The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the study and prevention of violence through education, community service, research support and consultation.
The Institute was established in 1996 to honor the memory of Melissa Aptman, a Miami native who was murdered in St. Louis in 1995, two weeks before her graduation from Washington University. The mission of The Melissa Institute is to prevent violence and promote safer communities through education and application of research-based knowledge. We bridge the gap between research and direct application – to give people the information they need to reduce violence and to help victims of violence and their families.
The Institute, located on the University of Miami campus, facilitates conferences and seminars and provides consultation focusing on violence prevention and related topics.
Over
Professionals Trained
For more than 20 years, we have worked with influential groups such as:
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools
- State Attorney’s Office
- Public Defender’s Office
- Law enforcement agencies
- Miami-Dade County 11th Judicial Circuit Court, Juvenile Division
- Miami Veterans Administration Hospital
- Numerous other community organizations and nonprofits
Some of the topics for which the Institute provides training are:
- Bullying Prevention
- Positive Parenting
- Childhood Anger and Aggression
- Trauma and Violence
- Social-emotional Development
- Suicide Prevention
- Risk Assessment
- Best-practice prevention and Intervention Strategies with Youth, Adults and Families
- Gun Violence
- School Violence Prevention Strategies
The Institute provides early prevention/parenting skills training as a Coordinator/Master Trainer for the American Psychological Association’s ACT Raising Safe Kids program. More than 430 professionals have been trained by our staff as ACT facilitators. The program focuses on positive parenting and reducing risk factors for abuse and neglect of children.
We utilize the expertise of our Scientific Board to provide these training along with staff, including the executive director and education director who are both licensed mental health professionals.