Among the hundreds, probably thousands, of activities taking place around ACE- and trauma-informed practices today is a small, but notable conference in Minneapolis -- "Exploring Community-Based Prevention & Intervention Strategies: A Dialogue for African American and Native American Communities."
Particularly interesting is one of the breakout sessions: "What happens in a trauma-informed encounter? - The story of a chance patient/physician encounter that changed both of their lives."
It's a conversation between Dr. Dave McCollum and Syl Jones.
McColllum, a retired emergency physician and co-founder of the Academy on Violence and Abuse, is now assisting the Minnesota Department of Health on integrating ACEs into its programs. While he was an ER doc, he integrated an ACE-informed approach into his practice.
Jones is a communications executive and author of Rescuing Little Roundhead, an autobiography that describes his childhood trauma, which included sex abuse. He's also a playwright and wrote a column for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
They are telling the story about "how our two paths crossed and the impact it had on both of us," says McCollum. "And how it led us both to continue to tell our stories."
Witnessing this conversation are about 200 African American and Native American residents of Minneapolis and the surrounding area. "It's the first time we've engaged Native Americans in talking about ACEs," says McCollum.
At the end of this activity, according to the conference agenday, the attendees will:
- Understand that it only takes a few minutes to make a difference in a person’s life
- Know that a trauma-informed approach can contribute to healing from terrible trauma
- See that acceptance of all individuals for who they are at any point in time is critical to having a positive influence
- Know that there is hope for all who have experienced trauma
Comments (0)