Bruce Perry, prominent researcher on children’s mental health, keynotes Sept. 28 event
The Zero Abuse Project at Mitchell Hamline School of Law is hosting the first of what is planned as an annual conference in St. Paul on Friday, Sept. 28, featuring Dr. Bruce Perry, senior fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy in Houston.
Dr. Perry, who also serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, is one of the nation’s leading teachers, clinicians, and researchers on children’s mental health and the neurosciences, with special expertise in the effects of maltreatment and trauma.
He has consulted on several high-profile incidents involving traumatized children including the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas, in 1993; the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001; and the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings in 2012. His work has been featured in numerous documentaries as well as in print and broadcast venues including National Public Radio and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
“We’re thrilled to have Bruce Perry keynote our inaugural conference,” said Joanna Woolman, associate professor at Mitchell Hamline and executive director of the Institute for Children, Families, and Communities. “His unique focus on the impact of trauma in children is critical for practitioners, lawyers, and judges to understand. The Zero Abuse Project’s commitment to training around trauma-informed practice has driven the focus and theme of this year’s conference. We hope this is the first of many innovative annual events for the Zero Abuse Project at Mitchell Hamline.”
The Zero Abuse Project at Mitchell Hamline is one of the key initiatives of the Institute for Children, Families, and Communities. It was launched in 2017 with a gift from Jeff Anderson & Associates with the goal of preventing, recognizing, and responding to child abuse nationwide. The Zero Abuse Project significantly ramps up Mitchell Hamline’s training and education in the areas of trauma-informed services and child-welfare issues for both professionals and law students.
The daylong conference featuring Dr. Perry—titled “Abuse, Trauma-Informed Care, and the Legal System”—is being held at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront hotel in downtown St. Paul.