"Sexual Violence in U.S. Male Prisons: Dynamics, Policy, and Practice"

Workshop to be presented by Jessica Bonatakis-Mattingly at the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence Annual Convention on Thursday, June 10th, at 3:15 PM:

Sexual violence in U.S. male prisons is a complex and multifaceted problem perpetuated by beliefs deeply embedded in systemic issues and societal myths. The past seven years has shown a surge of investigative research into the dynamics, culture, and impact of sexual violence in male prisons. This psycho-educational workshop will provide information regarding the prevalence, cultural characteristics, and systemic contributions to sexual violence behind bars. A review of the individual and collective effects of sexual trauma in prisons will be conducted and pertinent legislation and policies will be presented. Barriers to the research, reporting, and treatment of this unique population of survivors will be discussed, and suggestions regarding prevention and practice will be made.

“Stress Reduction and Relaxation for the Performing Artist”

Workshop to be presented by Jessica Bonatakis-Mattingly at the University of Louisville International Guitar Festival on Saturday, May 29th, at 2PM:

Performing artists devote a significant amount of their time to perfecting their art in order to provide enjoyable experiences for their audiences. While the professional training of a musician focuses on the development of technical skill and artistry, it is rare one is taught specific strategies to assist in burnout prevention, stress management, and muscle relaxation. This workshop will introduce participants to signs of burnout and engage participants in a discussion of stress reduction, motivational, and self-care strategies. Participants will be guided through a relaxation technique incorporating deep breathing, visualization, and muscle relaxation and will be taught how to implement such strategies into their regular practice routines.

Jessica Bonatakis-Mattingly is currently a full-time doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL. She received her master’s in Counseling and Human Systems from the Florida State University and has completed practica, internships, and professional work across numerous settings including schools, intensive outpatient programs, community mental health, and juvenile detention. Having completed her B.M. at the Eastman School of Music in Applied Horn and Instrumental Music Education, Jessica has an intimate knowledge of the developing musician’s experience and stressors encountered by performing artists. At present, Jessica is embarking on data collection for her dissertation where she is examining how certain personality traits of musicians help to cope with potentially traumatic events.

Welcome to My Blog!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I plan to use this site to chronicle my student and professional development activities. Seeing as this is my first post, I'll write a brief and casual account about what is going on for me at this point in my studies.

I am finishing up my pre-doctoral therapy practicum at Seven Counties, Inc. with their Family Connections program. This has been an amazing and rewarding year, and it will be sad to say good-bye to the many clinicians who have provided me with professional guidance and support. While there, I have had the opportunity to work with clients representing the entire lifespan, from infants to grandparents. I am now preparing to begin my pre-doctoral psychology residency/internship in July at Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health, which is located in Canton, OH and is an APA-accredited internship site.

I am also gearing up to present my workshop, "Sexual Violence in U.S. Male Prisons: Dynamics, Policy, and Practice" at the annual conference of the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence in June in Sarasota, FL. I have previously presented this workshop numerous times at the Quetzal Center, a rape crisis center in Chicago, IL as well as at the MaleSurvivor International Conference this past March in New York. In addition, I've been invited to present this workshop at the 15th International Conference on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma in San Diego in September. My workshop is slightly different each time I present it, as I make attempts to modify it and structure it so that it is most relevant to each audience.

Last, and definitely not least, I am preparing to continue with data collection for my dissertation. I am looking at how certain personality traits of musicians help to cope with potentially traumatic events. Once I have collected and analyzed my data, I will be providing a discussion of the results on this blog. I anticipate being able to do this around February 2011. So, if you have participated in my study and have come hear to view the results, please plan to visit again around that time.

That's it for now! Again, thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to sharing my upcoming professional development experiences with you all.