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MIAMI, FL

University of Miami—Linda Ray Center
750 Northwest 15th Street
Miami, FL 33136
305.325.1818

Purpose
To improve the outcomes for children from 6 months to 18 years of age who have been exposed to violence. To increase awareness, establish a more coordinated community response, and build capacity for responding to children exposed to domestic violence or child maltreatment in Miami Dade County.

Interventions
Child Parent Psychotherapy: Clinical staff provide child-parent psychotherapy for young children and their parents at domestic violence shelters and transitional housing sites. In collaboration with Louisiana State University’s Joy Osofsky, PhD, the staff provides up to 25 weeks of treatment and assessments. In addition to helping develop appropriate parenting skills, the clinical model focuses on helping mothers respond more empathically to their child's needs and support their child’s emotional development. It also helps to heal relationships that have had child neglect, abuse and/or abandonment, or exposure to violence at their core.

Heroes Program: The Heroes Program is used with children from 5-18 years of age who have witnessed domestic violence. These groups meet 10 times to focus on breaking the intergenerational cycle of abuse by learning non-violent conflict resolution skills, developing nurturing relationships, and identifying and expressing feelings.

Case Management: A wide range of partners provide collaborative case management for families with issues of violence and/or child maltreatment. The goal is to create a seamless community response among the juvenile justice system, law enforcement, domestic violence shelters, and transitional housing sites. The Consortium for Children in Crisis provides training for shelter and community childcare program staff about the effects of violence on young children. This training includes information on warning signs for children under 3 years of age who have been exposed to violence and the referral processes for assessment and treatment within the project.

Promising or Evidence-Based Practices
Child-Parent Psychotherapy: Adams, S., Osofsky, J., Hammer, J.H., and Graham, M. (2003). Program Evaluation: Florida Infant & Mental Health Pilot Project Year 3 Final Report. July 1, 2000 to June 25, 2003. Florida State University Center for Prevention & Early Intervention Policy: Tallahassee, FL.

Working with Dependency Court: Lederman, C., Osofsky, J., and Katz, L. (Fall 2001). When the Bough Breaks the Cradle will Fall: Promoting the Health and Well Being of Infants and Toddlers in Juvenile Court, Juvenile and Family Court Journal 52 (4). Malik, N., Lederman, C., Crowson, C., and Osofsky, J. (2002). Evaluating Maltreated Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers in Dependency Court. Infant Mental Health Journal 23(5), 576–592.