Apply for our new certificate: Sexuality, Women, and Gender in Psychology and Education

Beginning Fall 2015, the SWG Project will be offering the first New York State approved certificate program of its kind - a world-renowned training ground for the next generation of educators, researchers, practitioners, administrators, and activists interested in learning the next wave of theories and practices to improve the well-being for LGBTQ individuals and women.

TO APPLY FOR THE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM CLICK HERE FOR ADMISSIONS

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• A complete bachelors degree
• A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0
• Completed Teachers College Non-Degree Application
• 2 letters of recommendation
• One statement of interest 

It is rolling admission and is open to everyone.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

Interested students may receive certification upon completion of:

• 15 points of specialized curricular requirements (9 of which must be completed within CCP)
• A research paper covering a covering the student’s research and practice interests
• A semester long practice/volunteer experience.

THE CURRICULUM

Students must take nine points (e.g., three classes) within Counseling and Clinical Psychology (CCP).  The following are a list ofapproved courses that may be used for the certificate program. Courses in bold are required for the certificate. * Denotes that this course is available in an online format:

• CCPJ 4050        Microaggressions in Institutional Climates
• CCPJ 4180      LGBT(Q) Issues in Psychology*
• CCPJ 4030        Transgender Issues in Counseling and Psychology
• CCPJ 4165         Consultation in Community Agencies and Resources
• CCPJ 5164        Multicultural Perspective in Counseling and Psychology
• CCPJ 4068       Counseling Women
• CCPX 4125     Women and Mental Health*
• CCPX 4126        The Mother-Child Matrix: Developmental and Clinical Implications
• CCPX 4036       Psychology of Human Intimacy
• CCPX 4199        LBGTQ Psychology

The remaining six points (e.g., two classes) should come from outside of the Counseling and Clinical Psychology Department. The following list is not comprehensive and continues to expand and grow each semester. Be sure to check the course catalogue for updates.

• HUDK 5123     Psychological Development of Women
• HBSS 4122       Women’s Health
• HBSS 4133       Human Sexuality Education*
• HBSV 4011      Women and weight, eating problems and body image
• C&T 4032        Gender Difference and Curriculum
• ITSF 5008       Gender, education and international development
• A&HB 4140     Latina Narratives
• A&HF 4130     Gender & Violence (3)
• A&HF 4199     Media & Gender (3)

Students should register for zero points of independent study, via either of these course codes, when they complete their semester long practicum/fieldwork volunteer:

• CCPJ 6902      Independent Study (along with semester long practice/volunteer 
• CCPX 5902      Independent Study (along with semester long practice/volunteer

RESEARCH PROJECT

Students completing the certificate program will also be required to complete a research project that increases their knowledge and awareness of a chosen domain of interest (as it pertains to sexuality, women and gender). Some examples of appropriate research project topics include: understanding the relationship between minority stress and attachment satisfaction of sexual minorities; the impact of gender discrimination on career satisfaction of women in male dominated professions; understanding the link between first generation female college students and academic self-efficacy; understanding marginalization faced by partners of transgender individuals.

SEMESTER LONG VOLUNTEER/SERVICE EXPERIENCE

The certificate program in Sexuality, Women and Gender is strongly committed to social justice and multiculturalism as it pertains to issues of equity and access for sexual and gender minorities and women. In the spirit of this commitment, all candidates for certificate program will be expected to complete a semester long volunteer/service experience in an agency that serves the aforementioned populations.

FIND OUT MORE

Please drop in or call during the following office hours. Each faculty member has a general specialization but can speak to any aspect of the certificate.

Aurelie Athan (Women/Reproductive): 212-678-7461; ama81@tc.columbia.edu; by appointment

Melanie Brewster (LGBTQ): 212-678-7441; Mondays 4:00-6:00pm

Riddhi Sandil (Race/Gender): 212-678-4016; Tuesdays 5-6:30; Thursdays 300:-4:30pm

SWG Project mentioned in HuffPost Parents

The SWG Project was mentioned in the Huffington Post: HuffPost Parents

Read more here.

Innovative programs around the country are paving the way: The Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project at Teachers College, Columbia University will soon offer a program in reproductive and maternal well-being, and there are also postgraduate programs for mental health professionals to get the specialized training they never received.

Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project Featured at Seleni.org

Excerpt: The Need for Perinatal Mental Health Training by Amanda MacMilla

 

Not all graduate schools are neglecting maternal mental health, says Davis. A growing number are integrating it into their curriculum. "Wherever it is happening, it's because there's a pioneering faculty member who says, 'I know how common and how important this is,' and finds a way to teach it."

Aurélie Athan, PhD, is one of those pioneers. The Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project she cofounded at Teachers College Columbia University will soon offer a Reproductive and Maternal Well-Being curriculum, along with its current masters- and doctoral-level certification programs and a master's concentration within the clinical psychology department.

And while she agrees that her program is unique, she says the landscape is changing elsewhere, as well. "There's a lot of good work being done," she says. "I wouldn't say that training is absent; sometimes it's just scattered."

An interested student might take electives or find mentors in other departments, she suggests, such as women's studies, psychiatry, public health, or nursing. (Although maternal mental health training is also limited in psychiatry, there do seem to be more examples of medical schools doing it well.) "The very nature of the subject is interdisciplinary," she adds, "so it can be challenging to consolidate it as part of a core curriculum."

Davis, who teaches postgraduate training through Postpartum Support International, says the future of maternal mental health education is promising. "I've watched this next generation of leaders come to trainings and get excited and go back to their institutions and create good curriculum," she says. "It's only going to get better."

- See more at: http://seleni.org/advice-support/article/the-need-for-perinatal-mental-health-training

CALL FOR INSTRUCTORS - TEACHERS COLLEGE, REPRODUCTIVE & MATERNAL WELL-BEING CURRICULUM

This image © MyOilArt 2015

Teachers College, Columbia University is launching their new Reproductive & Maternal Well-Being curriculum in 2015-2016 as part of the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project.

If you are interested in a one-time speaking engagement or are a fieldwork site interested in participating in our program, please also contact us. Prospective students are also welcome to learn more about our program.

This specialization will address the increased need for graduate training in this burgeoning field through: (1) didactic courses and colloquia (2) intensive research training and mentoring, and (3) fieldwork in community-based organizations.  The overarching goal is to create an educated workforce able to address the much-needed and complex questions arising from the changing procreative lives of 21st century women and families locally and globally.

We are currently recruiting experts to teach the following courses (names may be changed). Multidisciplinary perspectives are welcome:

1. Menstruation to Menopause: Developmental Implications of Reproduction
2. Perinatal Mental Health: Clinical and Counseling Perspectives
3.  Family Systems: Varieties of Parenting Experiences (e.g. LGBT parenting, fatherhood, adoption, single mothers by choice)
4. Special Topics: advanced seminar in a topic of your expertise (e.g. infertility, grief/loss, reproductive psychiatry, maternal mortality, prenatal mind-body practices)

Please send your CV along with a cover letter of interest to Aurelie Athan:

ama81@columbia.edu

Panel Discussion: Behind the Yellow Wallpaper: Literature and the Psychology of Change

Please join us for our inaugural 2015-2016 event series as we also celebrate the commencement of our new SEXUALITY, WOMEN, & GENDER IN PSYCHOLOGY & EDUCATION CERTIFICATE.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman published “The Yellow Wallpaper” in 1892, exposing the realities behind the (mis)treatment of women’s mental health issues through the infamous “rest cure.” In doing so, Gilman not only opened a dialogue on the medical, social, and emotional treatment of women in society, but eventually effected change on how women's mental health was treated. A collaboration between Behind the Yellow Wallpaper: New Tales of Madness, an anthology from New Lit Salon Press, and the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project at Teachers College, Columbia continues the efforts set forth by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in a panel discussion titled Behind the Yellow Wallpaper: Literature and the Psychology of Change. The panel will consist of select Behind the Yellow Wallpaper contributors along with artist and psychoanalyst Steven Poser from The Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies. The discussion will focus on how literature impacts our understanding and view of madness: its causes; treatments; compassions; and the vital role psychology plays in effecting change. 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20TH AT 7PM

MILBANK CHAPEL

TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

WEST 120TH STREET AND BROADWAY

Join us for our OPEN HOUSE September 28th to learn more about our Certificate, Events, and General Programming!

Please come to Horace Mann Room 138 or RSVP by writing to swgproject@tc.edu  to attend our open house. You may also return to our website for more information as the date approaches or you are unable to attend. More information about the certificate can be found here. To apply, via rolling admissions, click here.

COURSEWORK FOR FALL 2015

FALL COURSES 2015

Mother-Child Matrix (CCPX 4126)
Aurelie Athan
Fall: Thursdays 1:00-2:40pm
 
Microaggressions in Institutional Climates (CCPJ 4050)
Derald W. Sue
Fall: Mondays, 03:00 pm-04:40 pm
 
LGBT(Q) Issues In Psychology and Education (CCPJ 4180)
Melanie Brewster
Fall: Online
 
Psychology of Human Sexuality (CCPX 40361)
Sari Locker
Fall: Thursdays 1:30-3:10pm
 
Women And Mental Health (CCPX 4125)
N. Nereo
Fall: Thursdays, 9:00-10:40am

 

ELECTIVE OFFERINGS OUTSIDE OF COUNSELING AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Aesthetics of Technology (A&H 4089)
C. Moffett
Fall: Mondays 7:20-9:00pm
 
Gender Difference & Curriculum (C&T 4032)
S. McCall
Fall: Mondays, 07:20 pm-09:00 pm
 
Gender, Education, & International Development (ITSF 5008)
R Cortina
Fall: Mondays, 3:00-4:40pm
 
Media and Gender (A&H 4065)
J. Broughton
Fall: Thursdays 7:20-9:00pm
 
Trauma and Violence (A&H 4130)
J. Broughton
Fall: Wednesdays 7:20-9:00pm

The Sexuality, Women and Gender in Psychology and Education Certificate

The New York State approved the Sexuality, Women and Gender in Psychology and Education Certificate!

Founded in 2012, The Sexuality, Women and Gender Project at Teachers College, Columbia University was created by three leading Professors, Drs. Aurelie Athan, Melanie Brewster and Riddhi Sandil. Their hope is to envision and implement the next wave of theories and practices to improve the well-being for LGBTQ individuals and women. Beginning Fall 2015, the SWG Project will be offering the first New York State approved certificate program of its kind - a world-renowned training ground for the next generation of educators, researchers, practitioners, administrators, and activists.

With the recent movements in LGBT rights and the ongoing efforts to better serve women in the workplace, the World Health Organization declaring Violence Against Women to be epidemic, there is no better time than the present to graduate with the certificate in Sexuality, Women and Gender in Psychology and Education. It's mission is to promote learning through pedagogy; provide intensive research, mentorship and production; and apply gender and sexuality theories in practice. The Sexuality, Women and Gender in Psychology and Education Certificate program will promote the trans-disciplinary dialogues needed to solve complex, real-world problems across all areas including Education, Counseling & Clinical Psychology, Public Health, Gender and Queer Studies, Reproductive Psychiatry, Sociology, and Law among others. This specialized training will train future leaders in topics relevant to sexuality, women and gender; increase awareness and understanding of multiple oppressions experienced by these populations; provide research and clinical training to professionals interested in serving these marginalized populations and create liaisons between various professionals as they provide services to these underserved groups.

TC’s Melanie Brewster New Book: Atheists in America

Beyond Belief: In a new book by TC’s Melanie Brewster, atheists speak in their own voices

Stephen mills’ parents took the news that he was gay with surprising equanimity. “There were tears, of course, and then my mother admitted she thought I was going to say I was an atheist.”

Mills’ recollection, published last spring in Melanie Brewster’s Atheists in
America (Columbia University Press), makes it clear: in the United States, godlessness
is the ultimate taboo. Consider that:

• 84 percent of those surveyed believe the country isn’t ready for an atheist president.

• Seven states bar atheists from public office. Arkansas prohibits atheists from testifying as witnesses in court trials.

• Among historically oppressed minorities, atheists are regarded as “more troubling” than Jewish, Muslim, African-American and LGBTQ people

Brewster, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Education, is known for her work on gender, sexuality and race, but her broader interest is in the psychological impact of identifying as a minority of any kind.

“The prejudice and social stress associated with openly being atheist may pose a serious threat to an individual’s well-being,” she writes. “Therefore, the hesitancy to include people who identify as atheist in the broader multicultural and social justice discourse is puzzling and disturbing.”

In rendering the voices of atheists themselves, and in the breadth of American life it represents, Atheists in America recalls Studs Terkel’s Working and Becky Thompson’s more recent Names We Call Home, on race, which Brewster cites as a model. The contributors include:

Lynette, a Midwesterner who attended Bible school until realizing “I was sick of being valued less as a woman because of God’s mysterious ways.”

James Mouritsen, a Utahan whose tongue-in-cheek Mormon Quick Start Guide for ‘a Sincere Heart’ includes the warning that if divine inspiration fails to materialize, “it is likely that ‘Sincere Heart’ is corrupt.”

Adrienne Filargo Fagan, who, in Born Secular, writes that the knowledge that with “no Pearly Gates…we have one opportunity to make the right decisions for ourselves, our families and our communities” is “what gives meaning to my life.”

And perhaps most moving, the elderly Elizabeth Malm Clemens, who describes caring for a husband sinking into dementia: “I am attempting to work with residential administrators to develop better options for the aged...Having lost faith in earlier refrains…I choose this one to end my time on this fascinating planet.”

Brewster, who thanks her parents for “their undying love, even when I officially went over to the dark side,” describes the demographics and politics of American atheism. While the 9/11 terrorist attacks helped engender the stridently anti-religious New Atheists, led by firebrands such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, other perspectives hold that women and minorities may feel excluded from atheism because its most visible faces are those of white men.

Meanwhile younger writers like Brewster herself may be building a broader acceptance. At Book Expo America in New York City, Brewster was approached by an elderly Muslim man.

“He handed me a Koran to keep. Then he smiled nervously and said, ‘I hope that was okay.”


Don’t Segregate the Gifted
In my vision of gifted education, there would be no gifted programs and no gifted students.

Let me be clear: I believe, very strongly, that many high-ability students suffer from benign neglect in our schools. But the century-old approach of segregating these students via “pull-out” classes or full-time Gifted & Talented programs is fraught with problems.

For starters, racial, ethnic and socioeconomic inequities are rampant. In New York City, for example, Caucasian and Asian-American students make up only about one-third of the school population, yet they constitute roughly three fourths of all students in G&T classes. Nationwide, students from families in the top socioeconomic quarter account for nearly one-half of enrollment in gifted education classes.  No wonder some critics charge that gifted education is being used to re-segregate public schools in order to retain middle-class families.

Another problem is that the most common approach to gifted education- part-time pull-out enrichment programs- is of questionable educational value.  Under this model, students identified as gifted leave their regular mixed-ability classes for, say, half a day per week to participate in what is usually a hodge-podge of enrichment activities that too often follow no rational scope and sequence and lack academic rigor. Even the rare effective pull-out program provides its students with appropriate education for about 10 percent of the school week.

What is the alternative? Let’s start by remembering that gifted education was created to appropriately challenge capable students who, in a typical classroom, spend their time pretending (or not bothering to pretend) to learn things they already know.

Like their supposedly non-gifted peers, these students are not a monolithic group with a uniform set of educational needs. They, too, need differentiated instruction in the core subjects that leads to true learning, not boredom.

So instead of finding and segregating “gifted students,” let us shift our focus to differentiating curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners in every grade and every subject. Admittedly, this is easier said than done.  The process would likely take years to complete- and meanwhile, traditional gifted education classes are probably better for high achievers than nothing at all. But settling for business as usual is untenable, from both an educational and an ethical perspective. We need to look for a better way.

Published Friday, Jan. 23, 2015

See full post HERE.

Call for Submissions: Annual MOM Conference, Spring 2015

Teachers College, Columbia University, Marymount College, Manhattan College, and Museum of Motherhood (MOM) are proud to welcome the return of the Annual 2015 MOM Conference!

Museum of Motherhood - MOM Conference Call for Papers, 2015 - SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED

“New Maternalisms”: Tales of Motherwork (Dislodging the Unthinkable)

April 30th, May 1st-2nd, NYC

Deadline EXTENDED TO JANUARY 15, 2014

Call for Papers for the Annual 2015 MOM Conference: As another Mother’s Day approaches, this conference, designed to bring together academics, artists, and laypersons will be an opportunity to critically explore the institution of motherhood. Much research on motherhood has been published in the past eighteen years from Ruddick to Crittenden suggesting an increased interest in and visibility and acknowledgement of feminism and the topic of motherhood. The literature is concerned with the invisibility of mothers and the labor of caregiving or “motherwork.” Drawing on artist Natalie S. Loveless’ curation in Spring 2012 for FADO in Toronto, The Museum of Motherhood (MOM) calls this shift in the representation of motherhood in the literature as “new maternalisms”. Klein (2012) argues “new maternalisms” expose “the fissures and cracks between the ideological representation of motherhood and the lived experiences of being a mother.” It is in service to this in-between space of research and theory and the lived and everyday that the Museum of Motherhood introduces the following Call For Papers.

The purpose of this conference lies in focusing on “new maternalisms” by exploring “motherwork” or the invisible labor of caregiving in our everyday lived experiences as wo/men, hence including mothers, fathers, and caretakers and our communities. The objective is to explore how wo/men experience “motherwork,” what “motherwork” means to us, and how “motherwork” impacts and is impacted by the communities in which we live in. The conference organizers encourage submissions that cross disciplines to provide critical insights into mothering, fathering, and family issues; that draw direct links between theories and/or research findings; or that offer practical approaches to issues facing contemporary mothers and families. The overarching goal of this conference is to provide an environment to explore new ideas and approaches for tackling issues that concern mothers as well as important others who fill a care giving role in the family.

Here, examples of possible topics include but are not limited to: 1. What caregiving practices are pursued in “motherwork”? And how have these practices been shaped by factors such as nation, religion, gender, and other axes of difference? 2. How do caregivers frame/understand their “motherwork”? 3. What alliances do caregivers build locally, regionally, and internationally, and why? What factors have caused rifts or fissures between and among caregivers? 4. To what extent does caregiving intersect with other forms of activism/resistance? 5. How have wo/men’s identities as caregivers been disrupted or shaped by binaries, such as east/west, north/south? 6. Whose agency is privileged or obscured within “motherwork”? 7. How do global discourses shape local “motherwork,” and, how, in turn, do local issues and frames shape global discourses around “motherwork”? This Call For Papers signals the important sociological and anthropological shifts taking place in the field of motherhood as it relates to wo/men – mothers, father, and caretakers – who are marginalized through “motherwork.”

We welcome submissions from scholars, students, activists, artists, community agencies, service providers, journalists, mothers and others who work or research in this area. Cross-cultural, historical, and comparative work is encouraged. We also encourage a variety of types of submissions including individual academic papers from all disciplines, proposals for panels, creative submissions, performances, storytelling, visual arts, film, music, audio, and other alternative formats. 

Submissions must include a title and a maximum 50-100 word abstract for individual papers, panels, and other submission types (e.g. performance, media, music). Panel submissions must include short abstracts (50-100 word) for each individual paper that will be included in the panel. Please submit ONE presentation proposal only.

Submissions are due by December 15, 2015. Details on submitting are at this website: http://mommuseum.org/conference-submissions/. All submissions will be peer reviewed with responses by Jan 30th. The conference will be held in NYC. 

_________________________________________________________________________

A peak at last year's event with notable guest speakers:

A Better Balance is coming to TC! November 20th 3-5pm.

Join  A Better Balance to discuss their new book BABYGATE: How to Survive Pregnancy & Parenting in the Workplace. They will also discuss their new report THE PREGNANCY PENALTY among other many interesting topics related to maternal and reproductive health!

• Teachers College, Columbia University
• 525 West 120th St., NY, NY
• Thursday, November 20th
• 3:00-5:00pm, Room 281 Grace Dodge

Contact info: swgproject@tc.columbia.edu

Read the NYT article Doctor Says No Overtime; Pregnant Worker's Boss Says No Job here.

The Pregnancy Report

A Better Balance is pleased to present their latest report, The Pregnancy Penalty: How Motherhood Drives Inequality and Poverty in New York City. Their report names, explains and offers solutions to the pregnancy penalty: bias and inflexibility towards women in the workplace that starts when they become pregnant and snowballs into lasting economic disadvantages.

BabyGate

Moms-to-be get tons of advice on strollers, sleep training, and post-baby workouts. What they don't get is straight talk about navigating the workplace during pregnancy and new parenthood--factors that put many women's jobs in jeopardy. That's why BABYGATE is essential: the first and only guide to supply parents with the tools they need to keep their jobs.

BABYGATE breaks down the laws on topics across the parenthood spectrum in clear, conversational language, and includes a state-by-state guide so readers know exactly how they're protected (or not) in their hometowns. Best of all, Babygate includes a road map for confronting family-responsibilities discrimination, and a concrete plan for creating a more family-friendly nation.

Dina Bakst, Phoebe Taubman, and Elizabeth Gedmark are attorneys with A Better Balance, a national authority on work-family policy. A Better Balance's legislative advocacy--paired with litigation, research, public education, and technical assistance to state and local advocates--has generated new protections for millions of workers across the country.

To attend the event, feel free to prepare by reading:

• Pregnancy Penalty: How Motherhood Drives Poverty and Inequality in New York City
• Doctor Says No Overtime; Pregnant Worker’s Boss Says No Job
• Investing in our Families: The Case for Family Leave Insurance in New York and the Nation
• It Shouldn't Be a Heavy Lift: Fair Treatment for Pregnant Workers

Dr. Riddhi Sandil featured in Yahoo! Style

High School Students Are Crossdressing for a Cause

Students dressing as the opposite sex at White Pass Junior and Senior High School (King5.com)

 “Now with changing times we pride children and adolescents on being individuals and demonstrate their individuality,” Riddhi Sandil, a psychologist and lecturer at Teachers College, Columbia University, tells Yahoo Style. “Sometimes dress codes can oppress that. It’s a very complex issue. It’s a mixed message to the child to say be creative and be yourself, but only within these certain constraints and restrictions.” 

Read more here.

Responding to Sexual Assault: A Teach-In

The Institute for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality Announces:

IMPORTANT ROOM CHANGE: Jerome Greene Annex at the Columbia Law School

Speakers will include:

Christina Brandt-Young, Legal Momentum

Jill Hill, Ph.D, Licensed Psychologist

Monica Pombo, LCSW, Crime Victims Treatment Center

Saswati Sarkar, Center of Excellence for Prevention of Sexual Assault

Current Columbia students

Event Co-Sponsored with:

• Columbia College
• Dean of Humanities, School of Arts and Sciences
• The Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project, Teacher's College
• Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Barnard

Movie Screening with Director: A JIHAD FOR LOVE

A JIHAD FOR LOVE

5:30 pm, Thursday Oct. 16

Location: Milbank Chapel 
In a time when Islam is under tremendous attack-from within and without, 'A Jihad for Love' is a daring documentary-filmed in twelve countries and nine languages. Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma has gone where the silence is strongest, filming with great risk in nations where government permission to make this film was not an option. After the movie screening, there will be a panel discussion with the director, Parvez Sharma.

Co-sponsored with the SALGANYC: serving the South Asian LGBTQ community for over 20 years.

A Success Story: Celebrating Diversity at TC through the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project

Teachers College’s commitment to diversity and social justice for all learners was celebrated last night by President Fuhrman, Provost James, TC faculty, alumni, students, and friends. Among the guests at the Celebration of TC’s Diversity Initiatives were the founders of the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project at TC (SWGP), the College’s first recipient of the LGBTQ Diversity Scholarship, Michael Palmieri, and Clementi Foundation leaders Jane and James Clementi, who supported the scholarship. TC alumnus and donor to the LGBTQ Diversity Scholarship, Kevin Jennings, MA ’94, hosted the event at Streamline Circle, a beautiful location overlooking Highline Park and the Hudson River.

Mr. Jennings, the Executive Director of the Arcus Foundation, which advances social justice and conservation issues, opened the evening by praising TC’s work with diverse and underserved populations, particularly LGBTQ people, and children, citing the Teachers College Community School in Harlem as the first university-assisted public school of its kind in New York City. “One of the things I appreciate about TC and Susan Fuhrman is that they are not afraid of firsts,” said Mr. Jennings.

In addition to Teachers College’s work on LGBTQ issues in health, education, and psychology, President Fuhrman spoke about its history of championing diversity from its early days and during the Jim Crow era, and commended the College’s continued commitment to serving diverse populations today, including being a national leader in granting doctoral degrees to African Americans. (http://www.tc.columbia.edu/news.htm?articleID=9632)

One of TC’s recent diversity initiatives and a highlight of the event was the Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project, which was created with a Provost’s Investment Fund grant to “envision and implement the next wave of theories and practices to improve well-being for LGBTQ individuals and women.”  Founders of SWGP, Drs. Aurelie Athan, Melanie Brewster, and Riddhi Sandil, spoke about the Project’s efforts to integrate sexuality and gender “lenses” into course offerings, fieldwork, internships, and more. 

Closing out the evening, Mr. Jennings proposed adding a fourth “R” to Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic: Respect. “When we teach our children to respect those who are different from them, it will be a much better world.”

Additionally, President Susan Fuhrman discussed how increasing student scholarship support and academic initiatives are two of the main mainstays of Where the Future Comes First: the Campaign for Teachers College. An unrestricted contribution to the fund – in any amount – enables us to provide more scholarships, enhance our faculty and academic programs and prepare our campus for the next generation of leaders. Learn how your unrestricted gift today can help make TC's academic future a reality here.

Photos from the event can be found here. We hope to see you at a future alumni event. You can also stay connected with us online and via social media. Be sure to update your information and share class notes, so we can share in your successes!

 Best Wishes,

TC Office of Alumni Relations

Natural Childbirth, Reconsidered: Actress Ricki Lake Screens Her Film and Leads a Discussion

Fact: The United States, where only 8 percent of births are attended by midwives, consistently ranks at or near the top among developed countries in rate of infant mortality during childbirth.  The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, where nearly seventy percent of all births attended by midwives, rank much further down the list.

Prompted by those and other striking statistics, as well as by their own difficult and disappointing experiences with childbirth, the actress Ricki Lake and documentary film director Abby Epstein set out nearly a decade ago to understand why, for the most part, midwives have been left out of the birthing process in the United States. The result was their 2007 documentary film, “The Business of Being Born,” which was shown in Milbank Chapel this past spring with its two creators on hand for subsequent discussion. The event, organized by Clinical Psychology master’s degree student Liz Murray, was hosted by TC’s Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project and moderated by Aurélie Athan, a faculty member in the College’s Department of Clinical and Counseling Psychology.

“I wanted to bring ‘The Business of Being Born’ to Teachers College to help open the conversation of women's bodies as capable,” said Murray, who is the author of Breaking Night, the story of her journey from homelessness to the Ivy League.

Through interviews with couples, midwives and doctors, the film takes viewers on a journey uncovering the history of midwifery and its eventual disappearance from the American medical profession in the 1930s. We learn that in many U.S. hospital births today, the natural hormone oxytocin is replaced with a synthetic form, Pitocin, to induce labor contractions. Women who exceed the expected time in labor are often pressured to take Pitocin, beginning a pendulum of medications, epidurals and more Pitocin. While assisting labor, these drugs can also heighten fetal distress, which may require an immediate intervention such as a Caesarean section. Although C-section surgeries remain an essential procedure for complicated births, they are now employed in nearly 45 percent of all births in New York City. The 20-minute surgery has also become the preferred process to vaginal births in many hospitals across the United States. In contrast, research shows that the use of doulas – birthing coaches – decreases epidural rates by 50 percent and C-Section rates by 28 percent.

Why does our society choose to “medicalize” an event that, when it goes as it should, has nothing to do with illness? One answer, argue Lake and Epstein, is that obstetricians view midwives offering low-cost services as an economic threat. Another is that strict liability legislation compels physicians to take as much control of the birth as possible, usually through medications and surgical procedures.  

After the screening, the filmmakers led a panel discussion that included Jacques Moritz, an OB/GYN at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons; Élan Vital McAllister, founding President of Choices in Childbirth; and Sylvie Blaustein, founder of Midwifery in Manhattan.  

Moritz noted that medical residents mainly witness birth by C-section rather than natural births. He and Blaustein discussed the importance of having doctors and midwives work together to create healthier birth outcomes. Ideally, women could opt for natural births assisted by midwives with whom they have developed a trusting relationship during pregnancy.  Physicians would be available in case of emergency.

The panel also discussed that one major challenge to homebirths in New York City is the lack of available hospital transfers. With 38 hospitals in New York City providing maternity care, none actually accept homebirth transfers. In fact, the only hospital welcoming to homebirth transfers is located in Long Island, where some midwives are granted privileges allowing them to transfer their clients. Dr. Moritz also stressed the importance of careful planning in homebirths, which includes seeking prior agreements with a physician or hospital in case of an emergency transfer.

It seems clear that there is a growing demand for this model. In the past five years, the rate for homebirths has increased by 50 percent nationally, and by 70 percent in New York City alone. Yet according to McAllister, the increased demand for homebirths in New York City remains a public health concern due to the major shortage of homebirth midwives. In addition, accessing homebirth midwives is doubly challenging for lower-income women because of Medicaid’s lowered reimbursement for midwife services.

Ultimately, the panelists urged mothers-to-be to take control of the birthing process in a way that puts their safety first.

“Having a sense of entitlement will not ensure that the birth will go according to your expectations,” Moritz said. “Finding the right provider and communicating about your expectations is essential.”

Reported by Noor Baker

**Click on gallery below to view pictures.

Celebration of TC's Diversity Initiatives

Event: Celebration of TC's Diversity Initiative
When: 9/30/2014
Where: Streamline Circle, 450 West 14th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY

President Susan Fuhrman (Ph.D. '77)
invites you to a
Celebration of TC's Diversity Initiatives

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 P.M.
Hosted By: Teachers College and
Kevin Jennings (M.A. '94), Founder of GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian an Straight Education Network) and 
recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award
Location: Streamline Circle, 450 West 14th Street, 9th Floor, New York City
For questions, please call Paulina Melin at 212.678.3215.

Click here to register or click the "Register for Event" button below before September 23, 2014. 

TC's latest Diversity Initiatives

The Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project (SWG)
SWG was created to envision and implement the next wave of theories and practices to improve the well-being of sexual minorities individuals (lesbian, gay, bisexual), transgender or gender non-conforming persons, and women  at Teachers College. As part of the Counseling and Clinical Psychology department, a world-renowned training ground for the next generation of educators, researchers, practitioners, administrators and activists, SWG’s mission is to play a vital role to develop research, c! urriculum and programming on campus and with partners beyond Columbia University. SWG currently offers a Master’s concentration and the first graduate level course on transgender issues in New York, TC’s first permanent course on LGBTQ Issues, as well as coursework on maternal mental health.

SWG works across departments within TC and with Columbia University to promote the interdisciplinary dialogues needed to solve complex, real-world challenges across academic fields. It was founded in 2012 by Drs. Aurelie Athan, Melanie Brewster, and Ridhi Sandil. For more information about SWG, please visit www.swgproject.org

LGBTQ Diversity Scholarship
In 2014 TC partnered with the Tyler Clementi Foundation to offer a scholarship to a TC student pursuing a career that supports LGBTQ populations in the fields of health, education or psychology.

More about TC's Legacy of Diversity...

1898: James Earl Russell teaches the first course in Foreign school systems, launching the field of comparative and international education and allowing students to learn from other cultures and educational models. 

1933: Southern states offer out of state scholarships for the black college graduates, to TC becomes the premier destination for black educators seeking a master’s degree. 

1952: Shirley Chisholm graduates from TC and goes on to become the first African American woman elected to Congress and the first to make a major party Presidential nomination. 

1973: Professor Edmund W. Gordon founds the Institute for Urban and Mnority Education. 

1997: The Heritage School, founded by TC art and Art Education Professor Judith Burton, open! is East Harlem with support from TC Trustee Joyce Berger Cowin. The Heritage School is a community-based institution committed to celebrating the culture of its students and incorporating those cultures into instruction.

2005: TC launches the Campaign for Educational Equity that champions the right of all children to attain meaningful educational opportunity and works to define and secure the full range of resources and services necessary.

2007: TC helps Jordan improve its public schools and hosts Jordanian teachers in its summer certificate program in the Teaching of English to Sparkers of Other Languages (TESOL).

2012: The Sexuality, Women, and  Gender Project is created to implement  the next wave of theories and practices in these research areas, working both on campus and with external partners.

2013: Televisa provides a fellowship for TC students with an interest in improving  K-12 education for latinos/as and the professional development of teachers focused on improving outcomes for 
latino/a students. 

2014: TC partners with the Tyler Clementi  Foundation to offer a scholarship to a TC student pursuing a career that supports  LGBTQ populations in the fields of health, education, or psychology. 

2014: TC offers three full scholarships to graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities who will pursue a master’s degree.
 

By entering the event premises you consent to videotaping, photography, interview(s) and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for public relations, news articles, telecasts, education, advertising, research, inclusion on web sites, fundraising, or any other purpose by Teachers College (TC) and and/or its affiliates. Full photo consent information here.   

Dr. Riddhi Sandil featured in Al Jazeera America

Does slut-shaming start with school dress codes?

Enforcement of dress code policies play out against broader debate of sexualization of young women in American culture

“We know that one of the best predictors of mental health is self-esteem. Enduring public humiliation impacts self-esteem in a very dramatic way,” said Riddhi Sandil, a psychologist and lecturer at Teachers College, Columbia University who co-founded the Sexuality, Women & Gender Project. “We have to foster self esteem in our young girls as opposed to breaking it down at such a tender age.”

Viewed as an object of distraction for boys by school dress codes, girls are usually admonished in language that encourages their objectification. “Girls are often told not to wear ‘distracting’ clothing,” Sandil said. “Schools are sending the message that a girl’s physical appearance is to blame for how boys behave towards them.”

Read full article on http://america.aljazeera.com/.

Diversity Hits the Books

The Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project was recently featured in TC Today's alumni magazine. Please access the full article here or see below.

By SIDDHARTHA MITTER & JOE LEVINE

TC' 14 Alumni Marie Hansen, M.A. - now in the LIU Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program

Making TC a Place Where People Can Be Themselves 

As an undergraduate women’s studies major, Marie Hansen realized that courses in other departments mostly ignored women. 

“To learn about women’s psychological development, you had to look in women’s studies,” recalls Hansen, now a TC Counseling and Clinical Psychology master’s student. “Women’s studies is interdisciplinary, so it didn’t go as deep as a psychology course taught by a psychologist.” 

Last fall, Hansen took The Mother- Child Matrix, taught by Aurelie Athan, director of TC’s Maternal Psychology Laboratory. Athan is a leader in the fledgling field of “matrescence,” which views the transition to motherhood as a develop¬mental phase like adolescence and other periods of major physical change. Her course is part of a broader initiative, The Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project (SWG), which she and two other psychology faculty members, Assistant Professor Melanie Brewster and Lecturer Riddhi Sandil, created in fall 2012. 

Course content at TC is changing in response to female and LGBTQ students who ask, ‘Where’s the stuff about me?’ 

“In psychology you usually learn about mothers only insofar as they affect children’s clinical outcomes, but Aurelie flips that paradigm,” Hansen says. “We read articles, mostly from the nursing field. We interviewed mothers. It was exciting, because growing up you see a lot of images that don’t reflect what it feels like to be female. TC is creating a counter-narrative.” 

The class also illustrated the real-world impact of consigning work about women to the women’s studies corner. “Eighty-three percent of women become mothers,” Hansen says. “Motherhood is a radical shift in identity. Everyone knows about the baby blues, yet DSM-5 [the diagnostic manual for practicing psychologists and psychiatrists] has no distinguished diagnosis for postpartum depression.” 

Riddhi Sandil, Ph.D.

The SWG Project builds on past efforts at TC to focus on issues of gender and sexuality. In 2010, the year that saw the end of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and the first wave of state-level decisions to legalize same-sex marriage, TC’s Office of the Provost convened a working group of faculty, students and staff to examine LGBTQ issues (the acronym stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer or questioning) that affect recruitment, diversity and College life. 

In addition, TC’s Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs has long been out front on these issues (see page 33). 

“It is particularly heartening that the SWG Project is giving gender and sexuality issues a strong academic focus,” says Janice Robinson, Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs. 

Still, as Sandil puts it, there remained a sense that TC, like most other institutions of higher learning, was “without a sexuality and gender focus,” with the result that “the marginalization of sexual minorities and women had sort of gone by the wayside.” 

Aurelie Athan, Ph.D.

“There were courses in the 1980s that incorporated women as a focus, but as elsewhere, they’ve gone dormant, perhaps reflecting a desire by women not to be thought of as special anymore,” says Athan, who coordinates the College’s Clinical Psychology program. “And you might say, well, that’s appropriate, because women are now very present in the work force and as students, but I would argue that the conversation isn’t over — that it’s just beginning. We have all these young women now coming into our psychology classes [80 percent of students in the M.A. program are female]. They’re raising their hands and saying: ‘Where’s the stuff about me?’ And we can’t accommodate the demand.” 

In 2012, backed by a TC Provost’s Investment Fund Grant, Athan, Brewster and Sandil began working, in Sandil’s words, “to irrigate the disciplines” at TC by combing through the course catalogue and meeting with department heads and other faculty members to dis¬cuss ways of integrating an LGBTQ, women and gender focus into a range of offerings. TC is currently on target for a 2015 launch of a certificate program in the understanding of sexuality, women and gender, drawing on course offerings across multiple departments. 

Partners in the growing SWG network include Laura Azzarito, Associate Professor of Physical Culture and Education, who is interested in studying women in sports, and Sandra Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Social Studies Education, who teaches about queer spaces and geographies. Enrollment Services Associate Dean Thomas Rock, Marie Miville, Chair of the Counseling and Clinical Psychology Department, and Gregory Payton, a Lecturer in the Department of Counseling & Clinical Psychology, serve on SWG’s executive advisory board. 

If women are again sounding a call to be represented as an academic focus, LGBTQ students are perhaps finding their voice for the first time. 

“I’ve never been discriminated against at TC, and the environment has always felt accepting, but certain identities aren’t always as celebrated — as though there isn’t as much interest in hearing from a gay person or a transgender person,” says Matt Robinson, a current Counseling and Clinical Psychology doctoral student. Robinson recalls a recent TC class in which “we examined various identities and how they relate to our work in counseling. We talked about our race, religion, culture, ethnicity, and we had to dis¬cuss each. And then at the end of the course, we were told we could pick from ‘other identities,’ which included gender and sexual orientation. So, yes, those identities were included, but it’s also an example of how other marginalized identities are more prioritized.” 

Melanie Brewster, Ph.D.

More recently, that picture is changing. In 2013, Melanie Brewster, who serves as faculty adviser to the student group Queer TC, began teaching a course she calls LGBT(Q) Issues in Psychology and Education, the first such permanent course at the College. Nearly 80 students signed up, forcing Brewster to cap enrollment at 55 this spring. The course has featured a guest appearance by Charles Silverstein, author of The Joy of Gay Sex and a leader of the successful effort to remove homosexuality from the DSM, and a screening of the soon-to-be-released documentary Pier Kids: The Life, about homeless LGBTQ youth living near New York City’s Christopher Street Piers.  “These are issues that not only future psychologists but also pre-service teachers need to know about in order to work with kids and their parents,” Brewster says. 

Alysa Turkowitz (M.A. ’01, Ed.D. ’12), Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Psychology & Education program, says that most LGBTQ students remain “hyper¬sensitive in the classroom — their antennae are up to determine ‘is this a safe space?’” Even something as seemingly innocuous as a verbal math problem that includes the phrase “a husband and wife” can be a major cue.

“Someone who doesn’t fit into that heterosexist dynamic feels excluded, and they may shut down from engaging in classroom dynamics,” says Turkowitz, who wrote her TC dissertation on the LGB experience in graduate school. “Because another question for LGB students in almost any classroom discussion is, ‘Should I come out here, and if I do, what will happen?’ Some feel a responsibility to teach about LGB perspectives, and they’ll come out in every scenario. But others will make that decision case by case, and some believe that being gay has nothing to do with what goes on in the classroom.” 

If conflict and stress exist for LGB students, it is even greater for those who are transgender. 

“TC is a relatively safe institution, but for transgender students everywhere, there is always a fear of possible violence and retaliation,” says Turkowitz, who two years ago was invited to teach a TC course on the transgender experience that may be one of the few such standing offerings at the graduate school level. “And emotional safety is an even bigger issue.” 

In her course, which she describes as “a 101 introduction to transgender experiences,” Turkowitz begins by clarifying what “transgender” actually means (the term does not, for example, refer to sexual orientation, but rather to a sense that one’s gender identity does not conform to one’s sex assigned at birth). She brings in a range of guest speakers, including transgender individuals, lawyers and advocates; covers the mental health field’s view of trans¬gender people (in 2012, the American Psychological Association ceased categorizing transgender identity as a mental disorder); and deals with legal and education concerns. 

The work of the Sexuality, Women, & Gender Project is just beginning. Still, it seems clear that a process has started that will not be stopped or reversed — and that the conversation is striking a tone that makes everyone feel included. 

“We’re prioritizing and centralizing these issues now in a way that wasn’t happening in the past,” says Brewster. “Even just having faculty like me who are available to do mentoring work is a big step, because students are hungry to have people they can pop in on and talk to.” 

Davidella Floyd, a doctoral student who leads Queer TC and serves on the Provost’s working group, agrees. 

“It comes down to building the tent big enough: feminist issues, women’s issues, LGBTQ issues, issues of masculinity,” says Floyd, “And what I love is that there’s room in the agenda for the focus to shift, for it to grow and be transformed based on the big issues on the horizon that need to be addressed. That’s a great position to be in.”

“we’ve got such a shift happening in society in beliefs and perspectives on LGBTQ issues,” says Thomas p. Rock, associate dean for enrollment services. “TC is placing so many people in K–12 and beyond who can make a difference.” 

Rock’s office has been working with the Point Foundation, which offers funding and mentorship to promising LGBTQ students, to increase the College’s visibility and recruit scholarship recipients. TC also has taken part in events such as the Human Rights Campaign’s 2013 leadership summit for historically black colleges and universities, which works to develop current and future LGBTQ leaders at these institutions. 

A new LGBTQ Scholarship has been created through a collaboration between TC and the Tyler Clementi Foundation. The TC-funded scholarship will be awarded to two students at the College who are committed to research and practice in LGBTQ issues. Clementi was the young Rutgers student who committed suicide after his roommate secretly videotaped him kissing another man and posted the clip on the Internet. Clementi’s mother, Jane Clementi, spoke last fall at the TC forum “From Bullying to the Defense of Marriage Act: A Journey toward Full LGBTQ Equality,” hosted by TC’s Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs. The Office is a vital force at the College for change on gender and sexuality issues, incorporating sessions on microaggressions into TC’s faculty and employee orientation and conducting training for faculty and staff who designate their offices as safe zones for LGBTQ persons. 

“The safe zones create an opportunity for people to be themselves,” says Janice Robinson, Vice President for Diversity and Community Affairs. 
 

Domestic Violence in the News

In light of the recent media coverage of the domestic violence case involving Ray Rice (see NYT) of the N.F.L., please find a recap of helpful information regarding this topic below. 

REBORN INTO THE LIGHT by Maria Iskakova

Over 100 people gathered in Millbank Chapel at Teachers College, Columbia University last October to engage with a panel discussing themes of gender and culture around domestic violence. Panelists and attendees wore purple, creating a visible display of solidarity and community.

We once again would like to honor this event and remember that upcoming October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. More resources can be found at the bottom.

Please read our experts remarks along with some staggering statistics below (view full Prezi presentation here).

World Health Organization (WHO)

The WHO named Violence Against Women (VAW) a global health problem of epidemic proportions. There are many different types of VAW, but intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common.  VAW occurs in all countries and communities with varying prevalence rates (15% to 71% of women between 15-49 years old). This variability shows that VAW is preventable.

U.S.A.

• 1 in 4  women experiences violence by a current or former spouse/boyfriend at some point in her life.
• Battering is #1 cause of injuries for women-- more common than rapes, muggings and automobile accidents combined.
• An act of domestic violence (DV) occurs every 15 seconds.
• 20-24 year olds are at 3 times the risk.
• 1/2 of all marital relationships involved some form of DV (pregnancy & motherhood are risk factors, not protective factors!).
• 40% of mass shootings in past 3 years started with a gunman targeting a female partner.
• 70% of deaths happen after a woman leaves (stalking may continue even after abuser is remarried; or woman must continue to face long and arduous child custody battles).
• DV is chronically under reported (so these are likely underestimates).

New York City

Of the 683 homicides in 2012, 58% were of females (>16 yrs) killed by an intimate partner (IP); compared to 3% of males homicides killed by IP. Of the 119,355 total assaults last year, 80% were female; 27% (31,911) were committed by IPs. In NYC it is now a Class A Misdemeanor to strangulate someone-- a common DV related injury that used to be difficult to prosecute. Thanks to Article 121 - NY Penal Law - 2,003 individuals (94% men) were charged in first 15 weeks it took effect.

To see more statistics visit the Mayors Office to Combat Domestic Violence or the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.

The panel was moderated by Dr. Aurelie Athan, a co-founder of The Sexuality, Women, and Gender Project. She framed the conversation by naming domestic violence as a public rather than a private issue for its consequence of severely limiting human potential for society. Panelist Sethu Nair, the Manager of Communications & Outreach at Sakhi, an anti-domestic violence organization working with the South Asian population of New York, brought this point home by asking the question, "Who in this room has experienced abuse or knows someone who has?" Almost every hand in the room was in the air.

Discussing domestic violence as an extreme form of gender inequity, the panel raised the question: What do we really mean by Domestic Violence?

At its core it is about power and control. Whether emotional, physical, or sexual, these abusive behaviors are used by one person in a relationship to control or overpower the other. As written and defined, abuse is non-gendered, nonspecific, and open to possibility: partners may be married or not, gay or straight, old or young, men or women, living together, separated, or dating. However, women are usually the victims of DV and usually present with the most severe cases, with male victims reporting incidents of stalking, online stalking, or threats to their new partners more often than physical violence. 

Leslie Morgan Steiner: Why domestic violence victims don't leave.  [video]

Abuse was characterized as a pattern of behavior as well as a mentality, reflective of the psychological potential in each of us-- whether on the giving or receiving end. Those on the receiving end of abuse carry the greatest burden and are at risk for death, physical injuries, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental disorders. Despite these sobering realities, the panelists highlighted the positive narratives of victims of gender-based violence who go on to become survivors, advocates, and activists. 

Panelist Jennifer DeCarli, a lawyer turned social worker, is employed by the Mayor's Office to Combat Domestic Violence where she is the Executive Director of the New York City Family Justice Center in Brooklyn. Her vast experience representing victims of domestic violence in Family Court and directing the center provided the panel with a wealth of information about the lived experience of victims of domestic violence and their families. Ms. DeCarli believes that Family Justice Centers act as the best practice model for addressing issues of intimate partner violence because they provide victims with a host of resources to suit their varied needs all under one roof. The room went silent when she expressed that 70 to 100 clients come through the doors of her center each day. She mentioned that individuals unacquainted with DV often ask her:

"Why don’t victims just leave?”

She finds this question endlessly frustrating and explained that her clients may have trouble or choose not to leave an abusive relationship for many pragmatic as well as emotional reasons; these reasons include but are not limited to housing, children, finances, immigration status, and love and loyalty. Jennifer also stressed that the victim actually finds herself in the most danger during the period directly after leaving the abusive relationship. In cases where victims do choose to leave, housing is often the most pressing issue. According to New York state law, a victim may only remain in a domestic violence shelter for 180 days.

Stephanie Basilia Spanos, a psychiatrist for families and children, also sat on the panel, emphasizing the developmental toll that domestic violence takes on children. She brought attention to the pervasive themes of DV in children's literature, including Cinderella, Harry Potter, the Brothers Grimm, and Oliver Twist. In her work, Dr. Spanos often encounters the harmful narrative of domestic violence as a “private matter” or “family secret;” she explained that children are the last members of the family to report domestic violence because they are biologically adapted to protect the family that serves them. Tragically, she often confronts cases where abused children suffer learning problems, emotion dysregulation, alteration of the physical brain, and traumatic brain injury, a harm that most often occurs in the context of war. Children are often the witnesses of DV and may finally be the ones to call 911.

Panelist Yi-Hui Chang, the former Assistant Director of the New York Asian Women's Center, spoke about the stress this work places on case managers who often suffer from insomnia, burnout, compassion fatigue, and PTSD symptoms (vicarious traumatization) after listening to these extreme narratives of human suffering. She also brought attention to the unique conflict facing immigrant victims, who often wish to leave an abusive relationship without involving the criminal justice system but who paradoxically cannot file for an independent visa without a criminal justice report. Asian immigrants also experience pressure to not only preserve the reputation of their families in the United States, or host country, but also to preserve the reputation of their families in their home countries of origin.  She spoke of the complex constellation of domestic violence within some collectivist cultures whereby it is not just the partner who may be abusing the woman, but also the in-laws and other extended family members. When asked how a woman might “extract” herself from such situations, she clarified that this is not the right word or approach to use, as most women, regardless of cultural background do not wish to lose complete ties with their loved ones no matter how violent the context—emphasizing that affiliation and family bonds may be as important to a woman as her own personal safety.

The panelists explained that gender-based violence is difficult to detect from outside of the relationship as there is no profile for the "typical abuser" or "typical victim." In fact, domestic violence is an issue affecting women from all walks of life regardless of age, race, religion, socioeconomic status, and educational attainment. Furthermore, the early signs that abusive dynamics have entered an intimate relationship are often subtle and even hard to detect by the victimized partner. For example, possessive behaviors often begin as seductive behaviors, with the abuser presenting as an especially attentive, present, and available partner. However, these behaviors can later become distorted, as this affection turns into a pattern of control-- rendering the victim’s world smaller and more isolated as a result of encroachment by the abusive partner's need to have power over every last detail. Victims describe that physical abuse often manifests for a period of time but then stops because, "a look is all you need to know you have to control your behavior."

How does a woman arrive to the moment of naming these behaviors as abuse? Yi-Hui Chang answered that a line becomes crossed that the victim can no longer tolerate and that this line is specific to each individual. We each have a line that we don't know we have, until we do. During her journey to leaving an abusive relationship, a woman often finds that it is much more difficult to get divorced in New York, for example, than it is to get married. Counseling in the form of practical guidance and advocacy might be better in the beginning and more exploratory therapy of the traumas experienced are recommended after the case has been stabilized. Yi-Hui Chang also illuminated the presence of IPV in the lives of LGBTQ couples. She often saw cases in which the abusive partner threatens to out the sexual identity or past gender identification of the victim in the workplace or social circle. 

Let's Talk About It: Domestic Violence.   [video]

While the panel brought awareness to the many grave realities surrounding domestic violence, it also shined a light on the potential to reverse these trends through public policy, cultural awareness, education, and services, like those provided to survivors by the expert panelists, countless other professionals, and the organizations they support. Sethu Nair particularly emphasized the power of our legislative and advocacy force and the need for more innovative approaches that bring awareness to the community directly through creative activities such as dramatic plays or women’s circles of support. She emphasized that culture is not only to blame but can be a resource as well. Cultures are not monolithic and have people with varying beliefs across a spectrum. Creating allies within a culture and starting to change the minds of others is how mindsets shift.

In the end the panelists embodied the kind of diverse orientations and support services a person struggling to make sense of domestic violence will need: legal, psychological, social, legislative, psychiatric, etc. This model for wrap-around services is the cutting-edge of domestic violence interventions we have today. To find a Family Justice Center near you if in New York City, to find national domestic violence resources, or to find out how to get help or volunteer, see our resources below.

To find out about the co-sponsors of the evening, including the organization A.G.A.P.W, and detailed biographies of the panelists, please click here.  

Lastly, this event also served to host the official launch of The Sexuality, Women & Gender Project. The SWG Project has three aims: to promote pedagogy, produce research, and to apply what is learned in the field. It will be providing a certification and concentration through the MA program and will continue to organize events open to NYC. More information about the project can be found at www.swgproject.org.

By Laura Curren