Klamath Falls, Ore. – Klamath County is preparing to take a different approach at domestic violence.
The Klamath County Family Violence Symposium takes place August 19th and 20th at Oregon Tech.
“We have a number of great speakers coming in.” Notes Jeremy Player, Regional Manager of the Oregon Department of Human Services. “It’s free to anybody who would like to attend.”
Ken Morton of Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Services, or ‘C.A.R.E.S.’, says the problem is a big one in Klamath County. “It’s huge. It’s connected to so many different things. So when we say trauma, we’re talking about family violence. When we say child abuse, we’re talking about family violence.”
Organizers say the current approach at domestic violence isn’t working.
A pilot program will be unveiled focusing on finding the root causes behind family violence.
“For instance, we want to look at a trauma base.” Explains Ryan Cavendish of Klamath Basin Behavioral Health. “We want to see what’s gotten individuals to where they’re at, move away from the shame-based style of approach.”
That will also mean finding a balance between prosecution and treatment.
“You can’t just punish a behavior and expect it to go away.” Cavendish points out. “We have to look at training, through skills training, wraparound services hitting trauma head-on all the way around.”
You can register online for the Family Violence Symposium here: https://oit.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4HpxmPtI3foShbD
KOTI-TV NBC2 reporter Lyle Ahrens moved from Nebraska to Klamath Falls in the late 1970’s. He instantly fell in love with the mountains, the trees and the rivers, and never once regretted the move.Lyle’s job history is quite colorful.
He’s managed a pizza parlor; he’s been a bartender, and a “kiwifruit grader” at an organic orchard in New Zealand. A Klamath Falls radio station hired Lyle in the mid 90’s as a news writer and commercial producer. In 2004, Lyle joined the KOTI/KOBI news operation.Lyle notes with pride that he has a big responsibility presenting the Klamath Basin to a wide and varied audience.
“The on-going water crisis has underscored the fact that the people and the issues in the Klamath Basin are every bit as diverse as the terrain. Winning and keeping the trust of the viewers, as well as the newsmakers, is something I strive for with each story”.
When he’s not busy reporting the news, Lyle enjoys astronomy, playing guitar, fixing old radios and listening to anything by Sheryl Crow.
