March 2019

Join the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative and Andrea Bushala from the Theraplay Institute for a free webinar as she discusses the role of everyday play in preventing and responding to trauma. Andrea will highlight how the Theraplay Institute has utilized coaching parents, educators, and clinicians in the simple games of childhood to forge connections and resilience building in the children they support. Theraplay is a child and family therapy for building and enhancing attachment,...

Exposed – The Arc of Trauma and Abuse Exposed [originally titled Daughter of God] is a 2016 American thriller film, written and directed by Gee Malik Linton [credited as Declan Dale], at his directorial debut. The film stars Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Christopher McDonald, Big Daddy Kane, and Mira Sorvino. While perusing NETFLIX for a music or nature documentary the other night, I came across the movie, Exposed . I had stumbled upon the movie previously as well, and though I was trying to...

The Alaska Children’s Trust (ACT) just released a data and image-packed 11-page brief “ Vibrant Economy, Strong Workforce, Thriving Families: A Guide to Trauma-Informed Policy Decision-Making.” The document was developed as a tool to educate a broad range of state and local policymakers about the impact of ACEs on health and social problems. The primary audience is state legislators and their staffs, government administrators, and county and municipal policymakers. Advocates have already...

Border Patrol apprehensions on the Mexican border reached an 11-year high in February as families and children from Central America continue to arrive in record numbers, creating “both a border security and humanitarian crisis,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said Tuesday. The impact is being felt most acutely in the Border Patrol’s El Paso sector, he said, so CBP will open a new processing center to provide more efficiency and care in handling the modern face of...

W hen some teachers in the Long Beach Unified School District hear students say they’re bad at math, they rephrase. You’re not bad, you’re just not understanding it yet. It’s not too difficult, it’s just challenging right now. These educators are helping students develop a growth mindset, a belief that they can improve their skills through effort. A growth mindset is one of four social-emotional learning traits the district — along with others in California — are trying to teach their...

Though I’ve had years of experience interviewing trauma survivors, my National Fellowship project on sex-trafficked foster kids presented a unique set of challenges. For one, the project’s focus was sexually abused children. Even if I could find children who were willing to talk with me, I knew that interviewing them might not be in their best interest, and could potentially be harmful. But as in all forms of gender-based violence, sex trafficking is driven by an abuser’s tactics of power...

US-based pediatrician Nadine Burke-Harris had a glut of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) cases at the clinic where she worked in Bayview, a poor area in San Francisco. She felt in her bones that these cases didn’t come out of the blue, and were directly linked to high levels of toxic stress in the community. Toxic stress, experienced through consistent exposure to violence, abuse and the consequences of poverty and inequality, has a lasting effect on the brain, notably in the...

The past two years have seen an increase in philanthropic support for a diverse range of nonprofits advancing a progressive agenda. Grant makers who have just started awarding money to these causes, as well as longstanding supporters of social-justice organizations, have rallied resources to protect fundamental rights that seemed suddenly in jeopardy after 2016 — giving well-established national organizations such as the ACLU and Planned Parenthood a “ Trump bump .” Newer efforts such as the...

In the language of the Navajo Indians, the word “Nilch’l” translated into the English language simply means “wind, air or the sky”. Of course, no English translation will ever truly be able to express the depths of Navajo philosophy. For the Navajo, “Nilch’I” represents a god, the Supreme Creator, an infinite, boundless force that communicates between all elements of the natural world. It is the Holy Wind that brings movement, energy, sound and love to all things that have found life in this...

"I'm self-made. I grew up in the projects in Brooklyn, New York. I thought that was the American dream." That was billionaire-turned-maybe-presidential hopeful Howard Schultz, recently tossing around a clichéd phrase that means, per Merriam-Webster, "a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful." Yet neither that definition of gritty individual achievement, nor Schultz's...

As a follow-up to the " Are You OK? You Are Not Alone Anymore" Resource Poster , there have been important discussions in many local and statewide coalitions about "Windows of Opportunity" to build trust and provide a warm handoff to these critical services. However, as we know through research, individuals with untreated trauma may have difficulty trusting strangers, organizations or government agencies, even if they are wanting to help. Often times, these individuals are experiencing...

The second session of the Starting & Growing Resilient Communities: Online & IRL (In Real Life) was a success. Many members tuned in and were able to learn more about mission/vision statements, creating norms and strategic planning. I have embedded the video in this post. The third session, Launching Your ACEs Initiative , will take place March 15th. If you have any questions about the series, please contact Ingrid Cockhren , TN & Midwest Community Facilitator.