July 2023

By Ariel Bleicher, Illustration: Tim McDonagh, UCSF Magazine, Summer 2023 Lillian Carson was 11 when the fear struck. She had always been a sensitive child who tuned in to the feelings of animals and other people. But after her dad was diagnosed with cancer, she spiraled into worry and sleeplessness. “I would be up at night, huddled in the corner with my dog, and my sheets over my head, thinking someone was going to break through my window and get me,” she remembers. Her parents took her to...

From Greater Good Magazine, Illustration: from article, Greater Good Magazine, July 6, 2023 When Gretchen Rubin found out she was at greater risk of losing her eyesight, she started to recognize what she had been taking for granted and her appreciation for sight — and the rest of her senses — was reignited. Since then, Gretchen has been committed to discovering how our five senses shape and enhance our experiences of the world. Like how certain odors can trigger good memories and how our...

By Laura Newberry, Illustration: Patrick Hruby, Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2023 For most of my 20s, I bounced from city to city, chasing newspaper jobs and a graduate degree in pursuit of some kind of stability. I moved between states every two years on average, making a handful of close friends in each place — some of whom I’m still close with, and others who have fallen away because of the distance. I’m so grateful for these relationships, especially during such a formative decade of my...

The Denver City Council is expected to pass a bill this summer which would use federal relief money in Denver Public Schools to boost violence prevention among youth. Douglas Sacha / Getty Images By Sara Martin, Chalkbeat Colorado, July 6, 2023 To address youth violence, eight Denver schools would get an additional staffer focused on student behavior next school year, under a proposed city council ordinance. The proposed pilot program also would add a mobile team going from school to school,...

By E. McCabe, S. Hockenberry, et al., Photo: from article, National Governors Association, June 28, 2023 States are actively engaged in supporting trauma-informed best practices to mitigate the effects of ACEs and trauma and promote resilience for their communities. In 2021, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) published a report highlighting best practices for state and territorial leaders seeking to prevent and mitigate the effects of Adverse Childhood...

Forgiveness can transform lives. In this episode of Transforming Trauma , Emily explores the holistic practice of restorative justice with Dr. Elaine Leeder, a professor and prolific writer who's worked in mental hospitals, gerontology, foster care, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol counseling as a social worker and psychotherapist. As Emily discovers, Elaine's current pro bono work with incarcerated individuals and those they've harmed is remarkable for its progressive approach to...

Danny Allen, right, playfully touches the head of Dyryan Bolton, 2, who happened to walk by as Bolton was chatting with long-time Central City resident Charmaine Baker-Fox on Friday, July 7, 2023. Allen has played a key role in the New Orleans Health Department's "violence interrupter" program. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com ) By Missy Wilkinson, NOLA.com, July 10, 2023 Danny Allen came of age in the Calliope projects during the epic, crack-fueled bloodshed of the...

Javon Lomax, We Build The Block director of restorative practices and youth development, in the Brownsville In Violence Out offices in Brooklyn, New York. Lomax is the facilitator of the Heal the Ville healing circles. Samantha Max/WNYC By Chip Brownlee, The Trace, July 11, 2023 Each meeting begins with participants sharing the highs and lows of their week: pictures of a sonogram for a coming baby, a recent trip down South to visit family, flaring allergies, too many or too few hours at...

Calliope Holingue is researching the microbiome among kids with autism. She's part of a growing field of research seeking to understand the gut-brain axis. Kennedy Krieger Institute By Joanne Silberner, National Public Radio (NPR), July 8, 2023 Sixteen years ago, when Calliope Holingue was in high school, she had a problem. Two, actually. She developed gastrointestinal symptoms severe enough to force her to give up running, plus she had a long history of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive...

By Margo Snipe, Photo: Meika Ejiasi/Vox/Capital B, Vox, June 12, 2023 On most warm days, Stephanie McWoods catches the California breeze with the bubble wand she keeps on her patio. Sometimes, the bubbles float, then burst midair. Other times, when they don’t pop, it is unclear how many miles they travel. A captivating mystery. On the surface, it seems mindless. But for the therapist, it is a joy carefully curated to combat the chronic stress of living in a predominantly Black neighborhood...

Dopamine is part of an ancient neural pathway that ensures human survival. It is also part of the reason it is so hard to stop playing a video game or pass up a cupcake. Meredith Miotke /for NPR By Michaeleen Doucleff, National Public Radio (NPR), June 12, 2023 Back when my daughter was a toddler, I would make a joke about my phone: "It's a drug for her," I'd say to my husband. "You can't even show it to her without causing a tantrum." She had the same reaction to cupcakes and ice cream at...

Applications due July 21st!! The TASIE team is currently recruiting for our third and final cohort of the Trauma-Informed ACEs Screening and Intervention Evaluation (TASIE) Project. The CYW and NJAAP team will train and provide coaching to Pediatric Primary Care practice sites to implement an ACEs screening and intervention pilot using the Pediatric ACEs and Life Events Screener (PEARLS) tool and the Seven Domains of Wellness. In addition, the practice sites will participate in a 9-month...