SHATTERED LIVES with Donna R. Gore, “LadyJustice”

Examining the effects of those who have survived violent crime and how it has impacted their lives.

Real people, real tragedy, real help.

Saturdays at 5pm ET

Listen LIVE:  CLICK HERE

One of the most heartbreaking issues is the proliferance of juveniles in the court system, whether charged with a crime or there because a parent or guardian has been ordered to appear, either way a courtroom experience can be traumatic when seen through the eyes of a child.

Our guest for the hour, Leslie Peterson, is the Program Coordinator for the Kids and Teens in Court program at the Chadwick Center for Children & Families in San Diego, CA. She has developed the program in order to prepare for their time in the courtroom. At no time is any court case discussed, the program is non biased and is only for the benefit of the children’s experience.

The goal of the Kids and Teens in Court program is to increase children’s ability to competently and effectively participate in the courtroom experience by decreasing their anxiety, and in turn, improving/ensuring the efficacy of the judicial process.

Host of Shattered LIves, Donna R. Gore, had her own hand in lessening the fears of children in court by participating in a victim/witness support group project, My Day in Court Coloring Book, and wrote about the experience, along with other referenced resources, on her website: (Kiddies “Coloring Their Way” to Understanding the Court System).

The Chadwick Center, one of the largest hospital based child advocacy and trauma treatment centers in the nation, is staffed with more than 75 professionals in the field of medicine, social work, psychology, psychiatry, child development, nursing and education technology.  The staff is committed to family-centered care and a multidisciplinary approach to child abuse and family violence.

There is no more precious resource for our future than our children, who are entitled to every opportunity to thrive. Leslie Peterson’s Kids and Teens in Court program allows that chance to blossom when it’s needed the most.

Leslie Peterson, LCSW, RPT

Leslie Peterson is a licensed clinical social worker and registered play therapist. She has been a bilingual trauma therapist with The Chadwick Center at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego for the past seven years. She is also the Program Coordinator for the Kids and Teens in Court Program. Ms. Peterson has been a presenter at conferences both nationally and internationally. In 2011, Leslie Peterson was invited to present on Kids/Teens in Court at the International Conference on Children Exposed to Domestic Violence in Taipei, Taiwan. In August 2013, Ms. Peterson created a manualized curriculum, detailing the interventions and activities used at the Kids and Teens in Court Program. Ms. Peterson has over ten years experience in the field of trauma and child maltreatment, specifically working with children and families who have experienced abuse. Leslie Peterson also has a private practice in the Carlsbad, California area where she treats children and families.

 

Shattered Lives: Kids In Court with guest, Leslie Peterson

 

 

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