October 2020

Mary Mueller likes to call herself an “opportunistic infection.” What that means is that Mueller, project coordinator for trauma-informed systems in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), is determined to share the science of ACEs and resilience wherever she goes. After Mueller attended the state’s first ACE master trainer two day session hosted by the Michigan ACE Initiative , she wanted to bring the foundational science shared by ACE Interface back home—to her MDHHS...

I'd like to share a rather unusual free resource...parenting tips bumper stickers. Advancing Parenting, a Camarillo CA nonprofit organization, produces parenting tips bumper stickers and makes them available at no cost to schools, organizations, agencies, clinics, businesses, and individuals. There are fifty-one in a set and each one communicates a parenting behavior or practice generally recognized as supporting the healthy development of children. Bumper stickers are a unique and powerful...

Until I read “The Deepest Well” by Dr. Nadien Burke Harris, I had never heard of Adverse Childhood Experience, toxic stress, or epigenetics. Yes, I was aware that trauma can be transferred genetically, but my knowledge stopped and ended at trauma’s impact on the body due to major world and life events. In essence, I knew of trauma’s impact of the body only in terms of contexts like slavery, 9/11, and the holocaust. I did not know that the shortening of telomeres, stunted amygdala growth, and...

Don't miss out on the free viewing tomorrow 10/13: Access from www.cope24.com View “How Many ACEs Are You Holding?” for FREE! Use code ACES-FREE on October 13th, 2020 to see the entire video free . Use this link to view. Coupon will only work on the Vimeo rental page for How Many Aces are You Holding? , not the subscription page.

Samantha Wettje has an Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and a B.S.in Financial Economics from Binghamton University. In addition to her work with the 16 Strong Project, Samantha is actively involved with the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s EASEL Lab for social-emotional learning, Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project and Journey into Education and Teaching (JET), a non-profit aiming to increase teacher diversity in Massachusetts.

On October 12th, Frist Nations is proud to stand with Native communities across the nation in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day . This day, which began as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day, raises awareness of the true history of the United States while celebrating the culture and resilience of Native people. It is a day of recognition and respect, and a holiday that more and more states and local governments have been observing every year. Still, at First Nations, we believe that every...

Here is a link to a recent post -- tied into Dak Prescott's injury and an article on post-partum depression. Key here is that if you can name feelings, then you can tame them. https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/we-dont-recognize-mental-distress-that-has-to-change-1e23074f2f19 Watch too for a new download: Trauma Toolbox Maker Kit at www.karengrosseducation.com. Should be available by week's end.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — A program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been extended through the end of the school year providing free breakfast and lunch meals. In a social media post, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation announced the meals, previously set to expire in December, now runs through the end of the school year. The School Nutrition Association has been advocating for the waiver extensions, according to the post, saying "they are vital for students and their families...

Building on the Foundation’s Trauma-Informed Philanthropy series, we are pleased to present a 10-month learning series, Investing in Community Resilience . This series, presented in partnership with the Scattergood Foundation, will provide vital information to funders and cooperative extension professionals for developing trauma-informed, healing-centered approaches in their work. Please join us for the sixth and final webinar in the series, Advocating for Trauma-Informed Policy and Systems...

More and more towns and cities across the country are electing to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day as an alternative to —or in addition to—the day intended to honor Columbus’ voyages. As a scholar of Native American history —and a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina—I know the story is more complex than that. The growing recognition and celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day actually represents the fruits of a concerted, decades-long effort to recognize the role of Indigenous people...

Children and adolescents with oppositional and defiant behavior are often referred to treatment because of extreme emotional or behavior problems – aggression, disrespect, skipping school, self-harm, suicide, running away – and not the underlying trauma and unhealthy family dynamics that are the real cause of the problem. But the parent’s mantra of “just fix my kid” isn’t effective for these extreme behaviors. Relapse rates will skyrocket as soon as the child or adolescent returns to the...

Preston Woodruff held it together for months during the pandemic—working in his garden and making musical instruments in his workshop, sharing meals with his daughter, and walking in the woods behind his home. Then a sneeze sent him over the edge. Mr. Woodruff was sleeping soundly when he woke to an uncomfortable feeling in his nose. He rolled over and reached for the box of tissues he keeps on his nightstand. None peeked up from the top. He tried—and tried—to dig one out. The entire wad...