Psychologist addresses sexual violence

  • Published
  • By John Cochran
  • 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A nationally recognized forensic consultant, trainer and lecturer spoke to an audience of more than 100 Team Kirtland senior leaders Jan. 13, in a two-hour presentation on a wide variety of topics related to sexual violence.

Dr. David Lisak is a clinical psychologist who has devoted his professional life to studying the causes and consequences of interpersonal violence. Lisak's research and applied forensic work on non-stranger rapists has helped guide rape prevention and response policies in major institutions, including the U.S. armed services and numerous colleges and universities.

Lisak has served on the faculty of the National Judicial Education Project and the American Prosecutors Research Institute, and as a consultant to judicial, prosecutor and law enforcement education programs nationwide. He consults widely with universities, the U.S. military services, the Department of Defense, and other institutions regarding sexual assault prevention and policies.

"Sexual violence is a global problem. It affects every institution and community. The only question: Is it confronted with honesty and commitment? If you devote more attention and resources to this issue, it isn't that you have a bigger problem. It is that you have the moral courage to face the problem," he said.

"The military services inherit a small percentage of offenders among the people they recruit. The Air Force can't change the core offenders. It has to get them out. That's why the Air Force must have a robust response to assault reporting," Lisak said.

He also said that bystander intervention programs can change attitudes and behaviors.

"This is not an easy subject to talk about, but it's important, and we need to have these conversations," said Col. Tom Miller, 377th Air Base Wing commander.

Lisak has conducted workshops and training events in all 50 states, in Canada, and overseas. He also serves as an expert witness in both criminal and civil cases, and has testified in state and federal courts across the country, especially in death penalty cases where issues of child abuse are pertinent, and in sexual assault cases on issues of victim behavior and offender characteristics. In addition, Lisak has appeared on national media, such as CNN, NPR, and the CBS Evening News.

His research on non-stranger rapists, and on the long-term impact of childhood sexual abuse in adult men, has been published in leading scientific journals. He is a founding board member of "1in6," a national non-profit organization devoted to helping men who were sexually abused as children. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Lisak was one of three men profiled in the documentary, "Boys and Men Healing."

To learn more about Lisak, go to his website: http://www.davidlisak.com.  To see a presentation similar to the one Lisak gave at Kirtland, go to the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iZCWfYZ9IU.