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.

14^th Annual Conference:
Child and Adolescent Depression and Suicide: Promising Hope and Facilitating Change Saving Lives

Friday, May 7, 2010 South Miami

[Brochure] [Online Registration]

“Suicide prevention is everybody’s business.” There is an alarming rate of depression and suicide among adolescents. In this conference, leading experts in the areas of developing and evaluating preventive and treatment programs for depressed and suicidal adolescents and their family members will discuss how to address and treat such adolescents.

Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D., will present
The Nature of the Challenge: The Development of Depression and Suicidal Behavior, and Treatment Alternatives for Youths With Developing Depression, Suicidality and Co-morbid Disorders.

Joan Asarnow, Ph.D., will present
Assessment of Depression and Suicide Risk: Strategies for Matching Youths to Optimal Interventions, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy With Depressed and Suicidal Adolescents: Clinical Applications.

Donald Meichenbaum, Ph.D., along with Joan Asarnow, Ph.D., will present
Suicide Prevention Is Everyone’s Business: How to Involve Parents, Peers and School Personnel and Undertake Communitywide Interventions and the Use of Social Media (Internet Resources).

Grace Carricarte, M.A., will present
Preventive Efforts of the Ganley Foundation.

Fernando Pino, M.D. will present
Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy: Integrative Treatment for Youths With Depression.

The conference will conclude with
Breakout Sessions: What Is Your Agency, School, Community Doing to Identify and Intervene With High-risk Depressed and Suicidal Youths?

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]

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]

Visit our Sunflower Gallery! Students’ sunflower artwork and poems.

Check Out Our Handouts!

Handouts from all conferences since 2003 are now available in the Downloads section. See the growth of The Melissa Institute through the years in our Community Reports first published in 1997.

“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.

Our annual fundraising event, Peace, Harmony & Moonlight, will be held this year at Fairchild Tropical Garden on Thursday March 4, 2010. Please RSVP using the attached form as soon as possible.
[Invitation] [RSVP Form]

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Speaking Personally

The Melissa Institute was founded after the murder of Melissa Aptman to honor her memory and share the science of violence prevention. Below are some personal writings from Dr. Michael Aptman and Lynn Aptman, Melissa's parents and the founders of The Melissa Institute, and Melissa's sister Jessica Aptman: Violence is Preventable - presented at Peace and Harmony 2009 by Dr. Michael Aptman.[PDF] One In A Million? - an article by Dr. Michael Aptman published in Neurology, a medical journal. It expresses his professional and personal experiences as a result of Melissa's murder.[PDF] Silence the Violence - lyrics of a song composed by Lynn Aptman, which she performed at the Peace & Harmony concert, Music for a Better World.[PDF] This I Believe - a personal reflection submitted by Jessica Aptman to National Public Radio.[PDF] Uncertainty - a poem written by Melissa Aptman shortly before her death.[PDF] You will also find on this site scientific papers and educational presentations from our Scientific Board, Workshops and Conferences dealing with specific areas of violence prevention and treatment.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2010

The Melissa Institute nurtures the work of young scientists by awarding annual scholarships to support doctoral students' dissertation research in the field of violence prevention. Please click here to find out more information.

The following letter from Suzanne Keeley, President of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment was published in the Miami Herald October 18, 2009

After Tragedy -
To Stop School Violence

The notion that violence in schools is random -- and therefore cannot be stopped -- is flawed. Scientific research informs schools and other institutions about what they can do to minimize violent acts. Read more

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 - Dr. Donald Meichenbaum, Research Director of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment has been selected to receive the 2008 Career Achievement Award by the American Psychological Association. Meichenbaum was recognized for his seminal work in the training of clinical psychologists to deal with crises and emergencies. Dr. Meichenbaum is one of the founders of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and was previously honored by his peers as one of the most influential psychologists of the last century.

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.