Sue Scheff is an Author, Parent Advocate, & Cyber Advocate
Parents helping parents & promoting awareness of cyberbullying and other online issues
Founder and President of Parents’ Universal Resource Experts Inc. (P.U.R.E.™), Sue Scheff has been leveraging her personal experiences to help others through her organization since 2001. She is determined to save other parents from encountering the same challenges and issues she faced when searching for a safe, effective program for her own daughter during her troubled teen years.
Sue Scheff established P.U.R.E.™ as an advocacy organization to educate parents about the schooling and program options available to pre-teens and teenagers experiencing behavioral problems.
Since its inception in 2001, P.U.R.E.™ has grown to be widely recognized and well respected both nationally and internationally. They have helped thousands of parents identify and select qualified, safe residential therapeutic schools and programs to help their at-risk teens. With many satisfied families, P.U.R.E.™ has continued to assist parents for over a decade.
In 2008, Sue Scheff authored Wit’s End: Advice and Resources for Saving Your Out-of-Control Teen, a book chronicling her personal experiences and offering advice to broader audiences; published by Health Communication Inc., HCI (home of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series).
Soon after she began P.U.R.E.™, WWASPS attempted to silence Scheff by instigating a lawsuit that would have forced her to remove her story from the Internet. She discovered the depth of her passion for advocacy after she pursued a legal battle when others thought she should simply remove her website and go away. Upon winning the 2+ year legal battle in 2004 against a huge multi-million-dollar organization, Sue Scheff continued to fight for children’s rights.
In June 2006, she again defeated WWASPS in the Appellate Court. Their final direct attempt to silence her was lost, and she was able to continue her fight for parent awareness.
In September 2006 she won again in a jury trial for Internet Defamation and Invasion of Privacy against a woman that was determined to destroy her and her organization, P.U.R.E.™. With an $11.3M jury verdict for damages, she proved again that the truth prevails.
In 2009, Scheff authored her second book, Google Bomb: The Untold Story of the $11.3M Verdict That Changed the Way We Use the Internet (HCI), detailing the events of this landmark trial.
Sue Scheff and P.U.R.E.™ believe in:
- Helping Teens – not harming them
- Building them up – not breaking them down
- Positive and Nurturing Environments – not punitive ones
- Family Involvement in Programs – not isolation from the teen
- Protecting Children – not punishing them
Through her work as a Parent Advocate and her own experiences with rebuilding her online image and reputation, Sue Scheff became dedicated to helping both parents and their teens learn how to proactively protect themselves online, providing them with the tools they need to protect their personal and professional reputations.
As a Cyber Advocate, she is concerned with Internet users both young and old as it pertains to cyber safety and security. She is a strong voice against cyberbullying, and understands the need to bring awareness of bullying by and against people of all ages.
In addition to educating parents and their children on the importance of building and maintaining a positive online presence, she stresses the importance of conducting themselves appropriately online, just as they would in real life. She advises parents on how to approach their teens about any online issues they may have encountered, and how to monitor their kids’ online activities to ensure their safety without invading their privacy or stifling their sense of autonomy.
She also offers adults recommendations on how to secure their online reputations and guard against defamatory cyber attacks.
As a Cyber Advocate, Sue Scheff believes in:
- The importance of building a positive online reputation
- Keeping parents up-to-date with social media
- Educating parents on how to help their teens with online issues
- Family involvement in children’s online lives
- Promoting awareness of the dangers people of all ages face online
- Fighting back against bullying, cyberbullying, and cyber-stalking
- Digital wisdom — is digital survival
Sue Scheff is on the Board of Advisors for CiviliNation. She is the co-chairperson for The Community Empowerment Series in St. John’s County, and a member of The Rotary Club of St. Augustine. She has also been on the Board of Directors for Communities in Schools for St. John’s County.
Sue Scheff is a contributor for Psychology Today, HuffPost, Today Show Parenting, NBC’s Education Nation, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Stop Medicine Abuse, Dr. Greene and more. She has been featured on ABC 20/20, Today Show, CNN, CBS This Morning, The Mel Robbins Show, Fox News, Anderson Cooper, Nightly News with Katie Couric, Rachael Ray Show, Dr. Phil, and more. Scheff has also been in USA Today, LA Times, NYT’s, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, AARP, just to name a few.
Sue Scheff is an active blogger who is devoted to keeping her readers informed of current issues created by the continual evolution of the Internet.
