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The Melissa Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and prevention of violence through education, community service, research support and consultation. Our mission is to prevent violence and promote safer communities through education and application of research-based knowledge.     Dating Violence Video "Dating Violence" Training presented to the Miami-Dade Police Department on December 4, 2007 by K. Daniel O'Leary, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology State University of New York at Stony Brook. [Click for Video] Windows Media Player required. The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment Establishes Literacy Website for Educators Internationally acclaimed reading expert, Dr. Dale Willows, has agreed to establish a literacy Web site in conjunction with The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment. The proposed site will serve as an integral tool in providing professional development information and training for elementary school teachers. [more] “ACT Against Violence Training Program”   Adults and Children Together Against Violence (ACT) is a program designed by the American Psychological Association (APA) to train early childhood, mental health and service agency professionals to deliver an enhanced parent education curriculum. For more information and to register, contact the Melissa Institute. 786-662-5210. To sign up for the training program and other information, click here. Read our 2009 Report to the Community - The Dollars and Sense of Violence Prevention - to learn more about our activities. Michael Aptman M.D., Melissa's father and one of the founders of the Institute, published an article in the journal, Neurology, entitled "One In A Million?" It expresses his professional and personal experiences as a result of Melissa's murder. Handouts from Drs. Pepler, Larson and Meichenbaum's presentations at the Tenth Annual Conference, "Aggression and Suicide Among Children and Youth" have been added in the Downloads section. The Melissa Institute has launched a new website for school violence prevention. We invite you to visit TeachSafeSchools.org to access relevant, research based information for educators.   13th Annual Conference: Race, Ethnicity and Mental Health: Treatment Innovations and Cultural Adaptations of Evidence-based Interventions Friday, May 1, 2009, South Miami [Brochure] [Online Registration] Each of these leading experts in the field will make two presentations: Nancy Boyd-Franklin Ph.D., Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University. African-Americans and Trauma: Lessons Learned from Natural Disasters (Hurricane Katrina) and Victimization Experiences; The Role of Religion and Spirituality in the Resilience and Healing of African-Americans in Times of Trauma. Priscilla Dass-Brailsford, Ed.D., CTS, Associate Professor, Division of Counseling and Psychology, Lesley University. Empowering Interventions with Traumatized Ethnically Diverse Groups; Promoting Resilience in Inner-city African-American and Latino Adolescents: Lessons learned from National and International Interventions. Guillermo Bernal, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Director of the University Psychological Services Research Center, University of Puerto Rico. Cultural Adaptations of Evidence-based Treatments (EBTs) for Ethnocultural Youth; Tools, Guidelines and Clinical Examples of How to Make EBTs Culturally Sensitive. Additional discussion and commentary will be provided by: Etiony Aldarondo, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research, Office for Research in Educational and Community Well-Being, School of Education, University of Miami Guerda Nicolas, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Miami Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D., Research Director, The Melissa Institute, Distinguished Visiting Professor, School of Education, University of Miami The conference will be held at the Victor E. Clarke Education Center, located at South Miami Hospital, 6200 SW 73 Street in Miami.  [Brochure] [Secure Online Registration] Meichenbaum Blogs on Psychology Today Dr. Donald Meichenbaum, Research Director of The Melissa Institute, is a guest blogger on the Psychology Today website. To see his blog, please click here. New paper available on Suicide Dr. Donald Meichenbaum, Research Director of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment has written a paper entitled 35 Years of Working with Suicidal Patients: Lessons Learned available on this site. [download] The Melissa Institute Research Director Receives National Recognition MIAMI - May 21, 2008