Monitor on Psychology - April 2012 - (Page 30)

Random SAMPLE Joseph E. Lavoritano St. Gabriel’s into a data-driven organization. “When we first started pushing for data collection, there was a concern it wouldn’t turn out so well,” says Lavoritano. In reality, the data show the system is working — that, for example, young people who earn high school diplomas at St. Gabriel’s have half the re-arrest rate of those who don’t. n Providing sanctuary: St. Gabriel’s relies on the “Sanctuary Model of Trauma-Informed Care,” which shifts the focus from what’s wrong with kids to what has happened to them. “Let’s say you’re late for work a few days, and your boss gets in your face and asks, ‘Do you have a problem getting to work on time?’” says Lavoritano. “You get defensive. But if your boss sits down and says, ‘I notice you’ve been late; tell me what’s happening with you,’ you tell a story.” The punitive approach traditionally used with juvenile delinquents doesn’t work as well as seeing kids as injured while still holding them accountable, says Lavoritano, explaining that most of St. Gabriel’s kids have experienced neighborhood murders, parents in jail, crime or other losses and traumas. n A tough guy, with a twist: “I’m a Jersey kind of guy,” says Lavoritano, who grew up in North Jersey and has a place at the Jersey Shore he enjoys with two adult sons and wife, Carol, a health-care executive. His latest passion? Yoga. Says Lavoritano, “I go from church on Sunday to yoga on Monday.” —R.A. CLAY Mel Evans An executive director, data devotee and “Jersey kind of guy.” n Member since: 1991 n What he does: Lavoritano is executive director of St. Gabriel’s System, a faith-based social service agency in Philadelphia that provides education and rehabilitation to at-risk youth referred by the courts. The system includes a 200bed residential treatment facility and a program to reintegrate those kids back into their communities. It also offers three-day treatment programs, including one focused on vocational skills, another that targets youthful offenders and a third for troubled pre-adolescents. Running the $30 million, 420-employee system is “a dream job,” says Lavoritano, 30 who in 2007 became the first member of the laity to take the organization’s helm. “It was an opportunity to move into a leadership position in an organization that I admired greatly,” he says. n Mastering the job: Lavoritano began his career as a school counselor, earning master’s degrees in education psychology and counselor education and then certification in school psychology. While serving as a school psychologist, he began working with one of St. Gabriel’s programs and joined the system as director of treatment in 1993. He now draws on his psychology background by working to transform Each month, “Random Sample” profiles an APA member. You may be next. MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY • APRIL 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - April 2012

Monitor on Psychology - April 2010
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
From the CEO
Internship Shortage Continues
Mental Health Services Remain Scarce at Community Colleges
Apa Weighs in on the Constitutionality of Life Without Parole for Juvenile Offenders
Apa Praises Court’s Support for Equality
New Mobile App Answers Psychologists’ Clinical Questions
Nih Offers Free Web Resources for Psychologist Researchers
New and Improved Psyclink
In Brief
Government Relations Update
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Early Career Psychology
Psychologist Profile
Coal Miners’ Dilemma
The Science of Political Advertising
Science Watch
Science Directions
More Support Needed for Trauma Interventions
The Case Against Spanking
Innovative Psychology at the High School Level
Speaking of Education
Apa Divisions Reach Out to New Psychologists
New Journal Editors
A Home Base for Multiple Fields
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Awards and Funding Opportunities
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - April 2012