My name is Tricia Mercaldi, and I am working towards my master’s degrees in Psychology with a focus on Trauma and Child Development. My primary focus is on relationships: Family relationships, intimate relationships, and even the relationship that you have with yourself. I get to spend my days learning about people. About how we act, think, learn, grow, perceive, and feel in various situations. I started this page as a way to share some of this information with...

This section intends to look at the kind of support that relationships need to stay healthy. This can mean anything from intimate relationships, to family relationships, to relationships between friends and coworkers. Topics in this section may include how to keep a family together after a traumatic event, or how to keep the spark alive in a long-term relationship, or even how to work with people who you don’t like. If there is a subject that you’re interested...

This is where we can discuss all aspects of violence prevention, safety precautions and basic protection needs that people have in their homes and places of work. Topics can include disaster-proofing your home, or developing ideas to help make your neighborhoods safer, or planning specific strategies that prepare your family for worst-case scenarios. If you’re interested in reaching out with questions, topics or volunteer opportunities that I can discuss, I’d...

Let’s face it, kids and teens deserve their own section. Here, we can talk about developmental issues that come up during the first 18 years of a person’s life. Topics here can include violence prevention in schools, or understanding real life peer-pressure, or ways to help kids develop positive social skills. I encourage all ages to get involved in the discussion.

Check our the Resources section for links to books, websites, products and services that we talk about on this site. If you have any recommendations, send a email with the link.