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Cheryl Dellasega  

Helping women turn conflict into connection

Cheryl Dellasega, NP, PhD, is a relational aggression expert, and the author of six books on issues affecting women: "When Nurses Hurt Nurses," "Forced to be Family," "Mean Girls Grown Up," "The Starving Family," "Girl Wars," and "Surviving Ophelia." Dr. Dellasega’s writing and teaching offer essential insights into the different conflicts that arise in female-to-female relationships.

As the founder of Club and Camp Ophelia™ (www.clubophelia.com) she has helped thousands of girls confront and overcome relational aggression. Her expertise in the world of girls has led to frequent requests for her training workshops for teachers, therapists, and other adults who work with young women. In addition, she speaks to adult women who confront relational aggression at home, in the workplace, and/or within the community.

As a Professor of Humanities in the College of Medicine and Professor of Women’s Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, Dr. Dellasega is actively involved in medical education (teaching, research, and leadership). She also conducts research on psychosocial issues, and leads community outreach efforts. She is an international expert on family relationships and completed a visiting professorship in Sweden.

Dr. Dellasega’s work with girls has led to several accolades: The Mae Carvel Award (2003), AAUW Woman of the Year Award (Harrisburg, PA chapter) (2003), and, in 2004, The Penn State University Outreach Award. She has also been named a Distinguished Alumni of Millersville University (1992) and Vestal Central High School (2011).

Speech Topics


The Starving Family: How Eating Disorders Impact Parents, Siblings, and Others

This talk is a one hour discussion of how anorexia and bulimia of girls and boys effect their family members. Using real life stories, identification of issues and potential strategies to deal with them are presented.

Resolution Through Narrative

Having taught and researched the impact of narrative on health, the healing value of stories is apparent. Under the right circumstances, creating a narrative can help begin the process of resolving big and little problems.

Spite in White: Nurses and Relational Aggression

Is the caring profession really caustic and cruel? This presentation looks at how nurses help and hurt each other and suggests strategies to overcome a toxic nursing environment.

Press On: How Women Succeed In and Out of the Boardroom

While women are being encouraged to “lean in,” the notion of “pressing on” is more action oriented and uses a variety of resources that help women identify and achieve their passion—on the job and at home.

A creative combination of didactic and experimental activities help participants overcome bullying, social anxiety, and low self-esteem. This workshop can be tailored to accommodate specific audiences such as nurses, adjudicated teens, and others.

Online and Real Time RA Among Girls/Online and Real Time RA for Women

RA is relational aggression, or the type of nonphysical bullying that nearly every woman will encounter at one time or another. This lecture presents strategies for both dealing with, and ultimately avoiding, bullies of all ages in the context of educational, organization, or corporate settings.

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