In the 1980s, the focus of most prevention programs was on teaching children about good touch and bad touch. Some warned about stranger danger and one program went so far as to show how easy it is to abduct a child from a shopping mall. Today, programs have evolved to also address adult and community responsibility – taking the sole responsibility of prevention away from children and placing it with adults who can make a big difference. Children’s books and talking with children about sexual abuse has also evolved over the years to give children language about their bodies, to talk about body autonomy, and even address issues that while no one has the right to touch them, they don’t have the right to touch others. 

This Lunch and Learn brought to you by the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance will bring together Ryan Shields, a professor at UMass Lowell providing an overview of this topic along with two children’s book authors, Kevin Powell, a nationally recognized therapist working with children and adolescents with problematic sexual behavior and Daniel Errico, a best-selling children’s author and the creator of The Bravest Knight on Hulu.

 Presenters:

Ryan T. Shields, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Prior to joining UMass Lowell, he was an assistant scientist and the Associate Director of the Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research is primarily centered on the intersection of criminal justice and public health. He studies child sexual abuse, sexual abuse prevention, and sex crime policy. His research typically focuses on youths and young adults with problem sexual behavior. He is one of the co-developers of the Help Wanted Prevention Intervention.  

Kevin M. Powell, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist, trainer, consultant, and author who has provided assessment and treatment services to at-risk (or what he likes to call ‘at-promise’) children, adolescents, young adults, and their families for over 3 decades. He has worked in schools, community-based agencies, a hospital, and detention centers. His clinical work has included treating youth with harmful sexual behavior problems and those who have been negatively impacted by adverse childhood experiences. Dr. Powell is also an adjunct faculty member at Colorado State University in the Department of Psychology where he lectures and is conducting research on protective factors associated with resilience in youth and adults (Powell, et al, 2021). Additional information can be found at www.kevinpowellphd.com.  

Daniel Errico is a children’s author and producer, and founder of https://www.freechildrenstories.com/. In the years since his days as a mechanical engineer Daniel has produced multiple number one best-selling children’s e-books with Barnes and Noble and has books in stores nationwide through Sky Pony Press and Schiffer Publishing. His works have been made into books, best-selling e-books, animated films, apps, and even plays. His works have been featured by The United Nations, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, USA Today, and many others.  He is also the creator of the award-winning Hulu Original Series, The Bravest Knight. Throughout, his stories have been available online to encourage literacy and free media for kids.  

July 28, 2022, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST. Register here.