National scientific meeting on child mental health at Kentucky

As the nation observes National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day on Thursday, the University of Kentucky Center for the Study of Violence Against Children (CSVAC) will host national experts at the scientific meeting "From Neuroscience to Social Practice: Translational Research on Violence Against Children." The two-day event, being held May 7-8 in Lexington, Ky., includes the unveiling of research findings on violence against children that will be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Loss and Trauma.

The scientific meeting is expected to draw a national audience of researchers, clinicians and policymakers, including state officials from the Commonwealth. Hosted by CSVAC, the event is dedicated to the enhancement of the health and well-being of children and their families through research, service and dissemination of information about child abuse and trauma.

The two-day program will include three major research presentations: "Relational Poverty and Vulnerability to Developmental Trauma: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective" presented by Dr. Bruce Perry, senior fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy in Houston; "The Importance of Early Experience: Clinical, Research and Policy Perspectives" presented by Dr. Charlie Zeanah Jr., executive director of the Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at Tulane University in New Orleans; and "The Effects of Psychotherapy on the Adult Brain: Do they Apply to Children"" presented by Dr. Jerald Kay, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

All three research presentations will be followed by formal discussion sessions on the presenter's findings and how it will translate into practice at various levels.

Perry's research, "Relational Poverty and Vulnerability to Developmental Trauma" is developing ways to assess the health of a child's brain at an early developmental age. Secondly his research is looking at a variety of interventions, including creative and artistic forms of play, which target the areas in the brain that need the most attention.