Blog

Bringing Baby Home Facilitator Training comes to Santa Ana, November 14-15, 2019. Research continues to show that our children are most fragile in the first years of their life. Even the strongest relationships are strained during the transition to parenthood. Lack of sleep, never-ending housework and new fiscal concerns can lead to profound stress and a decline in marital satisfaction – all of which affect baby’s care. Not surprisingly, 67% of new parents experience conflict, disappointment...

Shouldn't we be teaching parenting at the hospital as a mandatory policy? Prevention of ACEs could save the children from experiencing trauma... which is a win-win for all of us. I'm looking for partners to make that happen!

By Ross Hunter, The Chronicle of Social Change, October 11, 2019 As a new leader in the child welfare space, I thought it would be worth my while to do some listening before I made any big changes. So I went on a tour all over the state of Washington. I talked to caseworkers, foster parents, birth families, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys and anyone else I could find who had an opinion. I got an earful. “Everything is broken.” “I had a great experience.” “The caseworker never called...

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett, The Chronicle of Social Change, October 9, 2019 Alex Briscoe didn’t know much about how local governments pay for mental health care when he joined Alameda County’s Health Care Services Agency in 2004. But he knew there was a problem. Briscoe had come from a job at Children’s Hospital Oakland where he saw kids routinely turn up in the emergency room in serious psychological distress. These children had nowhere else to go. There was no support system to help kids...

By Laura Meckler, The Washington Post, October 11, 2019 It’s an article of faith in this Cleveland suburb: If any place can navigate the complex issues of race in America, it’s Shaker Heights. Sixty years ago, black and white families came together to create and maintain integrated neighborhoods. The school district began voluntary busing in 1970, and boundary lines were drawn to make schools more integrated. Student groups dedicated themselves to black achievement, race relations and...

By Shannon Cutts, PsychCentral, August 18, 2019 What do you do when you feel sadness or grief? I can tell you what I do. Often I cry. Sometimes I don’t cry but I get very sad inside and start to feel depressed. I have been known to have a glass of wine (or few). Sometimes I call a friend. Are these universal traits that indicate grief or are they just traits of homo sapiens who experience grief? I know what I think, but as so many scientists point out, it is also important not to assume but...

By Nicole Gaudiano, Politico, October 10, 2019 Substance abuse and mental health problems surged following last year’s deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., while test scores tanked. More kids are said to be anxious, depressed and cutting school. In Santa Fe, Texas, where eight students and two teachers were killed in May of last year, it’s a similar story, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. A growing number of students need support from...

California Governor Signs Flurry Of Health-Related Bills On Topics Ranging From Abortion Medication To School Start Times : Gov. Gavin Newsom capped the end of the legislative session with a bill signing marathon over the past few days. And some of the most notable measures from the year were health-related. Here’s a look at some of them: ― Students at California’s 34 California State University and University of California campuses will have access to medication-induced abortion — commonly...

An ACEs Connection webinar co-sponsored with 4 CA In 2017, California became the first state in the country to pass a law supporting universal screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the 5.3 million children in the state’s Medicaid program. As clinicians around California await the state’s announcement of what this new policy will entail, many are wondering what it takes to integrate ACEs science in a pediatric practice. Meet Drs. Deirdre Bernard-Pearl, R.J. Gillespie and...

This is part of the beginning of the story — actually three stories — about the origins of ACEs Connection.... “Made,” we asked, “what happened? Are you OK?” Made shook his head. “I did a very bad thing today.” My friend and I looked at each other, said nothing. Made continued. “I hit my child.” If we were cartoon characters, our eyeballs would have popped out of our heads and bounced on springs. What American ever admits to hitting...

For our second community spotlight interview, I spoke with Dr. Richard Honigman, a pediatrician at Central Nassau Pediatrics in Levittown and infant mental health advocate. We discussed the importance of addressing childhood adversity and the relevant work he is doing both inside and outside his practice. Please note that responses have been adjusted for length and clarity. Dr. Honigman is also the first recipient of the 2019 Ed Tronick Award for Distinguished Contribution to Infant-Parent...

By P. Berman, A. Hosack, & K. Hecht I punished myself. I didn’t eat the cookie- it was so smelly good and right in front of me! Mr. and Mrs. Carson said they would help keep the mean daddy away. Davy was eating his vegetables first. He had told everyone at dinner that he gave up the cookie because he had lied to his mommy and was eating his vegetables first to show he was sorry for lying to Mrs. Carson. The grownups had told him he was being a very big boy to be able to figure out his...