Children and adolescents growing up today live in a cyber world consisting of instant everything, easy communication, handheld technology, widespread accessibility and often little adult oversight. This cyber world is also a risky place filled with bullying, harassment, intimidation, masking identity and sexting. A New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders (NJCTS) Wednesday Webinar titled “Cyber Safety Guide for Parents and Educators” on October 16 will focus on understanding how cyber bullying and other risky online behaviors impact today’s children and adolescents.
Every October is both National Cyber Security Awareness Month, as well as when New Jersey public schools observe both a “Week of Respect” and “Violence Awareness Week.” These initiatives highlight the importance of respecting others and preventing harassment, intimidation and bullying, and will be discussed during the webinar, which will be presented by licensed psychologist Dr. Graham Hartke.
Then, on October 30, NJCTS will present the “Tourette Syndrome Program at Rutgers University: A Great Resource for the TS Community of New Jersey” Wednesday Webinar. The TS Program at Rutgers offers affordable psychological services for individuals with TS and their families. Clinical psychologist Dr. Shawn Ewbank will explain how the TS Program works and how the combination of services, training, research and consultation provides a resource for individuals and families.
Dr. Ewbank will introduce the various treatments offered at the clinic, including Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT/HRT); Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD; cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and depression; various treatment options for ADHD, behavioral difficulties and rage behaviors. This webinar will help any parent, doctor, teacher or community member who is interested in learning about available resources for children, adolescents and adults with TS and its co-morbid disorders.
NJCTS launched the monthly Wednesday Webinar series, which draws an audience from 48 states and 13 countries, in 2008. The series, offered at no cost to participants, features online seminars for parents, educators and professionals on topics of interest to the TS and associated disorders community. Professional development credits are given upon verification of attendance and completion of an exit survey. Credits are distributed by mail one week after the webinar.
You may register for the October 16 webinar or the October 30 webinar. You may also view/download past webinars, or find out more information about Tourette Syndrome and the programs and services of NJCTS by visiting www.njcts.org.