{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Ep. 4: Understanding the Spectrum of Sexualized Behavior in Clinical Work","description":"Most would agree that we live in a sex-saturated culture. So why do we find it so hard to talk about sex? Deborah Jackson, Clinical Training and Developmental Specialist for JRI, trains clinicians and staff to handle sexualized behavior that young clients are exhibiting (or thinking about exhibiting). \u201cWe come with our own personal beliefs. We come with our own morals. We come with our own personal histories,\u201d she says. Jackson was a featured guest on Justice in Action, a podcast series hosted by JRI, (Justice Resource Institute) the leading social service agency in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. She says that how effective clinicians or staff are often depends on their own attitudes about sex and about \u201csexualized behaviors that are normative for every stage of development.\u201d  For example, 4-year-olds who feel overwhelmed or overtired sometimes will stroke their genitals to calm themselves. \u201cFor a little kid it doesn\u2019t feel any different than stroking their arm or their hair (or carrying around) a blanket or teddy bear,\u201d she says. \u201c(But) we don\u2019t want them doing it in the mall when they\u2019re tired and mommy\u2019s made them shop too much.\u201d  For older children in their early to mid-teens, sending nude or partially nude photos is normative behavior \u2014 that is, something that a \u201cgreat number of people are doing.\u201d Jackson recommends that adults try not to overreact to such behavior, but seek to make it comfortable for children to talk about, if only to listen and then remind them, \u201cThese are not our values. There are some safety risks\u201d that come from sending out nude photos that could end up on the internet or in the hands of adults looking to exploit children for sex.  \u201cThe conversation needs to be more than \u2018Just stop it,\u2019\u201d she says. Adults\u2019 discomfort means most children never get to have \u201cfrank, honest conversations with their parents about sex.\u201d  And sex education in most public schools is inadequate, Jackson says, noting that only 24 states require that the schools teach even the basics.  So for many children, what they learn about sex comes from their friends \u2014 or the internet. The average age of a child\u2019s first exposure to explicit online photos or videos is 11, Jackson says. Jackson will conduct training about handling sexualized behavior on April 10, and we invite you to visit the JRI website at www.jri.org\/events to learn more. ","author_name":"Justice In Action","author_url":"https:\/\/jri.org\/","html":"