Description

Within the past few years, domestic and international law enforcement have grown increasingly concerned about a collection of online communities, colloquially referred to as the Comms, that target adolescents. The perpetrators engage in various tactics to build a relationship with the youth victim before inflicting a range of harms. For instance, online predators purposely target vulnerable populations with mental illness while engaging in love-bombing, sextortion, and self-mutilation encouragement. Though the techniques and harms inflicted are appalling, what is perhaps equally unsettling is that most offenders are adolescents themselves.  

Professionals assisting youth with problematic sexual behaviors are encouraged to attend this workshop, as they are likely to start fielding questions and referrals involving the Comms if they are not already. Attendees will learn about the various factions that make up this decentralized system, as well as how perpetrators use their crimes as a form of social currency to boost their reputations.  Participants will learn about different elements under the Nihilistic Violence Extremist (NVE) umbrella, like 764, No Lives Matter, mass attacks, white supremacy, and the occult.  

The discussion will focus on primary prevention considerations, potential emerging risk factors, and how to conduct a thorough evaluation of perpetrators.  Although Dr. Rodrigues aims to prevent glamorization of NVE, trigger-warnings do apply given the graphic nature of the offending.  

Learning Objectives:

1. Attendees will identify one way that NVE parallels past violent movements and one way it differs.
2. Participants will be able to list two types of criminal behavior associated with NVE. 
3. Attendees will identify two groups within the NVE ecosystem. 

Bio: Dr. Alex Rodrigues is a practicing psychologist who completes high-stakes evaluations in the legal and employment domains.  He has testified in various jurisdictions in matters regarding sexual violence, competency to proceed, criminal insanity, and parental fitness. More recently, Dr. Rodrigues has returned to therapeutic work with clients, specifically young men struggling to launch their lives.   Outside of direct clinical work, Dr. Rodrigues can often be found writing on his website, Digital Birds & Bees, as well as on Substack.