The Melissa Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and prevention of violence through education, community service, research support and consultation. Our mission is to prevent violence and promote safer communities through education and application of research-based knowledge.

Melissa Institute Launches Newsletter!
Click Here to Download.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2010

The Melissa Institute nurtures the work of young scientists by awarding annual scholarships to support doctoral students' dissertation research in the field of violence prevention. The 2010 winners have been announced! Please click here to find out more information.

We encourage our website visitors to read an article in GOOD magazine, Preventing Violence by Teaching Literacy. It was written by Jessica Aptman, Melissa's sister. In addition to her personal reflections, Jessica shares her hope that the Institute's forthcoming literacy website will help to prevent violence. While there may not be definitive scientific proof that web-based programs are effective in replicating proven classroom programs, her optimism about the future of this project is both inspirational and compelling. [Read Article]

Read our 2010 Report to the Community - Preventing Violence Through Literacy - to learn more about our activities.

The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment Establishes Literacy Website for Educators

Internationally acclaimed reading expert, Dr. Dale Willows, has agreed to establish a literacy Web site in conjunction with The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment. The proposed site will serve as an integral tool in providing professional development information and training for elementary school teachers. [more]

Visit our Sunflower Gallery! Students’ sunflower artwork and poems.

Check Out Our Handouts!

Handouts from all conferences since 2003 are now available in the Downloads section. See the growth of The Melissa Institute through the years in our Community Reports first published in 1997.

“ACT Against Violence Training Program”

Adults and Children Together Against Violence (ACT) is a program designed by the American Psychological Association (APA) to train early childhood, mental health and service agency professionals to deliver an enhanced parent education curriculum.

For more information and to register, contact the Melissa Institute. 786-662-5210. To sign up for the training program and other information, click here.

The Melissa Institute has launched a new website for school violence prevention. We invite you to visit TeachSafeSchools.org to access relevant, research based information for educators.

Speaking Personally

The Melissa Institute was founded after the murder of Melissa Aptman to honor her memory and share the science of violence prevention. Below are some personal writings from Dr. Michael Aptman and Lynn Aptman, Melissa's parents and the founders of The Melissa Institute, and Melissa's sister Jessica Aptman: Violence is Preventable - presented at Peace and Harmony 2009 by Dr. Michael Aptman.[PDF] One In A Million? - an article by Dr. Michael Aptman published in Neurology, a medical journal. It expresses his professional and personal experiences as a result of Melissa's murder.[PDF] Silence the Violence - lyrics of a song composed by Lynn Aptman, which she performed at the Peace & Harmony concert, Music for a Better World.[PDF] This I Believe - a personal reflection submitted by Jessica Aptman to National Public Radio.[PDF] Uncertainty - a poem written by Melissa Aptman shortly before her death.[PDF] You will also find on this site scientific papers and educational presentations from our Scientific Board, Workshops and Conferences dealing with specific areas of violence prevention and treatment.

The following letter from Suzanne Keeley, President of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment was published in the Miami Herald October 18, 2009

After Tragedy -
To Stop School Violence

The notion that violence in schools is random -- and therefore cannot be stopped -- is flawed. Scientific research informs schools and other institutions about what they can do to minimize violent acts. Read more

Meichenbaum Blogs on Psychology Today

Dr. Donald Meichenbaum, Research Director of The Melissa Institute, is a guest blogger on the Psychology Today website. To see his blog, please click here.

New paper available on Suicide

Dr. Donald Meichenbaum, Research Director of The Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment has written a paper entitled 35 Years of Working with Suicidal Patients: Lessons Learned available on this site. [download]