By Timothy Williams
The New York Times
Originally published August 2, 2012
A government psychologist who was officially reprimanded for alerting his superiors to widespread child abuse on a North Dakota Indian reservation has had his punishment rescinded, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday.
The psychologist, Michael R. Tilus, director of behavioral health at the Spirit Lake Health Center on the Spirit Lake Reservation, said he had been acting as a whistle-blower when he e-mailed letters to senior federal health officials, law enforcement agents and North Dakota’s United States senators about what he described as an “epidemic” of child abuse at Spirit Lake and the lack of effort by the tribe’s leaders to address the problem.
The entire article is here.
The original story on this blog about Michael R. Tilus is here.
Showing posts with label Sexual Abuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sexual Abuse. Show all posts
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Teacher: Sex with students was "casual" and "warm"
A teacher admits having sex with students but says he's "surprised they remember." An expert says that this is typical.
By Tracy Clark-Flory
Salon.com
Originally published June 25, 2012
More startling than the fact that he gave an interview to the media, or even that he admitted to having had sex with his underage students, was that Tek Young Lin described the many-decades-old incidents as “warm” and “casual.”
In Sunday’s New York Times, the former teacher at the elite Manhattan private school Horace Mann, which is now the focus of widespread allegations of abuse, said, “The only thing I can assure you of was that everything I did was in warmth and affection and not a power play.” Of his three former high school students who spoke with the Times about the incidents — two of whom say the sexual contact began at 14 or 15, one of whom said it began at 17 — Lin said, “I’m surprised they remember. It was all so casual and warm.”
James Cantor, a psychologist and editor in chief of the research journal Sexual Abuse, tells me this sort of rationalization is common among adults who pursue sex with minors.
The entire story is here.
Thanks to Gary Schoener for this story.
By Tracy Clark-Flory
Salon.com
Originally published June 25, 2012
More startling than the fact that he gave an interview to the media, or even that he admitted to having had sex with his underage students, was that Tek Young Lin described the many-decades-old incidents as “warm” and “casual.”
In Sunday’s New York Times, the former teacher at the elite Manhattan private school Horace Mann, which is now the focus of widespread allegations of abuse, said, “The only thing I can assure you of was that everything I did was in warmth and affection and not a power play.” Of his three former high school students who spoke with the Times about the incidents — two of whom say the sexual contact began at 14 or 15, one of whom said it began at 17 — Lin said, “I’m surprised they remember. It was all so casual and warm.”
James Cantor, a psychologist and editor in chief of the research journal Sexual Abuse, tells me this sort of rationalization is common among adults who pursue sex with minors.
The entire story is here.
Thanks to Gary Schoener for this story.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Culture of Denial and Child Sex Abuse
Voices In The Family - WHYY Radio
Originally posted 11/14/11
Alleged incidents of child sexual abuse brought to light at Penn State are disturbing. University stakeholders have been ousted. The campus remains a live wire of anger and confusion. As our hearts go out to children and families who have come forward with their stories, we find ourselves wondering, why did so many people fail to report what they saw or heard about?
Dan Gottlieb Ph.D, host of Voices in the Family, is a family therapist in private practice. He is a nationally recognized lecturer in the field of mental health, and a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Dan Gottlieb asks: why the cultural hesitation and denial in sexual abuse cases, in general, when the well-being of children is at stake? We'll take a look at the psychology of institutional betrayal as well as prevention of abuse with Jennifer J. Freyd, Michael Stinson, Ken Singer, and Kelly Moore.
The entire podcast can be found here.
Originally posted 11/14/11
Alleged incidents of child sexual abuse brought to light at Penn State are disturbing. University stakeholders have been ousted. The campus remains a live wire of anger and confusion. As our hearts go out to children and families who have come forward with their stories, we find ourselves wondering, why did so many people fail to report what they saw or heard about?
 |
| Dan Gottlieb, PhD |
Dan Gottlieb asks: why the cultural hesitation and denial in sexual abuse cases, in general, when the well-being of children is at stake? We'll take a look at the psychology of institutional betrayal as well as prevention of abuse with Jennifer J. Freyd, Michael Stinson, Ken Singer, and Kelly Moore.
The entire podcast can be found here.
Child abuse: We’re making the problem worse
By Tracy Clark
Salon.com
Originally published 11/13/2011
The alleged Penn State sex abuse scandal may provide a powerful lesson about institutional corruption — but it’s also a good time for some self-examination. The general consensus among experts who treat sex offenders is that America has taken the wrong approach to dealing with child molesters. In fact, some say that we’re only making the problem worse.
Just last week, the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abuse conference in Canada surveyed the latest research in the field. The narrative that emerged from the meeting is that we should place a stronger emphasis on something proved to actually reduce the recidivism rate: treatment. The potential for bias here is apparent — it’s like incarceration experts highlighting the importance of incarceration — but studies show that treatment, particularly group approaches, can be highly effective. (Although, as a 2009 report put it, “Despite these advances we, as a field, continue to fall well short of the community’s expectation of ‘no more victims.’”)
The entire story can be found here.
Two additional stories on the Penn State sexual abuse case can be found on the same page.
Just last week, the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abuse conference in Canada surveyed the latest research in the field. The narrative that emerged from the meeting is that we should place a stronger emphasis on something proved to actually reduce the recidivism rate: treatment. The potential for bias here is apparent — it’s like incarceration experts highlighting the importance of incarceration — but studies show that treatment, particularly group approaches, can be highly effective. (Although, as a 2009 report put it, “Despite these advances we, as a field, continue to fall well short of the community’s expectation of ‘no more victims.’”)
The entire story can be found here.
Two additional stories on the Penn State sexual abuse case can be found on the same page.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sandusky arrested, AG charges against 2 top Penn St. officials
By Myles Snyder and Megan Healey
WHTM News
 |
| Jerry Sandusky |
Penn State's legendary assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky, was arrested Saturday on child sex abuse charges, as state prosecutors announced charges against two top university officials who apparently knew of at least one incident on the campus and did nothing about it.
Attorney General Linda Kelly said Timothy Curley, Penn State's director of athletics, and Gary Schultz, the university's senior vice president for finance and business, are charged with perjury and failure to report suspected child abuse. Schultz's position includes oversight of the university's police department.
"This is a case about a sexual predator who used his position within the university and community to repeatedly prey on young boys," Kelly said in a news release Saturday. "It is also a case about high-ranking university officials who allegedly failed to report the sexual assault of a young boy after the information was brought to their attention, and later made false statements to a grand jury that was investigating a series of assaults on young boys."
Kelly said the attorney general's office and state police began the investigation when a young boy reported that Sandusky had sexually abused him while the boy was a house guest at Sandusky's home near State College.
According to evidence presented to an investigating grand jury, the boy was 11 or 12 years old when he first met Sandusky at a camp for The Second Mile program, a charity for at-risk children founded by Sandusky.
Sandusky used expensive gifts to keep in touch with the boy - including trips to professional and college sporting events, golf clubs, a computer, clothing and money - and used the overnight visits at his home to perform sex acts on the boy, according to the grand jury.
(cut)
"The failure of top university officials to act on reports of Sandusky's alleged sexual misconduct, even after it was reported to them in graphic detail by an eyewitness, allowed a predator to walk free for years - continuing to target new victims," Kelly said.
"Equally disturbing is the lack of action and apparent lack of concern among those same officials, and others who received information about this case, who either avoided asking difficult questions or chose to look the other way."
Kelly said that despite the false testimony and "uncooperative atmosphere" by some Penn State University and Second Mile officials, the grand jury eventually identified a total of eight young men who were targets of sexual advances or assaults by Sandusky, starting in 1994 and continuing through 2009, after meeting him through Second Mile activities.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Suspect in child-rape scheme was never a psychologist
By Jennifer Sullivan and Bob Young
Seattle Times staff reporters
David Scratchley is not all he claimed to be, though it wouldn't be apparent if you followed his career.
The head of a Seattle drug-treatment center, Scratchley authored books, gave speeches to city employees and co-hosted a radio show. He has worked in the Seattle area at least 23 years and is regarded as a local expert on substance abuse and addictions.
Scratchley, 52, flatly claimed in a recent video to be a psychologist.
He is not.
He is training to be certified by the state as a chemical-dependency counselor, according to the Department of Health.
That's just one of the mysteries and exaggerations that surround Scratchley, who was arrested early Friday and has been held without bail at the King County Jail on investigation of attempted rape of a child in the first degree and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
According to Seattle police, Scratchley talked with a woman about raping a 10-year-old boy at his Belltown apartment on Thursday.
The woman, who said she met Scratchley through drug treatment, contacted police Thursday afternoon after being fearful that Scratchley planned to go ahead with the sexual assault.
Police found the child inside Scratchley's apartment building and took him to Harborview Medical Center; investigators did not say whether the child had been harmed. They also found suspected cocaine in the apartment, according to a Seattle police report.
King County prosecutors said that Wednesday is their deadline to file charges against Scratchley in Superior Court.
The state Department of Health opened an investigation of Scratchley on Tuesday because of media attention surrounding his arrest, though department officials said they have never received a complaint about him.
One thing the health department will focus on is Scratchley's claim he is a psychologist.
Scratchley, clinical manager of the treatment program at the Matt Talbot New Hope Recovery Center, has never been a licensed psychologist in the state of Washington, according to Department of Health officials and records.
There is no gray area when it comes to making such a claim, said Betty Moe, a department program manager. State law prohibits anyone from calling themselves a psychologist unless they've obtained such a credential from the Department of Health.
Read the entire story here.
Seattle Times staff reporters
David Scratchley is not all he claimed to be, though it wouldn't be apparent if you followed his career.
The head of a Seattle drug-treatment center, Scratchley authored books, gave speeches to city employees and co-hosted a radio show. He has worked in the Seattle area at least 23 years and is regarded as a local expert on substance abuse and addictions.
 |
| David Scratchley |
He is not.
He is training to be certified by the state as a chemical-dependency counselor, according to the Department of Health.
That's just one of the mysteries and exaggerations that surround Scratchley, who was arrested early Friday and has been held without bail at the King County Jail on investigation of attempted rape of a child in the first degree and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes.
According to Seattle police, Scratchley talked with a woman about raping a 10-year-old boy at his Belltown apartment on Thursday.
The woman, who said she met Scratchley through drug treatment, contacted police Thursday afternoon after being fearful that Scratchley planned to go ahead with the sexual assault.
Police found the child inside Scratchley's apartment building and took him to Harborview Medical Center; investigators did not say whether the child had been harmed. They also found suspected cocaine in the apartment, according to a Seattle police report.
King County prosecutors said that Wednesday is their deadline to file charges against Scratchley in Superior Court.
The state Department of Health opened an investigation of Scratchley on Tuesday because of media attention surrounding his arrest, though department officials said they have never received a complaint about him.
One thing the health department will focus on is Scratchley's claim he is a psychologist.
Scratchley, clinical manager of the treatment program at the Matt Talbot New Hope Recovery Center, has never been a licensed psychologist in the state of Washington, according to Department of Health officials and records.
There is no gray area when it comes to making such a claim, said Betty Moe, a department program manager. State law prohibits anyone from calling themselves a psychologist unless they've obtained such a credential from the Department of Health.
Read the entire story here.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Harford child psychologist pleads guilty to abusing 3 girls
By Mary Gail Hare
The Baltimore Sun
August 22, 2011
A Harford County child psychologist pleaded guilty Monday to child abuse and sexual assault of three young girls he had been treating at his Fallston office.
David Wayne Schrumpf, 55, of Whiteford will serve six years in prison, where he will undergo sex offender treatment, under terms of a plea agreement filed in Harford County Circuit Court. He is charged with one count of child sex abuse and two counts of second-degree assault.
Schrumpf will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He must also surrender his license to practice psychology and cannot seek another in any jurisdiction, according to the plea agreement.
The charges arose after one 7-year-old girl reported to her mother that Schrumpf had touched her inappropriately during a session at his office. Two other victims, who were 9 and 10 years old at the time of the abuse, came forward during the investigation, county State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly said. All the incidents occurred at Schrumpf's office in Fallston over a year beginning in October 2009, Cassilly said.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 31 in Harford County Circuit Court before Judge Maurice Baldwin.
* * * * * * * * *
Local Psychologist Arrested on Child Sex Charges
By Collin Hoofnagle, News Editor
The Patriot, John Carroll's Online Student Newspaper
December 9, 2010
According to “The Aegis,” David W. Schrumpf is a licensed psychologist with a practice in Fallston. He was charged Friday, Dec. 3, with 10 counts of third-degree sex offense and 10 counts of sex abuse of a minor.
According to the Aegis, a local woman was discussing appropriate touching with her seven-year-old daughter when the daughter mentioned her psychologist. The mother then talked to her 10 year-old daughter, who is also a patient of Strumpf’s, when the daughter said that Strumpf touches her in private places during sessions.
In the email, Barker said, “While John Carroll has no formal connection with Dr. Schrumpf, we are aware that over the years some of our students have used Dr. Schrumpf’s services for ADHD diagnostic testing or for counseling.”
The Baltimore Sun
August 22, 2011
A Harford County child psychologist pleaded guilty Monday to child abuse and sexual assault of three young girls he had been treating at his Fallston office.David Wayne Schrumpf, 55, of Whiteford will serve six years in prison, where he will undergo sex offender treatment, under terms of a plea agreement filed in Harford County Circuit Court. He is charged with one count of child sex abuse and two counts of second-degree assault.
Schrumpf will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. He must also surrender his license to practice psychology and cannot seek another in any jurisdiction, according to the plea agreement.
The charges arose after one 7-year-old girl reported to her mother that Schrumpf had touched her inappropriately during a session at his office. Two other victims, who were 9 and 10 years old at the time of the abuse, came forward during the investigation, county State's Attorney Joseph I. Cassilly said. All the incidents occurred at Schrumpf's office in Fallston over a year beginning in October 2009, Cassilly said.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 31 in Harford County Circuit Court before Judge Maurice Baldwin.
* * * * * * * * *
Local Psychologist Arrested on Child Sex Charges
By Collin Hoofnagle, News Editor
The Patriot, John Carroll's Online Student Newspaper
December 9, 2010
In a Dec. 8 email to parents, Principal Paul Barker said that an area psychologist used by students was recently arrested on child sex charges.
According to the Aegis, a local woman was discussing appropriate touching with her seven-year-old daughter when the daughter mentioned her psychologist. The mother then talked to her 10 year-old daughter, who is also a patient of Strumpf’s, when the daughter said that Strumpf touches her in private places during sessions.
In the email, Barker said, “While John Carroll has no formal connection with Dr. Schrumpf, we are aware that over the years some of our students have used Dr. Schrumpf’s services for ADHD diagnostic testing or for counseling.”
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