Dr. Paulk"s Seminars

“Understanding Bullying Part I: What Bullying Means to Children and Adolescents”

Adults and children define bullying behavior in very different ways, which has many implications for how adults and child professionals attempt to stop bullying at home and at school. This seminar will provide information from Dr. Paulk’s research on how children and adolescents define bullying, and recommendations for dealing with bullying.

“Understanding Bullying Part II: How Friendship Groups Influence Children Toward Bullying, Victimization, or Both”

Bullying behavior among children and adolescents is integrally tied to a social hierarchy of friendship groups in the neighborhood, school, and other social environments. This seminar will provide a description of common social cultures and friendship groups, and will explain how those friendship groups influence the development of a child or adolescent who is known for bullying, for getting bullied, or for both bullying and victimization.

“Identification and Treatment of Depression and Suicide Among Alabama’s Youth”

The State of Alabama is currently experiencing rates of suicide higher than the national average. This seminar will provide information regarding depression and suicide rates among Alabama youth, identify symptoms of depression and suicide, and will identify treatment options for individuals facing symptoms of depression and suicide.

“Gender Differences in Adult Depression-Related Coping Patterns”

Men and women often display different patterns of coping as they attempt to deal with symptoms of depression. This seminar will describe the differences between these coping styles and will make recommendations for how to use these differences to help men and women best cope with and overcome symptoms of depression.

“Adult Depression and Anxiety”

Depression and anxiety are all too common in today’s society. Many individuals who struggle with symptoms of depression and anxiety are under the impression that they must simply accept their symptoms as a “part of life.” This is not necessarily so. This seminar describes symptoms and interventions for depression and anxiety.

“Corporate Cohesiveness Through Collaboration”

Interpersonal relationships among staff and employees affect the success of any business. This seminar will provide information about how to enhance cohesiveness and communication in the corporate environment. This seminar will walk attendees through the five stages of the collaborative process, and will identify potential barriers to implementing a collaborative environment in the workplace.

“Child Sexual Abuse Interviews: Psychological and Legal Implications”

Mental health professionals and social work professionals frequently find themselves dealing with child sexual abuse issues among their clients. This seminar will describe the history of attitudes toward child sexual abuse and the current debate on how to best interview children suspected of having been sexually abused. Possible indicators of abuse and basic interview approaches will also be discussed.

“Could My Child Turn Violent?”

Many parents are apprehensive about youth violence, and want to know the difference between aggression that is a part of normal development, and behavior that requires clinical attention. This seminar addresses risk factors for the development of aggression and violent behavior among children and adolescents, as well as what parents can do, and when and where to seek help.

“Dating Violence”

Dating violence is on the rise in adolescent dating relationships. This seminar provides information regarding precursors and risk factors for dating violence, and what to do if currently in a violent relationship.

“Social Capital: Addressing the Need for Safer Schools in the United States”

Social capital has been described as naturally occurring social relationships among people that promote or assist the acquisition of skills and traits valued in society and the marketplace. Simply put: The more we connect, the more we trust. The more we trust, the more we connect, and the more opportunities for success and improvement of quality of life come to us. This seminar will suggest that encouraging social capital in the school context will help to decrease school violence. A detailed explanation regarding the development of social capital and how it can intervene to decrease school violence will be provided.