Stop The Cycle

Predicting and preventing youth and family violence

by Kathy Seifert, Ph.D., D.A.B.P.

Early Intervention Key To Stopping Gun Violence

People have been committing atrocious acts long before guns were invented. In order to truly make an effort against gun violence, we need to focus our efforts on prevention and early intervention. Read More

Violence:Explosion at the Intersection of Multiple Disorders

It is important to understand that the group of people that are violent have multiple problems which will likely include several of the following: axis I and Axis II mental illnesses, substance abuse, psychopathy, head injury, and histories of childhood trauma. Preventing violence will involve coordinated services for all problem areas. Read More

Another Mass Shooting: Who Is Dangerous and Who Is Not?

A dialogue is needed about: 1) How to determine whether someone is dangerous to self or others; 2) what can be done when professionals or family members have concerns about a person's dangerousness to others; 3) whether danger must be imminent in order to have someone committed to a forensic hospital for a thorough evaluation and treatment. Read More

Domestic Violence Harms All Family Members

Healthy families are necessary for the growth and development of healthy children. We should all be concerned about how domestic violence injures children and help find ways to stop it. Recovery from domestic violence is essential and should involve all family members, especially the children. Read More

Skill Development in the Face of Trauma

Skills that we all need to become effective adults develop in a natural sequence. Trauma can interfere with that sequence. Teaching any missed skills are important to help children grow up healthy. Read More

Violence and Mental Illness: Not a Direct Link

Red flags of risk for future violence have been identified in the research literature: belief in aggression as a means to an end, difficulty getting along with others, and major life stressors which injure self-esteem are a few. When there are red flags, effective treatment should be readily and easily available with strong outreach. Read More

Spanked! Rethinking Child Discipline

What does spanking look like through the eyes of a young child? It's a blurry line between physical punishment and just plain violence. Read More

Get Your Child to LOVE Cleaning His Room (and More)

Using wisdom passed down from generation to generation, here are three psychological tricks for raising great kids! Read More

Can a Child Be a Psychopath?

It seems improbable for a child to be classified as a psychopath, but the issue has come into the national spotlight and sparked wide-spread controversy. Read More

How Low-Budget Parents Create A Rich Childhood

Even when money is tight, there are still ways to provide the rich childhood your kids deserve. Read More

Decoding Pedro Hernandez: Suspected Killer of Etan Patz

Pedro Hernandez is now at the forefront of one of the most notorious missing child cases, and we look to see what may have triggered this unfortunate tragedy. Read More

Would You Handcuff a 6-Year Old?

Recently, two 6-year-old students were removed from their elementary classrooms by police. In both cases something had to be done, but the questions remain: Should six-year-old kids really ever be taken away by police? Is using handcuffs crossing the line? Read More

Why MD’s and Therapists Should Talk Often

With health care costs rising, here's an idea to create high-quality, affordable care for everyone. Read More

Why Bullying Is an Adult Problem

With the national spotlight and media’s attention, now is the time to rethink the bullying issue. Here is what you can do to help. Read More

How Midlife Chaos Creates Your Greatest Self

From my personal experience and 30 years as a mental health professional, I've learned that midlife presents you with two options: You can be forced to ride a scary and chaotic roller coaster ride, or you can willingly get on it, strap yourself in, and enjoy the twists and turns. Which one will you choose? Read More

Five Ways Children Overcome Tragedy

Traumatic events are often shocking to deal with, but for young children, they may not even make sense. As adults, what can we do to help children overcome their earliest tragedies so that they do not come back to haunt them later on in life? Read More

How a Child Killer Slipped Past the System

In the wake of horrific murders, the question still lingers: How did a potentially psychopathic child killer slip past the police, a court judge, and the state’s Department of Health and Social Services? Read More

Who Needs a Pill for Sadness?

There’s a huge market for easy cures that make people feel better right away. But when is sadness a normal feeling that we should experience and when does it become an illness that may require additional treatment? Read More

Is Your Child’s Sexual Behavior Normal?

There is sometimes a thin line between “normal” and “alarming” behavior when it comes to a child’s burgeoning sexuality. Learning to read your child’s signs could be the catch of a lifetime. Read More

Why Do People Resort To Violence?

It’s a simple, but profound question: Why do people resort to violence? The earliest records show us that brutality and bloodshed belongs to every human era – psychology reveals the eternal spark that ignites our fiery rage. Read More

Child Sexual Abuse: Ten Ways to Protect Your Kids

With recent publicity on sexual abuse allegations, now is the time to talk about things that parents can do to reduce the risk of their children being assaulted. Read More

Protecting Our Children from Predators

Sexual predators are not often strangers. They are people known to the child and family and they have often groomed parents and children to trust them. How do we protect our children from the deceivers that are next door and in the school or church? How do we know who can be trusted? Read More

Overcoming Childhood Tragedy

Why is it that some kids have the ability to overcome tragedy and trauma while others don't? Is it the severity of the tragedy that counts or the resiliency of the child? Are there other factors that determine the outcome? Read More

The Children Are Not All Right

From the cultural revolution of the ‘60s and ‘70s to the dawn of video games and heavy metal music in the ‘80s, adults have had multiple reasons to worry whether the next generation of kids will grow up to be "all right." Read More

Kathy Seifert, Ph.D., D.A.B.P., is the author of the Child & Adolescent Risk Evaluation screening tool.

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About Stop The Cycle

Violence is often a response from unresolved adverse childhood experiences. It can cycle from one generation to the next. The prevention of violence can be found in helping children that have had negative childhood experiences develop and grow in a healthy way in a healthy environment.