Prosecutor's Office, YWCA Hosting Domestic Violence Symposium

The Union County Prosecutor’s Office and the YWCA Union County is hosting the second annual domestic violence symposium at Kean University later this month.

The symposium is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 20, at Kean University’s STEM Center in Union Township, the prosecutor’s office said. The event will feature eight panelists speaking on topics including teen dating violence and cyberbullying, and the impact of trauma and domestic violence on children.

The first panel keynote speaker is Dr. Mitch Abrams, a sports, clinical and forensic psychologist with offices in Tinton Falls and the Fords section of Edison, the prosecutor’s office said. Abrams is one of the country’s leading experts on anger management and violence prevention in sports. He will speak about experiences in private practice working with victims of dating violence.

The keynote speaker for the second panel will be Dr. Esther Deblinger, co-founder and co-director of the Child Abuse Research Education and Services (C.A.R.E.S.) Institute at Rowan University. She will detail her experiences conducting clinical research on treatment provided to victims of child sexual abuse.

“The topic for this year’s Symposium reflects the growing concern with both teen dating violence and the impact of domestic violence on children,” YWCA Union County Executive Director Janice C. Lilien said in a release. “Children are involved in nearly one-third of all domestic violence cases, and the impact and ramifications of that can last a lifetime. We hope to begin to address this proactively, starting with this event.”

Additional panelists include social workers, mental health professionals, and Prosecutor’s Office attorneys who handle cases of domestic violence and child abuse.