The City Mission To Host Symposium On Father Absence

Online, March 26, 2012 (Newswire.com) - David Stoop, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and director of the Center for Family Therapy will be speaking at The City Mission, a Cleveland charity, for a special Father Absence Symposium.

Children growing up with an absent father, whether physically or mentally lacking, are affected socially, financially and in many other ways. Father absence is the sole significant predictor of developmental problems in a child's life, and has enough influence to negatively impact a child's well-being and judgment in areas including crime, teen pregnancy, abuse, childhood obesity, education, incarceration and drug and alcohol abuse, among others. According to the National Fatherhood Initiative, "There is a 'father factor' in nearly all of the social issues facing America today."

"We witness the effects of father absence everyday here in the lives of our clients in all four of our major programs at The City Mission," said Richard Trickel, CEO of the Mission. "We believe this is such a critical issue that we are making this available at no charge for all those with a direct interest in this topic."

David Stoop, Ph.D, is an expert who continues to study the impact that father absence has on children. Dr. Stoop has authored and published 25 books, including Making Peace with Your Father: Understanding the Role Your Father has Played in Your Life - Past to Present, Forgiving Our Parents, Forgiving Ourselves: Healing Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families, and The Complete Parenting Book. He is also the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio program, "New Life Live."

He will conduct this symposium for The City Mission on Wednesday, April 18, 2012, addressing the issue of father absence and the value of a father in a child's life.

"In spite of the vast scope of research on the effects of father absence, the role of the father is seen by some as an optional role," said Dr. Stoop. "In the symposium, we will look at some of the efforts to make fathering non-essential, as well as the impact this has had on various parts of our communities."

The program has been approved for 6 continuing education units (CEU) from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University for social work, counselors and psychologists. Please refer to The City Mission's website ( http://www.thecitymission.org/father-absence) if interested.

The symposium will take place at The City Mission's Pathways Family Outreach Center, located at 5310 Carnegie Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. The City Mission will be providing free parking on its campus and at the city lot on the north side of Carnegie, across from the Mission.

This symposium is free but space is limited and registration is required by April 11, 2012. Register online at http://www.thecitymission.org/father-absence or by calling (216) 920-4136.