding of these laws and how they vary.

From the legal definition of rape to the statute of limitation for a particular sex crime, where you live makes a difference. Here’s a guide to the laws in your state.

Learn More About the Issues

Follow RAINN on Twitter at @rainnaction to be the first to know about our state policy work. #ActWithRAINN

RAINN.org- https://www.rainn.org/public-policy-action

Does Social and Emotional Learning Belong in the Classroom?

Asking if SEL should occur in a classroom is like asking if breathing should happen in the room.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has been gathering traction as a new education trend over the past few years. Back at the start of 2018, EdWeek was noting “Experts Agree Social-Emotional Learning Matters, and Are Plotting Roadmap of How To Do It.” But many folks still haven’t gotten far beyond the “it matters” stage in their plotting.

That’s the easy part. We can mostly agree that SEL matters; in fact, we ought to agree that it already happens in classrooms. It’s impossible to avoid; where children are around adults, SEL is going on.

Asking if SEL should occur in a classroom is like asking if breathing should happen in the room.

The real question is whether or not it should occur in a formal, structured, instructed and assessed manner. That is the question that starts all the arguments. We can break down the arguments by asking the same questions we ask about any content we want to bring into the classroom.

Why do we want to teach this?

Some SEL proponents have developed a utilitarian focus. Summarizing the work of the Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional and Academic Development, EdWeek said “social-emotional learning strategies center on research that has linked the development of skills like building healthy peer relationships and responsible decision-making to success inside and outside the classroom.” But what happens if we approach what used to be called character education with the idea that it’s useful for getting ahead?

Doesn’t SEL need to be about more than learning to act like a good person in order to get a grade, a job, and a fatter paycheck?

Are you even developing good character if your purpose for developing that character is to grab some benefits for yourself?

We can reject that kind of selfish focus for SEL and instead focus on the “whole child,” and treat SEL, as Tim Shriver (co-chair of that Aspen Institute) and Frederick Hess (of the American Enterprise Institute) wrote, as “an opportunity to focus on values and student needs that matter deeply to parents and unite Americans across the ideological spectrum—things like integrity, empathy, and responsible decision making.” But then we find ourselves with another problem.

What do we want to teach?

If we’re going to adopt SEL in order to essentially teach students to be better people, then who will decide what “better” looks like? Is “tolerance” going to be one of the virtues, and if so, does that mean that students must learn to tolerate persons who would not be tolerated by their families (be that married gay folks or strict religious conservatives)? Should students be taught to feel empathy for everyone, from Nazis to sociopaths?

Source: Forbes.com. Peter Greene, Senior Contributor. Does social and emotional learning belong in the classroom. ww.forbes.com/sites/petergreene/2019/08/22/does-social-and-emotional-learning-belong-in-the-classroom/ Accessed: August 26, 2019.

New Study: Linking Fast Food to Teen Depression

Preteens are known for their defiant attitudes and dramatic mood swings, but over the last decade a much more disturbing characteristic has been increasing: depression.

A new study finds that one culprit may be a high fast-food, low plant–based diet. When researchers at the University of Alabama, Birmingham analyzed urine from a group of middle schoolers, they found high levels of sodium and low levels of potassium.

“High sodium, you’ve got to think of highly processed food,” said lead author Sylvie Mrug, Chair of the psychology department at UAB. “This includes fast food, frozen meals and unhealthy snacks. Low potassium, is an indication of a diet that lacks healthy fruits and vegetables that are rich in potassium, such as beans, sweet potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, bananas, oranges, avocados, yogurt and even salmon.”

The study also found that higher urine levels of sodium, and potassium at baseline, predicted more signs of depression a year and a half later, even after adjusting for variables such as blood pressure, weight, age and sex.

“The study findings make sense, as potassium-rich foods are healthy foods,” said dietitian Lisa Drayer, a CNN health and nutrition contributor. “So, if adolescents include more potassium-rich foods in their diet, they will likely have more energy and feel better overall — which can lead to a better sense of well-being and improved mental health.”

Disturbing trend

Depression among middle schoolers is on the rise. An analysis of national data found the rate of major depressive episodes among kids 12 to 17 within the last year had increased by a whopping 52% between 2005 and 2017.

The rate of depression, psychological distress and suicidal thoughts over the last year among older teens and young adults was even higher: 63%. Many factors could be contributing to the deadly trend among teens, including a chronic lack of sleep, an overuse of social media, even a fear of climate change.

Prior studies have similarly found a link between fast food, processed baked goods and depression in adults. One study in Spain followed almost 9,000 people over six years and found a 48% higher risk of depression in those who ate more highly processed foods.

Small sample, more research needed

The new study was small — only 84 middle school girls and boys, 95% African-American from low-income homes. But the methods were solid: They captured overnight urine samples to objectively test for high sodium and low potassium at baseline and again a year and a half later. Symptoms of depression were gathered on both occasions during interviews with the children and their parents.

But the study could only find an association between sodium and depression, not a cause and effect, and much more research needs to be done, Mrug said.

“It might also be true that a poor diet could be linked to other risk factors for depression, such as social isolation, lack of support, lack of resources and access to healthcare and substance abuse,” Drayer said.

“It might be hard to tease out if diet is the factor or simply a marker for other risk factors for depression.”

Healthy foods for teens:

Hard Boiled Eggs, Apples, String-cheese, Soft pretzels, Almonds, Peanut butter, anything with calcium.

Girls need extra iron:

  • Beef
  • Poultry
  • Pork
  • Clams
  • Oysters
  • Eggs

Good non-meat sources of iron include:

  • Vegetables (including spinach, green peas, and asparagus)
  • Beans
  • Nuts
  • Iron-fortified breads, cereal, rice, and pasta.

A multivitamin with 100% or less of the Daily Value for iron, vitamin D and other nutrients fills in the gaps in less-than-stellar diets.

CNN Health. Fast food and Teen Depression. https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/health/fast-food-teen-depression-wellness. Accessed August 30, 2019.

This is how to rewire your brain for happiness: 4 secrets from research

“Thoughts determine feelings.”
Remember that. Make a note. Get a tattoo.

This is an awesome article which can apply to anyone, at any age. Especially teens.

By Eric Barker, TheLadders.com

Someone compliments you and you think, “They don’t mean it.” Something good happens and you hear, “I don’t deserve this.” You’re meeting new people and it’s, “They won’t like me.”

And you usually accept those words because they’re coming from inside your head. It’s like the horror movie where the calls from the killer are coming from inside the house.

These are called “automatic thoughts.” And they suck. But we all know the answer: you just need to think happy thoughts, right? Wrong. Let’s get our psychology lessons from somewhere other than Instagram memes, alright? “Think happy thoughts” doesn’t help unless you don’t need help.

From The Confidence Gap:

Their study, entitled “Positive Self-Statements: Power for Some, Peril for Others,” … showed that people with low self-esteem actually feel worse after repeating positive self-statements such as “I am a lovable person” or “I will succeed.” Rather than being helpful, these positive thoughts typically triggered a strong negative reaction and a resultant low mood.

So when you’re really feeling down, happy cliches won’t cut it. Nope. So we’re gonna need to science the hell out of this one. We need to rewire your brain, bubba.

From Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders:

This new approach— cognitive therapy— suggests that the individual’s problems are derived largely from certain distortions of reality based on erroneous premises and assumptions. These incorrect conceptions originated in defective learning during the person’s cognitive development. Regardless of their origin, it is relatively simple to state the formula for treatment: The therapist helps a patient to unravel his distortions in thinking and to learn alternative, more realistic ways to formulate his experiences.

It’s not hard or expensive, but it’s gonna take some practice. (Look, if you can spend 10 minutes taking a Facebook quiz to find out which Harry Potter character you are, you can spend 5 minutes a day to live a happier life, alright?). And once you get good at this it won’t just make you happier — these techniques are proven to help with all kinds of issues from procrastination to anxiety to anger.

From Thoughts and Feelings:

Challenging automatic thoughts is a powerful way to counter perfectionism, curb procrastination, and relieve depression and anxiety. It is also helpful in treating low self-esteem, shame and guilt, and anger. The techniques in this chapter are based on the cognitive therapy of Aaron Beck (1976), who pioneered this method of analyzing automatic thoughts and composing rational comebacks to refute and replace distorted thinking.

We’re gonna get some solid answers from Dr. Matthew McKay’s “Thoughts and Feelings” and even roll psychologically old school with UPenn professor Aaron Beck’s 1979 classic “Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders.”

Let’s get to it…

Cognitive Therapy 101

“Thoughts determine feelings.” Remember that. Make a note. Get a tattoo. This powerful idea goes back thousands of years to the Stoics. Aaron Beck even quotes Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus (the Biggie and Tupac of Stoicism) in his book.

From Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders:

If thou are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thine own judgment about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgment now. – Marcus Aurelius

“Always trust your feelings” sounds sweet but you wouldn’t tell that to someone with a phobia, a hoarding problem, or — god forbid — homicidal impulses, would you? No. Teenagers and golden retrievers are excellent at blindly following their feelings but neither are regularly consulted on their decision-making skills. Continue reading…

If Your Kid Has Anxiety, Take These Steps

“Hovering and helicopter parenting doesn’t make children safe; it makes them anxious,” Dr. Cohen says.

Approximately 4.4 million children ages 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety. Experts say kids whose parents exhibit anxious behaviors are more likely to show signs of anxiety themselves.

Here are six techniques for helping children handle anxiety.

1. First, empathize. “Have your child explain what he’s anxious about, and listen carefully,” says Jephtha Tausig, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist in New York City. Then, show you understand by using supportive language, such as, “It’s normal to feel nervous about taking the bus for the first time.” Don’t judge, dismiss or ridicule your child’s fears.

2. Teach ways to self-calm. Help your kid think of strategies she can use when she feels anxious. For young children, you might suggest turning to a favorite stuffed animal for comfort. Or counting. “Ask your child to give the anxiety a number from one to ten — or 1 to 100 — and then have her slowly count down from that number to zero,” Dr. Cohen says. An older kid could practice deep breathing or write her thoughts down on paper and then tear it up and throw it away.

You can also teach your kid to use positive self-talk.  For example, “I studied for the test, so I should do well,” instead of “I’m probably going to fail the test.” And, of course, let your child know she can come to you if she needs help.

3. Model calm behavior when facing your anxieties. “If you panic when confronted with certain things, like insects or thunderstorms, then your children may also come to view these things as dangerous or frightening,” Dr. Tausig says. Even if you think you’re hiding it, your child senses your anxiety.

“Children are smart, and many will pick up on things even if they aren’t explicitly mentioned,” says Dr. Tausig.

4. Consider your parenting style. “Hovering and helicopter parenting doesn’t make children safe; it makes them anxious,” Dr. Cohen says.

“Doing too much for your children, instead of allowing for manageable challenges, gives children the idea that their parents don’t think they are competent, which makes the world very scary,” he says.

5. Gradually confront the anxiety trigger. “You can take any situation that makes your child anxious and create a bravery ladder that gradually allows your child to face her fear,” says Dr. Pincus.

She recommends breaking the objective down into baby steps, making each one a touch harder.

For example, if your child’s anxiety is about attending a sleepover, a bottom step might be sleeping in a sibling’s room, a couple of steps up might be sleeping at a cousin’s house, and the very top could be going to a sleepover at a friend’s house.

6. Know when to get help. If your child’s fears or worries fit the criteria of an anxiety disorder mentioned above, discuss it with his pediatrician or a mental health provider.  Read more…

Reference:  Goodhousekeeping.com

How Your Parents Behaviors Shape Who You Are Today

If your mom was constantly stressed, you were more likely to be worse at math.

Whether your parents were your best friends or you barely knew them, your relationship with Mom and Dad had an impact on who you are today.

At least that’s what Sigmund Freud said when he theorized that our adult personality develops from early childhood experiences, an insight empirically tested by attachment theory and developmental psychology through the 20th century up until today.

Here are 10 ways your parents shaped who you are today.

1. If your mother was constantly juggling multiple jobs, you are likely to suffer from stress.

2. If your parents spoke negatively about their body, you are more likely to have low self-confidence.  Continue Reading…

Meet The Psychologists Helping Teens to Manage Mental Health and Reduce Self-harm

The DBT service aims to replace problematic behaviours with skillful ones, help teenagers navigate relationships and experience a range of emotions without necessarily acting on them.

By Bethan ShufflebothamCommunity Reporter

Five years ago there were no specific interventions for young people who were self-harming and feeling suicidal outside of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and family therapy.

In December 2014, the Trust’s Children and Adult Mental Health Service (CAMHS), was set up to meet the growing demand of young people with high levels of mental health needs in North Staffordshire.

Specifically, the team assisted teenagers aged 13 to 17 going through emotional difficulties which were causing them to self-harm or attempt to take their own lives.

The aim is to replace problematic behaviors with skillful ones, help teenagers navigate relationships and experience a range of emotions without necessarily acting on them.

Some states now allow students to take “mental health days.” This is an opportunity to start a conversation about how to address mental health in schools. Continue reading…

Here’s Why Your Teen Feels Constantly Criticized

Whether or not [parents] actually express more criticism than praise, teens and tweens are particularly susceptible to a distorted way of thinking referred to as mental filtering.

By Alisa Crossfield, Ph.D., Psychology Today

One of the most common complaints I hear from my tween, teen and young adult clients is that their parents harp on what they do wrong and never recognize all they do right.

At times, I have heard it from my own kids as well. Though there is the rare occasion when this is an accurate reflection of what parents think, more often one of two things are happening, and often both.

One of the culprits in maintaining kids’ beliefs that parents only see what they do wrong stems from our desire to help them. That desire translates into a never-ending flow of constructive criticism.

Whether or not [parents] actually express more criticism than praise, teens and tweens are particularly susceptible to a distorted way of thinking referred to as mental filtering. 

Continue reading: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotionally-healthy-teens/201906/feeling-constantly-criticized

Almost two-thirds of children worry ‘all the time’

Article by BBC News:  Research among 700 children aged 10 and 11 for the mental-health charity Place2Be suggests almost two-thirds worry “all the time”.  Here’s what 10 and 11 year olds worry about the most…

Read… www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-38861155

Florida joins New York and Virginia in requiring yearly mental health courses to public middle and high school students

Florida public schools will be required to teach at least five hours of mental health instruction to all students in sixth through twelfth grades every year.
— Read on abcnews.go.com/US/florida-require-mental-health-courses-public-schools-beginning/story