The Other “F” Word

Forgiveness

Donna Liu, Tony Goldsmith, Dr. Suzanne Freedman, Rosemary Herrick, Connie Pelesh, and Patricia Kosinski

There are many “F” words out there but this “F” word is a big deal in the world of psychology. The “F” word of treatment is “Forgiveness.” I had the opportunity to attend an all day seminar at Widener University’s main campus in Chester, “The Power of Forgiveness: Challenges for Both Therapist and Client,” the 10th Annual Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Conference: Opening Pandora’s Box. The seminar held on Thursday, June 13^th was sponsored by the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology and the Center for Social Work Education at Widener University, along with Family Support Line.

The seminar which focused on the psychology of interpersonal forgiveness taught the 4 phases of Dr. Richard Enright’s model that explored the role of anger, the difference between forgiving and excusing, the implications for mental health professionals, and the relationship between forgiveness and reconciliation. The purpose of the seminar was to help clinicians and educators who want to know more about using the process of forgiveness with their clients or students or anyone who simply wanted to learn more about the powerful healing process of forgiveness from a psychological perspective. 

The seminar featured Dr. Suzanne Freedman, an associate professor of human development at the University of Northern Iowa. She has been studying the topic of forgiveness for over 20 years and her publications focus on the psychology of forgiveness with both adults and adolescents. Freedman, who received the American Psychological Association Dissertation Award in 1993 for her ground breaking research on forgiveness and incest survivors, has given numerous workshops on the psychology of forgiveness. 

What did I learn from this seminar? “Forgiveness is a choice.” You have to be willing or ready to forgive someone. Genuine forgiveness comes over time. Why do we need to forgive in the first place? If we get hurt, it may lead to anger. Anger is not bad. It is what we do with anger that can be good or bad. Dr. Freedman believes that “what we see now are kids who are angry and getting angrier and reacting to the anger leads to violence. We need to find a way to help children deal with anger.” Dr. Freedman spoke about some of the school violence that comes out of these kinds of anger. Education is important to forgiveness. “We have to meet the child cognitively… teachers should start to teach forgiveness to children from first grade.”

The seminar ended with an expert panel discussing abuse and dealing with forgiveness. A total of 6 continuing education (CE) credits can be earned from each seminar in the series. A certificate can be earned after attending 6 seminars. Interesting seminar, if you want to learn more about the series please call 610-499-1083.

Chester High School's Last Day

Ed Chamberlain and Principal Will Towson

Chester High School bid a fond farewell to many retirees on this last day for staff. With lots of thank yous and best wishes from Principal Will Towson to each staff and departments, the meeting brought the school year to a close. But the picture of the day recognizes Ed Chamberlain, the oldest graduate at 79, who recently received an honorary degree from Chester High School. Ed would have graduated in 1953, 60 years ago. He left high school to enlist in the United States Army to help his mother. On Friday June 7^th, Ed fulfilled his dreams of getting a high school diploma. Ed said he is continuing on at Neumann University to study computers. He proves it’s never too late for that accomplishment. Congratulation Ed! Way to go!

Cheyney University Hosts National Summer Transportation Institute

July 15 - August 9, 2013

Cheyney University will host the National Summer Transportation Institute (NSTI) for high school students in grades 10, 11, and 12. Participation in the NSTI is free for students who have an interest in learning more about the transportation industry, its various modes (e.g., highways, aviation, transit and maritime) and how they might pursue post-secondary education concentrating on some aspect of transportation, and the myriad of career opportunities.

This educational initiative is a partnership between the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Cheyney University . The program vision is to develop a diverse, well-qualified workforce for the transportation industry.

Cheyney University will host this intense four-week, non-residential program on its campus in Chester County, Pennsylvania . The NSTI at Cheyney University will be in session Monday through Friday from 9:00 am-4:30 pm. The world of transportation will be presented to the students through lectures, weekly field trips, hands on activities and a mini career fair. Students will attend classes in math and English geared toward improving their performance on standardized college entrance examinations. 

Those interested in attending the program must complete an application. The application may be downloaded from the Cheyney University website at www.cheyney.edu. Additional information may be obtained by contacting Sharon Cannon, Executive Director of the Economic and Workforce Development Center at Cheyney University at 610-399-2057 or by e-mail, scannon@cheyney.edu.

Application form:  pr/documents/1NSTIApplication2013-Final.pdf

 

Men's Health Awareness

Community Leadership Institute Grass Root efforts in Chester

Community Leadership Institute: Wade King, Rev. Richard Dalton, Darren Laws, Andrew Brazington, and Pastor Keith Collins

There was a follow up meeting on June 14^th from the Cornel West visit on May 16^th, 2013. The meeting was to continue the grass root efforts of the Community Leadership Institute (CLI). Of the many people who attended the Cornel West event, 18 people came to the follow up meeting to offer support. Everyone had the opportunity to speak and to share what they would like to have accomplished in the City of Chester. 

The purpose of the group is to meet once a month to come up with suggestions, creative ideas, and new outlooks that could bring social and economic change from the poor to low income grass root communities in Chester. The group will also suggest new approaches for changing Chester's neighborhoods. The focus is on the youth, returning citizens, families, and economic development. CLI will take the ideas and suggestions and write grants and grass root programs for different groups, based on the suggestions and ideas. CLI will also provide the monthly topic for the THINK TANK to draft ideas and come up with possible solutions for positive change. 

This is a Chester grass roots effort for peace, collaboration, love, and unity.  According to Reverend Richard Dalton, President and founder of the Community Leadership Institute, “America is in crisis…We’ve got to make this thing happen.”