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In 2016, high school rising junior Hank Sanders had an inkling of an idea. He wanted to take his school’s popular culinary arts class and give the food to people experiencing homelessness. As it stood, students ate the food they cooked. Outside Portland, Oregon’s Lincoln High School, where Sanders attends, he saw people who were sleeping on the streets. He approached his friends with his idea and they ran with it. As with many cities across the U.S., Portland has a homelessness problem. In...

An immigration official announced this past Friday that, in the 42 days between April 19 and May 31, approximately 2,000 immigrant children were removed from the care of their parents and taken into federal custody, At the same time, 11,000 immigrant children are now in shelters, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement. “Shelters,” however, appears to be a catch-all term for a wide variety of facilities that vary from small, generally child-friendly structures, to a converted Walmart...

“Nobody would believe what an effort it is to do what little I am able” – Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the Yellow Wallpaper, 1892 It is wonderful to see the birth of a child greeted with warm enthusiasm and support. We celebrate the joy of a growing family, and the excitement of a new life. Relatives and friends often provide gifts and extra help. But for some new moms, motherhood brings on many complex emotions besides the happy ones. While we may greet a new baby with happiness and delight –...

Too many teenage boys and their parents are trapped in an outdated model of masculinity. What we are missing is a model allowing for fear, grief, tenderness and the day-to-day sadness impacting us all. As a result, teenage boys are experiencing a profound sense of loneliness and isolation. Isolation leads to depression which, in turn, manifests itself as aggression, anxiety and anger. Using techniques from his book, Treating the Traumatized Child: A Step-by-Step Family Systems Approach...

If you haven't submitted your showcase application yet, you have a few more hours- deadline is 11:59 tonight, June 18, 2018. Your application can be completed and submitted, here: https://www.aces2018.org/guideline/ And if you need some inspiration, click the video to see highlights from the 2016 conference.

When I went to work today I found myself closely watching the mothers dropping off their children at school. One mom, in particular, caught my attention. She was holding an infant who was so small that she still wore little mittens on her hands so as to not scratch her precious face. The mom was loving and careful with her baby girl. I was witnessing a most intimate moment that on any other day, I may have missed. But not this day, not this day… Every child I saw reminded me of the children...

How do we choose which strategy we are using to build resilience? As Oprah’s segment on 60 Minutes plunged much of the world into recognition of Trauma-Informed Care, practitioners have been tempted to move beyond the science of trauma and develop strategies to address it. Yet as we learn about the neuroscience behind ACEs and resilience, Rick Griffin- Executive Director of Jubilee Leadership Academy, CRI Master Trainer, and BPT Conference Facilitator- states it is crucial to stay within the...

The Mother-Baby Program at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has received a transformational gift to create a Center for Family Healing to support the health and wellbeing of children and families, rooted in core values of equity, social justice, and the healing power of relationships. The Center for Family Healing is seeking applicants for the Director of Operations position that will provide strategic and operational oversight of the five components of the Center:...

Childhood bullying can have lasting harmful effects on kids, lowering their self-esteem and causing some to become suicidal when left unchecked. It’s crucially important for parents, teachers, and other adults to get involved and fight back when it comes to children being bullied. Bullies have a tendency to pick on children who have deformities or disabilities. Sometimes the bullies themselves have their own, similar issues and tease others so as to feel better about themselves. Whatever the...

Registration is now open for my new self-paced online course , for adults who are feeling the effects of early trauma. Inside the course you’ll find 32 videos (more than three hours of content) covering: What we know about Childhood PTSD and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and their effects on our adult lives The root problem with Childhood PTSD — dysregulation of the brain, nervous system, emotions and impulses Instruction in following my daily re-regulation practice with simple,...

This column was originally written for VOXatl.com . Dayonn Davis was 15 when he committed a crime that would get him tried in court as an adult. A Facebook sale of a pair of Oreo Nikes, priced at around $100, went sour when the Columbus, Georgia teen attempted to steal them. Without the knowledge of Davis, a friend pulled out a pistol and everybody ran. Reluctantly, Davis finally gave up the name of his armed friend, but the victim could not pick him out of a lineup. For that 2016 crime,...

“Are little kids really being put in jail?” That was the question my daughters asked me when I picked them up from summer camp last week. For a minute, I was stunned into silence. I took a deep breath, overwhelmed by sadness that we live in a world where kids — younger than my own girls — are indeed living this reality. My daughters had talked with friends about what they are hearing on the news. They didn’t understand why anyone would take children away from their mom or dad. They didn’t...