Morris County Psychological Association

Morris County Psychological Association 513 West Mount Pleasant Ave. Livingston, NJ (973) 533-1195 www.mcpanj.com

President Treasurer Program Chairperson Marc Gironda, Psy.D. Michael Zito, Ph.D . Jayne Shacter Walco, PhD . President-elect Secretary NJPA Representative Randy Bressler, Psy.D. Hayley Hirschmann, Ph.D. Francine Rosenberg, Psy.D.

Past President Webmaster Membership Morgan Murray, Ph.D. Francine Rosenberg, Psy.D. Carly Orenstein, Psy.D.

March 13, 2015 (Joint Meeting of MCPA and EUCAP)

***************************************** Faces of Fear – Children on the Run Roy Aranda, PsyD, JD ***************************************** Announcements by Marc Gironda : 1. All were welcomed to this yearly tradition of the Joint meeting of MCPA and EUCAP. 2. Susan Neigher has all the H.S. paper entries of the awards program and all will go out this weekend sometime for judging process to begin. Award ceremony will be at our June meeting 3. Reminder about 12:30 NJPA meeting today for anyone who can attend

Next meeting : March 8th – Dr. Debra Gill: How to Use Mindful Eating To Help Clients Who Struggle With Weight Meeting will be held at: The Wyndham Hamilton Park Conference Center 175 Park Ave, Florham Park Time: 9-10:30am meeting **Register on-line for meeting at www.mcpanj.com

1/14/15 MCPA meeting attendees: Mike Zito, Randy Bressler, Francine Rosenberg, Marc Gironda, Morgan Murray, Hayley Hirschmann, Carly Orenstein, Jayne Walco, Aaron Welt, Joshua Zavin, Marilyn Lyga, Susan Neigher, Jacob Steinberg, Michelle Villani, Ronald Gironda, Judi Amberg, Suzanne Hays, Christopher Lynch, Sarah Dougherty, Sharon Ryan Montgomery, Roy Aranda, Kim Arthur, Elizabeth Babyak, Phyllis Lakn, Dee Verhagen, Nydia Rolon, Rhonda Allen, Jessica Marques

Biographical Information: Dr. Aranda obtained a Psy.D. from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, in 1982, a 2-year post-doctoral degree in neuropsychology in 2001, and a law degree in 2007. He has been a licensed psychologist in NY since 1983.

Dr. Aranda is President of Long Island Psychological Consulting, P.C. He performed hundreds of forensic evaluations and was an expert in several high profile cases. Dr. Aranda has traveled extensively and made many presentations abroad and was awarded the honorary status of Visiting Professor at the John F. Kennedy University in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He made frequent presentations at universities and professional organizations and has written several articles.

Dr. Aranda is President-Elect of the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA), President of the Long Island Hispanic Bar Association, and Past-President of the Hispanic Neuropsychological Society. He has held and presently holds leadership roles in several professional organizations.

Dr. Aranda has received several awards throughout his career. He received SCPA’s Psychologist of the Year Award in 2013, a Distinguished Service Award by NYSPA in 2013, and NYSPA’s Diversity Award in 2014. Most recently, on January 17, 2015, he was an honoree at the First Annual NAACP Long Island Legacy Gala, "Honoring Men and Women Who Have Built or Continued Legacies on Long Island.”

Presentation: PTSD rears its ugly head in many different contexts; no one in the “line of fire” escapes the impact.

This presentation briefly reviewed different sources of PTSD and potential assessment and treatment- related issues, and delved into factors that prompt children to run in what has come to be known as the Border Crisis.

There are numerous sources of trauma in the unaccopmpanied alien children. Many of the children who arrive at the U.S. border are escaping unthinkable violence primarily from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The abuses and very high homicide rates, victimization of women and children, human trafficking including sex trafficking (aka “sex slave industry”) and labor trafficking, drug crimes, sequestrations, threats by “mareros” (gangs), and other abominations against human rights prompt many to flee just to stay alive.

Families are devastated and torn apart. Immigrants ride atop huge freight trains called “La Bestia” (the beast). Some die climbing the train or lose a limb when they fall under the track. Others are the victims of criminals who prey on them. Women and children may be sexually molested and raped. Dangerous gangs along the way kill victims who can’t pay the ransom they demand.

These child refugees suffer from a variety of illnesses, dehydration, and diarrhea. They are held in overcrowded detention facilities where as many as 1,200 children may be detained in jail-like conditions.

The following Five Stages provide a model for assessment upon which interventions can be recommended and made:

1) The emotional trauma exposed to in country of origin that prompted the decision to flee.

2 2) The dangers exposed to on the way to “freedom” and consequential emotional trauma.

3) The emotional trauma incurred by being placed in overcrowded “jail-like” detention facilities. These children, already vulnerable and emotionally fragile, face the added burden of not knowing what lies ahead and what is to become of them.

4) Adjusting to a life in the U.S. taking into consideration cultural, language, and financial barriers and separation from family and reliance on new caretakers. These children also must endure the emotional trauma of uncertainty: will they be allowed to remain in the U.S.?

5) The emotional trauma of having to return to country of origin in the event that relief is not granted.

Dr. Aranda discussed how ssessment needs to distinguish screenings, assessments in a particular context to respond to issues/questions raised in that setting, and more detailed comprehensive clinical evaluations and forensic evaluations.

A screening can take place immediately following arrival to the U.S. and placement in detention center or shelter; and a screening can take place later to address one or more needs/requirements.

An intervention point can be defined as an assessment done at a particular point in time in a particular setting, geared to address first and foremost situation-specific questions/needs.

The assessment is critical, as a starting point, and paves the way for services, treatments, interventions, referrals, etc. that will (hopefully) take place as a result, barring constraints (such as time; access to providers; financial; legal; regulations; etc.).

Putting aside the more cursory nature of a screening, a more detailed assessment begins in the here and now: in the present. The assessment must be thorough and detailed. But it does not stop in the here and now and must go back to "ground zero" for the child (Stage 1). This is likely where the trauma began to develop. What was his or her life like then and what prompted the decision to flee or escape?

It is important not to ignore or speed through the "journey", asking very detailed questions (Stage 2). Acknowledged this could take months.

Crossing over, albeit brief, may have left a deep emotional impact, as could the process of having been detained and the detention experience itself (Stage 3).

By the time these children arrive to destination points in the U.S. they are emotionally fragile and vulnerable. What lies ahead now? (Stage 4).

And the uncertainties about remaining in the U.S. – or not – will continue to add to their emotional burden (Stage 5).

3 Questions & Answers:

Comment: Someone in the audience shared about a 15y/o patient they saw and described the tremendous pressure they felt to work to help the patient stay in this country after patient reported ongoing sex abuse by a parent in their country of origin.

Comment: Need to acknowledge abuses by the border patrols too but it’s hard to find evidence to prove these so often just discussed as allegations of various abuses by them.

Q: Don’t you see a range of coping and resilience in these children though?

A: Yes and it seems to depend a lot on what is available to you in this country once you are here? Does the child have family? Resources? A tie to someone in the community or school system? Sometimes they use very negative coping strategies too like drugs, crime… here.

Dr. Aranda: Likes to do at least 3 appointments for his evaluations and bring in as many significant others as possible.

Q: How do you assess the “there and then” and stay sensitive to the kids ability to go back there without being re-traumatized?

A: I do this by using many methods in the assessment like story telling, involving other family members…

********************************

The monthly newsletter is being sent from [email protected], so please allow your spam- blockers to permit mail from this address.

****************************

For more information or to make a reservation for our next meetings, visit www.mcpanj.com

Respectfully submitted by: Hayley Hirschmann, Ph.D. MCPA Secretary