Clergy, psychotherapists, social workers and lay people...

Clergy, psychotherapists, social workers and lay people from across the United States and Mexico will meet for a conference titled “Research and Treatment in Child Abuse and Neglect” at the University of Judaism on Nov. 14.

Child abuse workers are invited to attend the free conference, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It is sponsored by the university’s psychology department and Project SafeCare, a new child abuse prevention program funded by the California Wellness Foundation and headed by University of Judaism psychology professor John Lutzker.

Speakers will take up current issues in applied research on the treatment and prevention of abuse. Some of the hottest topics, Lutzker said, are teaching youths how to engage in nonviolent conflict resolution and teaching the mothers of latchkey children to instruct their children in safety and prevention skills.

“Cognitive research is red-hot, too,” he said. “What attributions a parent assigns to a child’s behavior may be connected with a risk for abuse. A non-abusive parent may conclude a child is acting aggressive or sullen because he or she is having a bad day, whereas an abusive parent may decide the child is a bad seed or possessed by the devil,” he said.

In July, Lutzker received a four-year, $800,000 grant from the California Wellness Foundation--the state’s largest private foundation devoted to health-related issues--to study health, safety and bonding among parents at high risk for child abuse in the San Fernando Valley. The project’s co-principal investigator is Ron Doctor, a psychology professor at Cal State Northridge, who will also speak at the conference.

“We’re now trying to make treatment more easily disseminated and shorter in duration,” Lutzker said. “We’re trying to see if it can be delivered by nurses, caseworkers and even possibly videotapes, rather than using only graduate students, who have delivered services very effectively in the past,” he said.

Looking further ahead, the psychologist said he hopes to launch a project that will study the relationship between spirituality and family satisfaction in Jewish families and how this may affect the incidence of abuse.

Other speakers include Hector Ayala of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico , Lizette Peterson of the University of Missouri in Columbia and David Wolfe of the Center for Research on Violence Against Women and Children at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.

The free conference is open to all interested parties. To reserve a space, call Randi Sherman at (310) 476-8647 or fax her at (310) 476-5338.

DATES

* Nov. 13 has been named “Voter Stub Sunday” by Bread for the World-Los Angeles. The local affiliate of the Washington-based advocacy group has called upon pastors throughout the city to request that every registered voter become informed on all candidates’ positions on hunger and poverty, then vote in those interests Tuesday. Pastors are asked to have voters stand and turn in their ballot stubs during worship services. Participating churches in Southern California include Holman United Methodist, Crossroads Njia Panda United Methodist, First African Methodist Episcopal, Messiah Baptist, Walker Temple African Methodist Episcopal, West Angeles Church of God in Christ and Ascension Lutheran, and Second Baptist in Los Angeles, All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena, First Church of God in Inglewood and First Lutheran in Carson. For further information, phone (818) 568-3233.

* Kirk O’The Valley will go all out for St. Andrew’s Day Worship at 10 a.m. Sunday with a traditional Scottish service and celebration honoring the heritage of the Presbyterian Church. Performing will be: Scottish folk singer Alex Beaton, Highland dancer Fred DeMarse, Pipe Major Tom Allen and the Highland Pipe and Drum Band, the Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles and the Waverly Country Dancers. 19620 Vanowen St., Reseda. (818) 345-2535.

* The Catholic-Jewish Women’s Conference of Los Angeles, sponsored by several organizations of both faiths, will hold its 18th annual gathering from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles. Morning speakers will be Jeanne Pieper, an author, producer and Catholic laywoman, and Carol Levy, scholar-in-residence at Brandeis-Bardin Institute. They will discuss “Catholicism and Judaism: Why Do We Stay with Our Traditions?” After a brown-bag lunch, participants will split into small discussion groups. The day will conclude with fellowship. Registration is $10, in advance or at the door. For information, phone (818) 222-4694 or (310) 319-9761. 3663 Wilshire Blvd.

* Paul Monette, author of “Borrowed Time” and “Becoming a Man,” will speak at a High Mass in observance of All Saints Day at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church in Hollywood. The Mass will be sung in memory of all who have died of AIDS. 7501 Hollywood Blvd. (213) 876-2102.

* “Resolving Personal and Spiritual Conflicts” is the subject of a weeklong conference led by author Neil Anderson beginning Sunday at Lake Avenue Congregational Church in Pasadena. Admission is $40 for the week. For a complete schedule and registration information, phone (818) 683-1401. 393 N. Lake Ave.

* Cantor Linda Robbins and composer-conductor Michael Isaacson lead instrumentalists and singers in an informal Shabbat “jam” after 10 a.m. services and a potluck lunch every Saturday at Stephen S. Wise Temple’s Hershenson Hall. 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles. (310) 476-8561.

* “The Holidays: Ways to Create the Season You Really Want” is a free, therapist-led workshop from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, offered by Outreach Counseling Center in Arcadia. The group will focus on ways to prepare emotionally and care for oneself during the holiday season. To sign up, phone Pam Baker at (818) 574-0712.

* Psychologist Halina Grzymala-Moszczynska of the Institute of the Science of Religion at Jagiellonian University of Krakow, Poland, will discuss “The Social Construction of Evil: Roman Catholicism Vis-a-Vis New Religions in Poland” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Loyola Marymount University. The lecture is free and open to the public. Reserve space by calling (310) 338-4570.