Therapist urges parents to be ready to intervene

Originally published in “The Denver Rocky Mountain News”, written by Janet Simons

If one of your child’s acquaintances looks a little strange, or seems a little too interested in guns, or seems to revel in being a loner, don’t be reluctant to interfere.

You need to, an expert in child violence says.

“We shouldn’t see these kids as oddballs, but as kids who are desperately crying out for help,”
- Rabbi Yehudah Fine says.

He is a family therapist in Evergreen this week to present a keynote address on school violence at the National Alternative School Community Conference.

Parents who worry that their child’s friend is potentially violent should not hesitate to call a school counselor or a mental health hotline or look in the phone book for local family therapists.

“Let’s not make the mistake of labeling this as the result of violence in media or the influence of Marilyn Manson. Kids on the edge are identifiable. They’re angry, isolated, have a potential for violence," he said.

“We have to more aggressively identify and work with these kids. We can’t just say, ‘Oh, they’re weird.’”