Are Our Schools Safe? - The Science of Empathy Fatigue and Gun Violence February 11, 2013

Dr. Mark Stebnicki, Professor in the Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Counseling at East Carolina University, is leading our next discussion, Are Our Schools Safe? - The Science of Empathy Fatigue and Gun Violence, at the next science cafe on February 11th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Tipsy Teapot located at 1409 Evans St #B Greenville, NC 27858-1854.

Dr. Mark Stebnicki holds a doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling (Ph.D.) and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in North Carolina. He has national certifications as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC); Certified Case Manager (CCM); and is a Reiki Master level III-practitioner in the Usui Reiki Ryoho tradition. He is part of North Carolina's Red Cross-sponsored Disaster Response Network and is certified by the Washington, D.C.-based crisis response team- National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA). Dr. Stebnicki has over 20 years experience working with adolescents and adults that have a variety of mental health issues. He also has significant experience working with persons who have chronic medical/physical health conditions and who have experienced traumatic stress.

Dr. Stebnicki is also a professor in the graduate program in rehabilitation counseling at East Carolina University. He is an active teacher, researcher, and practitioner who has written five books; most recently The Psychological and Social Impact of Illness and Disability (6th ed.- 2012; Springer Publishing); The Professional Counselor's Desk Reference (Springer Publishing, 2009- Winner of the "Choice" literary award for 2010), and Empathy Fatigue: Healing the Mind, Body, and Spirit of Professional Counselors (Springer Publishing, 2008; translated into Korean in 2010). He has over 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and has presented state-wide and nationally at over 70 conferences, seminars, and workshops on topics that range from youth violence, traumatic stress, empathy fatigue, and the psychosocial aspects of chronic illness and disability.

Dr. Stebnicki served on the crisis response team for the Westside Middle School shootings in Jonesboro, AR (March 24, 1998) and has done many stress debriefings with private companies, schools, and government employees after incidents of workplace violence, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. His youth violence program, the Identification, Early Intervention, Prevention, and Preparation (IEPP) Program, has been awarded national recognition in 2001 by the American Counseling Association (ACA) Foundation for its vision and excellence in the area of youth violence prevention. Other accolades include numerous professional service awards and consulting with former President Bill Clinton's staff on addressing the students of Columbine High School after their critical incident (April 20, 1999).

Official Website: http://www.go-science.org/?page_id=1259