NCFJE Seminar “Cycles of Abuse”

Nearly 100 professionals, educators, school counselors, and therapists were present on Monday, May 22, 2006, when Operation Survival, a division of NCFJE held a seminar titled “Cycles of Abuse.” The seminar featured renowned psychotherapist, author and addiction expert Ronald Potter-Efron, M.S.W., Ph. D. and noted physician and lecturer Dr. Susan Schulman. It addressed the topics of child abuse and the resultant feelings of shame, guilt, and anger that become risk factors for further abuses including substance abuse, as well as some solutions to the problem of the cycles of abuse.

Rabbi Shea Hecht, Chairman NCFJE, introduced the speakers with his trademark warmth and charisma, using stories and Torah thoughts to stress the value of each child and how precious they are to us. He also spoke about the importance of guarding our children’s safety by facing the issue of abuse and doing something about it. Rabbi Hecht’s message was synopsized with the saying, “Save one life and save a world.”

Ron Potter-Efron provided detailed descriptions of the types of behavior one might expect from a child or adolescent who has been a victim of abuse. Ron brilliantly explained the growth of the adolescent brain and the physical manifestation of shame and guilt. He told the audience that a sure cure is to build up pride. He described the chain of abuse and how damaging the cycle is. Additionally he gave some practical advice for the professional seeking to connect with abused children.

Dr. Susan Schulman, spoke about some of the cases that she has dealt with and witnessed. Dr. Schulman’s message was strong as she told some very painful truths. Despite being seasoned professionals with ample exposure to abuse cases, listeners found Dr. Schulman’s experiences difficult to listen to.

There were many positive comments from participants such as:
“Ron is such an amazing presenter. He is so knowledgeable and so human.” “Dr. Schulman really tells it like it is.” “What a departure from the usual. Ron Potter-Efron is captivating and makes powerful points about things that we should already know, but never thought about in so clear a way.””Dr. Schulman definitely brought the point home that we have to be vigilant since anything can happen.“

Kevin Johnson, CASAC, and a retired corrections officer who works for Operation Survival in the African-American community said, “Dr. Schulman is a real hero for bringing these problems out in the open. These issues exist in every community, across all racial and religious divides. As a parent and an uncle I really feel the responsibility to go home and talk to my kids and tell my siblings to talk to their kids and really listen to them.”

Dena Gorkin, program coordinator said, “If every person who attended today goes back to their school or agency and spreads the message, we can build our defenses against child abusers and predators. If we create parent education programs within our schools, we can teach parents to protect their kids. That is our responsibility and we cannot ignore it.”

Mr. Michoel Behrman, substance abuse counselor, said, “This was a very heartening experience. The most repeated comment we heard is “Are you doing more of these informative programs?” People are ready to tackle the problem of abuse among our children.”

The general atmosphere throughout the program was an empowering one. There was a feeling that the time has come for the message to get out that the community will not tolerate abuse. Rabbi Avraham Baruch Edelman, MSW, a young principal from Lakewood said, “It is time to start networking. If the situation is not under control yet then professionals can create a network that will put pressure on the schools to do the right thing when it comes to protecting our children.”

It is our fervent hope that this seminar will be the beginning of an open dialogue on child abuse in our community. We hope that teachers will recognize the anger, shame and guilt, and take the appropriate steps and notify parents when there is a problem. We hope that together, with the help of G-d we will eradicate this problem from our community.

For tapes of the “Cycles of Abuse” program please e-mail ncfjeseminar@gmail.com