September 2020

By Ben Mussett, September 5, 2020, CBC News. 'I've never met a single person who ever chose to be a drug addict,' the addictions expert said. Why do some people show little empathy for drug users? Dr. Gabor Maté says it's because not enough of us recognize the intense personal trauma that pushes a person to become dependent on illicit substances. "In our society, we tend to look at people's behaviours, rather than ask what is behind the behaviour," explained the physician and renowned...

September 3, 2020. American Psychological Association. Acts of kindness benefit givers, study finds Summary: Performing acts of kindness and helping other people can be good for people's health and well-being, according to new research. But not all good-hearted behavior is equally beneficial to the giver. The strength of the link depends on many factors, including the type of kindness, the definition of well-being, and the giver's age, gender and other demographic factors. [ Please click...

By Jennifer Elias, September 3, 2020, CNBC. google is giving employees another day off to avoid burnout as the Covid-19 Pandemic enters its seventh month. The company is marking Friday as a one-time paid holiday for "collective wellbeing" that applies to full-time employees and interns, according to documents viewed by CNBC. The added off day turns the Labor Day holiday into a four-day weekend. "We strongly encourage you to take this day off — and managers should actively support their team...

ACEs member Dianne Couts was interviewed about her memoir. The article highlights the impact that abuse had in her life.

By John Carroll, KPBS, September 1, 2020 If you’re driving through the intersection of 30th and Lincoln in North Park, you might do a double take at a pop-up next to Hangers Cleaners. There sits an old refrigerator, painted mustard yellow, with shelves of dry goods and diapers next to it. A community fridge, to be more precise. "I just wanted to include it into my own community,” said North Park resident Annie Lein. After seeing community fridges in other cities like LA and Oakland, Lein...

By Carla Hildebrandt, The Daily Telegraph, August 30, 2020 “Parents should not be afraid to use the word ‘suicide’ or use terms like ‘thoughts of death’ or ‘being better off dead’ when talking to their child who they suspect is struggling with their mental health,” Black Dog Institute clinical psychologist Aliza Werner-Seidler said. Ms Werner-Seidler said there was no evidence to suggest such a conversation would put the idea in their children’s heads. “Research has shown that ­acknowledging...

Dear Community members, Please join us on Tuesday, September 8 th , 2020 to hear Dr. Toni Dupont-Morales’ expose on our current situation and how we need to prepare. Dr. Dupont-Morales in Emeritus retired Penn State professor who also taught at California State Fresno for 7 years. Toni has worked with trauma since 1973 beginning with violence and the victims of violence. Her dedication to addressing traumas and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has her now sitting on our steering...

Friday, September 25, 2020 from 8:00am – 12:00pm (Arizona Time) CLICK HERE TO REGISTER LICENSURE BOARD COMPLAINTS, RECORDS REQUESTS, AND SUBPOENAS! OH MY! How often has the social service agency water cooler drama included salacious topics such as these? By unintentionally spreading many myths and misinformation about counselor ethics, liability and risk management, many counseling professionals create and perpetuate liability anxiety contagion. This session will review the Second Edition...

Known for her contagious enthusiasm, Becky Haas is a seasoned presenter on the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study and is nationally recognized for her pioneering work in developing a trauma informed region throughout Northeast Tennessee.

We’ve all been through tough times; some of us more than others. However, some of us aren’t as able to rebound after difficulties, or maybe we notice that we’re a bit more sensitive or reactive to things that remind us of that tough time. This is especially true when excessive hardship was faced in childhood. While many of us can relate to the idea of struggle, not everyone may relate to the word “trauma”. Numerous people associate this word with emergency rooms, combat, or sexual assault.

The 2-hour Balance workshops meet over 8 weeks and include a story, craft and yoga practice. An important part of the program is a brief lesson for parents at the end of each workshop. By sharing what the children are learning in class, the Balance workshop helps parents use the concepts covered in class at home.

By Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, September 1, 2020 Rosa Villegas woke up at two in the morning on a late August Monday to make her way to the lettuce fields in California’s south Salinas Valley, where she was scheduled to start bagging heads of romaine at 4 a.m. The sky overhead wasn’t its usual dark, star-dotted self as she walked to her car. Instead, it glowed a sickly red, colored by the fires burning on the flanks of the Santa Lucia mountains, just a few miles west. “It was...