The National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence is asking mental health professionals, especially those working with children and families who have experienced violence, for their input as part of a nationwide initiative to prevent children’s exposure to violence and to reduce the negative effects experienced by those who have already been exposed.
The task force is part of the Attorney General’s Defending Childhood Initiative, a project that aims to reduce children’s exposure to violence in the United States, which the task force says has reached “epidemic levels.”
In November 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder assigned the 13 experts on the task force with looking for new ways to prevent, treat and reduce children’s exposure to violence. The findings will be submitted to Holder at the end of the year and developed into a report. The task force says the report “will serve as a blueprint for preventing children’s exposure to violence and for reducing the negative effects experienced by children exposed to violence across the United States.”
The task force is asking that community members and professionals working with children and families who have experienced violence take action by attending or testifying at a public hearing, submitting written testimony, or visiting its website.
Source: The National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, SAMHSA
Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.