December 2021

By Alison Gopnik, Illustration: Jared Briggs/The Wall Street Journal, The Wall Street Journal, December 9, 2021 The great Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget used to talk about “the American question.” In the course of his long career, he lectured around the world, explaining how children’s minds develop as they get older. When he visited the U.S., someone in the audience was sure to ask, “But Prof. Piaget, how can we get them to do it faster?” Today it’s no longer just impatient Americans who...

By Emily Sohn, Image: Alex Merto/The New York Times, December 9, 2021 Maimuna Majumder felt as prepared as a person could be when the Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020. As an infectious disease epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, she had been studying emerging pandemics for a decade. But this one was personal. She lost colleagues to Covid-19 and suicide during the pandemic. Her uncle spent time in an intensive care unit in Bangladesh. During long work...

By Marketers Media, Digital Journal, December 8, 2021 Trauma-informed care center, Utah Addiction Centers (801-766-2233) announces its nationwide mental health crisis hotline for those who may be entertaining suicidal ideations. The service is meant for veterans suffering from PTSD or recovering from a drug and alcohol addiction. Eagle Mountain, United States – December 8, 2021 — As more studies note the rising cases of people contemplating suicide due to a mental illness, Utah Addiction...

By David Chin, Neuroclastic, December 12, 2021 I’ve been a teacher throughout most of my adult life. I’m dual certified with 17 years of experience as an elementary teacher and 15 years (and counting) as a high school Culinary Arts chef instructor. I have an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts, a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, and a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction. I turned 61 last October. Although my parents knew that I was different as a child, I grew up in a very conservative...

El Jardín Birth and Family began the Birth in Pieces project in 2015. A labor of love, this project spanned multiple years and took various twists and turns as we interviewed more and more women. Patterns emerged. We realized that these individual narratives, together, painted a picture of modern birth culture. What's wrong with birth in the USA? It's time to ask mothers. The film is the outcome of their work interviewing mothers and their partners talking about their experiences with birth.

Polyvagal Theory and the Developing Child: Systems of Care for Strengthening Kids, Families and Communities by Marilyn Sanders and George Thompson is finally here! Come join us for a book launch and discussion with one the authors, Dr. Marilyn Sanders. Dr. Sanders originally published her work in the acclaimed edited volume by Stephen Porges and Deb Dana, Clinical Application of the Polyvagal Theory. She is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist and provides clinical care for...

Healthcare is one of the highest expenses most people will incur during their lifetimes. The high cost of healthcare has driven many to worry about how they can afford to pay for it, causing some to ignore their mental and physical health problems. This July, our articles have focused on the definition of a trauma healthcare team and how forming one can aid in your healing from complex trauma. In piece four, we shall spend our time together exploring the costs involved in having a trauma...

By David L. Kirp, Illustration: Rachel Levit, The New York Times, December 2, 2021 Inequalities persist across generations — children who grow up in poverty are likelier than their middle-class peers to end up poor and in ill health as adults. But demography isn’t destiny. Social safety net programs, including quality early education, food stamps and Medicaid, can change the trajectory of children’s lives. What’s even more important, a spate of recent studies shows that the benefits stemming...

By Cecilia Nowell, Illustration: iStock/Washington Post Illustration, The Lily, December 6, 2021 At the Safe Sisters Circle, a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., founder and executive director Alana C. Brown said she has worked with “countless” survivors of intimate partner violence who were abused while pregnant. While providing legal services to survivors in the city’s predominantly Black Ward 7 and 8, Brown said she’s witnessed that sometimes the abuse isn’t only physical; she’s seen...

By Judith Graham, Photo: Jeanette Leardi, NextAvenue, December 8, 2021 The doctor is talking to the daughter who has accompanied you to a medical appointment, not you. A nurse speaks slowly in an unnaturally high-pitched voice, as if you were a child needing instruction. What can you do about manifestations of ageism like these – the devaluing, diminishment or dismissal of older adults based on prejudice against old age? Mostly, pe ople don't know how to respond. Some stiffen but say...

By Donald Kerwin, José Pacas, and Robert Warren, Photo: Vic Hinterlang/Shutterstock, Center for Migration Studies, December 9, 2021 Executive Summary This report offers estimates of US foreign-born populations that are eligible for special legal status programs and those that would be eligible for permanent residence (legalization) under pending bills. It seeks to provide policymakers, government agencies, community-based organizations (CBOs), researchers, and others with a unique tool to...

By Benjamin Abtan,Photo: akinbostanci/iStock, Stanford Social Innovation Review, December 9, 2021 “We keep talking over and over again about how important it is to fight against racism,” a 40-something board member of a California-based family foundation told me a few weeks ago. “But nothing is really changing. I’m so frustrated!” In August, Home Depot was accused by the National Labor Relations Board of punishing an employee for wearing a Black Lives Matter logo on his apron, a year after...