Yet it was painfully real.

Five years ago today, JMU didn’t stand by wringing its hands. It acted. The university’s response to the tragedy was immediate and heartfelt. The JMU community organized a moment of silence to coincide with the April 17 convocation on the Tech campus and the SGA organized a Light Vigil. A banner that read, “Thinking of our friends at Virginia Tech” spread out across the University Recreation Center. Virginia Tech’s flag flew at half-staff in front of Integrated Science and Technology. Orange and maroon streamers fluttered from the I-81 bypass signaling to anyone passing that JMU was standing in solidarity with Virginia Tech. For a time, JMU’s website colors were Tech’s colors. Hokie colors. In fact, purple and gold shirts all over campus were replaced by orange and maroon.

JMU staff members and students traveled to Blacksburg to help any way they could. At the same time, JMU was counting down to its own centennial. As one more tribute to Virginia Tech, the SGA commissioned a Centennial Duke Dog to be painted with Hokie colors.

After the tide calmed, after the media trucks left Blacksburg, and after purple and gold returned to JMU’s campus, the university community continued to help. In addition to ongoing assistance by JMU’s student union, Dr. Anne Stewart and Dr. Lennie Echterling added their own brand of help.

“Dr. Stewart …. developed and distributed handouts for teachers, parents, and concerned volunteers addressing the psychological impact of this traumatic event. The material proved to be immensely helpful and popular in the region and across the country. Dr. Stewart and …, Dr. Lennie Echterling, conducted resilience-based workshops at VT to support the faculty and staff returning to campus. Dr. Gerald Lawson of VT stated that the workshops “helped to set the groundwork for the on-going recovery that we continue to tend to today.”*

Last fall I was in Blacksburg walking through Squire’s Student Center when I had a strange moment of deja vu. Beside the stairs in the heart of the building, surrounded by dozens of busy Tech students, I saw a Duke Dog. Painted maroon and orange. As incongruous as it seemed, I had to smile. I knew what it meant.

The worst of times often brings out the best in us all. It brought out the best of JMU. And it represents a partnership in higher education that trumps all other rivalries. As the memory of April 16, 2007, fades like a vague fog descending over the event now five years past, we should always hold on to what it provoked, and what it says about us all.

In the final analysis, it says we are all human and we need each other.

To see more pictures of the Hokie Duke Dog, visit
http://www.jmu.edu/putupyourdukes/Tech_Dog.shtml

*
http://www.schev.edu/AdminFaculty/OFA/packets/2012/Stewart%20Anne%20(JMU)%202012%20Final.pdf

Featuring every m&a lawyer in Canada–or so it begins to feel towards the end of the [process]. More than 70 of the invited 129 lawyers participated in the selection process, nominating and arguing for and against 84 candidate deals. This is the handful whose on-the-record quotes made it into the filed story:

Jeff Barnes, partner with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Sharon Geraghty, partner with Torys LLP, Kristian Knibutat, Canadian Deals Leader with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Terence Dobin, partner with Norton Rose Canada LLP, Clay Horner, partner with Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, fellow Oslerite Emmanuel Pressman, Cheryl Slusarchuk, partner with McCarthy Tetrault LLP in Vancouver, Craig Thorburn, a partner with Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP in Toronto as well as Blakes’ Vancouver partner Anne Stewart, Burnet Duckworth & Palmer LLP’s Grant Zawalsky, David LeFebvre, partner with the Calgary office of Gowling LaFleur Henderon LLP, Sander Grieve, partner with Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, John Smith, partner with Lawson Lundell LLP, Stikeman Elliott’s Erik Richer La Fleche and Brian Pukier, Heenan Blaikie LLP’s Philippe Tremblay, Stephen Halperin, partner with Goodmans LLP, as well as a nod to Kevin Thomson and Lisa Damiani, partners with Davies Ward Phillips & Viberg LLP.

Favourite off-the-record quote:

“I’ve had lots of interesting deals that haven’t gotten notoriety because they haven’t closed, so why should this one be any different?” You know what deal he’s talking about.

Favourite really off-the-record quote:

I can see the attraction [of the TMX deal] to our friends on Bay Street.  TSX is crucial for them…  What I expect is as big a driver for the lobby is that so many of their key clients – pension funds, investment dealers (principally bank-owned) and others – came together in an unprecedented way, and no doubt involved just about every firm as a result.  …I suspect that in the end you will have to bow to the fact that Toronto still dominates our financial world, and if everyone there says TSX is #1, then it is!

Me? Bow to pressure from Bay Street? Ha.

If you haven’t attended a TLC Training and Certification in awhile or you are new to the trauma field, why not join TLC Certified Trainers for a special weekend of learning from February 18 through 20, 2011 in San Antonio, TX. For your convenience, courses begin on Friday morning and end early on Sunday and are a short complimentary hotel shuttle ride from San Antonio International Airport. Whether you want to work on your trauma certification [for more information, click here] or would just like to improve your skills in working with children, this weekend will provide you with practical knowledge and activities that you can apply immediately. There is a school track and a clinical track, plus courses that meet Association for Play Therapy (APT) continuing education requirements; the following courses are scheduled:

Structured Sensory Interventions: From Sensory Memories to Play Therapy— William Steele. This is a practice day. Participants will be engaged in the evidence-based, grief and trauma psycho-educational and play therapy intervention processes used in schools and community settings across the country. Cases, including the mother of a 7-year-old who died of cancer at home, a 12-year-old exposed to repeated domestic violence, a 15-year-old, raped multiple times at a drug house, a spouse’s husband tortured and killed, will be presented along with the remarkable evidence-based reduction of their PTSD and other mental health and cognitive related reactions. Participants in schools or agency settings will feel comfortable using any of TLC’s structured manualized psycho-educational and play therapy trauma intervention programs and tools at the end of this practice-directed training.

Creative Play Therapy Crisis Intervention: Promoting Posttraumatic Growth— Lennis Echterling and Anne Stewart. Traditional crisis intervention has focused on distress, deficits and traumatic wounds of survivors. However, recent research on the inherent resilience of people and the importance of play and their attachment relationships has exciting implications to child, family and play therapists responding to traumatic events. The psycho-educational and play therapy techniques presented emphasize personal strengths, enriching personal relationships; feelings of resolve and helping survivors try new coping strategies. The play therapy interventions presented require minimal materials, are developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive and can be implemented in any setting. Out of Ashes, A Coping Heart, Eggactly: Supporting One Another, Colors From Your Emotional World, and Reaching our with LUV will be presented as way to help those in crisis play, make meaning, regulate their emotions and move forward.

Advanced Sensory-Based Interventions: From Sensory Memories to Play Therapy—William Steele and Caelan Kuban. This presentation will engage participants in a variety of advanced psycho-educational, sensory activities to allow for the use of these interventions beyond the core TLC program or for use in those situations where it is not possible to use the full program. Play therapy activities will cover early childhood through adulthood and address the sensory experiences associated with trauma or grief. This is a practice session so participants experience the full value and application of these play therapy activities. Rap It Write, Strike A Pose, Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X., My Play Island and This Reminds Me Of… are just a few of the sensory activities presented. TLC activities are used in school and agency settings.

After the School Crisis– Glenn Carlton, Jennifer Haddow and Michael Markowitz. Participants will be introduced to the Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan (TECIP) that provides the tools necessary to initiate protocols that offer crisis team members a proven structure to stabilize all involved in recovering from the crisis, mobilize resources, accelerate normalization of routine, and minimize the adverse impact on students and staff by restoring adaptive functioning. The Rapid Assessment Guide Traumatic Event Briefing Process, TECIP, 4×5 Development Flow Chart, the what, when, where, who and how to initiate and navigate through the Roadmap to Recovery will be presented. Lecture, demonstrations, small and large group discussion, and practice make this a “must attend” for school crisis response members. The TECIP Manual will be given to every attendee.

And did you know you can take Children of Trauma with William Steele as an online course from the convenience of your home or office? It’s the prerequisite course for all certification levels and now it’s even easier to get the benefit of this excellent presentation.

Don’t miss out of these opportunities to improve your skills in working with traumatized children, adolescents and families! For more information about the upcoming San Antonio, visit this page to learn more and register.

Be well,

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPAT, LPCC

Follow TLC’s Twitter at
http://twitter.com/TLCchildtrauma

Become a Fan of the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children– join our Facebook Fan Page today!

If you haven’t attended a TLC Training and Certification in awhile or you are new to the trauma field, why not join TLC Certified Trainers for a special weekend of learning from February 18 through 20, 2011 in San Antonio, TX. For your convenience, courses begin on Friday morning and end early on Sunday and are a short complimentary hotel shuttle ride from San Antonio International Airport. Whether you want to work on your trauma certification [for more information, click here] or would just like to improve your skills in working with children, this weekend will provide you with practical knowledge and activities that you can apply immediately. There is a school track and a clinical track, plus courses that meet Association for Play Therapy (APT) continuing education requirements; the following courses are scheduled:

Structured Sensory Interventions: From Sensory Memories to Play Therapy— William Steele. This is a practice day. Participants will be engaged in the evidence-based, grief and trauma psycho-educational and play therapy intervention processes used in schools and community settings across the country. Cases, including the mother of a 7-year-old who died of cancer at home, a 12-year-old exposed to repeated domestic violence, a 15-year-old, raped multiple times at a drug house, a spouse’s husband tortured and killed, will be presented along with the remarkable evidence-based reduction of their PTSD and other mental health and cognitive related reactions. Participants in schools or agency settings will feel comfortable using any of TLC’s structured manualized psycho-educational and play therapy trauma intervention programs and tools at the end of this practice-directed training.

Creative Play Therapy Crisis Intervention: Promoting Posttraumatic Growth— Lennis Echterling and Anne Stewart. Traditional crisis intervention has focused on distress, deficits and traumatic wounds of survivors. However, recent research on the inherent resilience of people and the importance of play and their attachment relationships has exciting implications to child, family and play therapists responding to traumatic events. The psycho-educational and play therapy techniques presented emphasize personal strengths, enriching personal relationships; feelings of resolve and helping survivors try new coping strategies. The play therapy interventions presented require minimal materials, are developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive and can be implemented in any setting. Out of Ashes, A Coping Heart, Eggactly: Supporting One Another, Colors From Your Emotional World, and Reaching our with LUV will be presented as way to help those in crisis play, make meaning, regulate their emotions and move forward.

Advanced Sensory-Based Interventions: From Sensory Memories to Play Therapy—William Steele and Caelan Kuban. This presentation will engage participants in a variety of advanced psycho-educational, sensory activities to allow for the use of these interventions beyond the core TLC program or for use in those situations where it is not possible to use the full program. Play therapy activities will cover early childhood through adulthood and address the sensory experiences associated with trauma or grief. This is a practice session so participants experience the full value and application of these play therapy activities. Rap It Write, Strike A Pose, Ready…Set…R.E.L.A.X., My Play Island and This Reminds Me Of… are just a few of the sensory activities presented. TLC activities are used in school and agency settings.

After the School Crisis– Glenn Carlton, Jennifer Haddow and Michael Markowitz. Participants will be introduced to the Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plan (TECIP) that provides the tools necessary to initiate protocols that offer crisis team members a proven structure to stabilize all involved in recovering from the crisis, mobilize resources, accelerate normalization of routine, and minimize the adverse impact on students and staff by restoring adaptive functioning. The Rapid Assessment Guide Traumatic Event Briefing Process, TECIP, 4×5 Development Flow Chart, the what, when, where, who and how to initiate and navigate through the Roadmap to Recovery will be presented. Lecture, demonstrations, small and large group discussion, and practice make this a “must attend” for school crisis response members. The TECIP Manual will be given to every attendee.

And did you know you can take Children of Trauma with William Steele as an online course from the convenience of your home or office? It’s the prerequisite course for all certification levels and now it’s even easier to get the benefit of this excellent presentation.

Don’t miss out of these opportunities to improve your skills in working with traumatized children, adolescents and families! For more information about the upcoming San Antonio, visit this page to learn more and register.

Be well,

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPAT, LPCC

Follow TLC’s Twitter at
http://twitter.com/TLCchildtrauma

Become a Fan of the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children– join our Facebook Fan Page today!

Ah diving. Nothing says grace like an elegant dive off a spring board. And nothing says “Oooooouch!” like the smack of an accidental belly flop.

If you often find yourself red and smarting after a dive, or if the very thought of diving makes you nervous, not to fear. There are many variations you can take to make the dive easier.

(Just some words of caution: Never dive in shallow water, or into water of any depth that is murky, unclear or has a current. Never dive without your arms extended, and keep them extended as you glide through the water. Do NOT attempt any dive if you can not swim!)

A Good Start: Seated Dive
Sit on the edge of the pool with your knees bent and calves and feet in the water. Extend your arms over your head, hands together and squeeze your ears with your forearms. Now, here’s the important part—glue your chin down to your chest and keep it there. It will be tempting to lift it as you go forward, but resist.

Squeezing your head with your arms, bend forward and try to touch the water with your fingers. As you reach forward, you will peel yourself off the wall and follow your hands into the water. Voila! A half dive! That’s not half bad.

Next Step: Kneeling Dive
Now you’re ready to take your dive to the next level. Get down on one knee (like you’re proposing) right at the edge of the pool. Again, hands up over your head, and keep that noggin down. Now as you reach forward, your back leg will give you a little push. As long as your head is down, your dive will curve downward into the water with an arch, not flat across the surface with a smack.

Almost there: Crouching Dive
Once you have the kneeling dive down, try lifting that back knee up and starting on two feet. You’ll be in a lunge, with both knees bent and facing forward. Again, reach forward and lose your balance by peeling those feet off the pool deck. Almost there, Esther Williams…

Standing Tall: The Standing Dive
Little by little, bring that back foot in until you’re comfortable with your feet together. Eventually, you’ll want to try a straight legged Teapot Dive. Tip yourself into the water by lifting a straight leg behind you. And you can also give yourself a little hop off of two bent knees.

Good luck, have fun, and if you get discouraged, chin up. Oops, I mean, chin down!

Here are a few things I’ve read lately that keep me thinking.

The economy has hit the magazine industry hard. In the last month my two favorites have folded. Domino and Cottage Living are no longer published. They had plenty of subscribers, but advertising dollars drive that industry. The NYT explains it all here. I’m hoarding my last few issues. Most of what I know about garden design came from Cottage Living. I’m sad.

Here is a wonderful blog on “budget philanthropy, making a difference on a dime.” Spread Change will make you feel good just reading it. Enjoy.

The Book Deal is a recent discovery of mine. It’s for writers and book people, and full of good advice. It’s now one of my regular reads.

The character I’m currently writing has a huge passive aggressive streak. Bacon claims I’m all aggressive, and he’s probably right. I’ve been called blunt. I may resemble that remark. But . . . I live with two classic P.A.’s, and I laughed out loud when I first saw passiveaggressivenotes.com

And finally, If you haven’t read Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stewart, and Lani Diane Rich, you should. It’s funny, sexy, and not of this world. Here’s the link to the blog by the authors.

Happy Valentine’s Day!