Tagged With "Adverse Childhood Experiences"
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In the Return to "Normalcy" in 2021
Okay, so we all are hearing of the end of life as we have come to know it for the past 14 months. The social isolation, physical distancing, mask-wearing, business shutdowns, country lockdowns, and travel bans are what we in the region have endured since March 2020. The disruption of life from Covid-19 is expected to come to a close as more than one vaccine has been approved and is being used in the Caribbean. As we adults relish in the return to school of our children, our return to gainful...
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When Acknowledgeing Our Family's Failures Is Not Betrayal.
As a child to Caribbean parents, growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, it was rare to see families which did not raise their children with physical and verbal abuse on a regular basis. The conversations we children engaged in with our "best friends" often revealed the dark secrets lurking behind the facades of our picture-perfect family lives. Even in the seeming "best" families, the children faced private, if not public shaming. Some lived in fear of parental outbursts to their childish...
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Linking ACEs to Psychopathy
The issue of Justice is dear to my heart for several reasons. So, in light of the over-use of imprisonment in our region, amidst overburdened or slothful criminal justice systems, I question whether we are "doing justice" when we incarcerate people for what may only be their Trauma Responses. What do I mean? Well, often a criminal investigation does not delve further than the identification of the perpetrator of an alleged and reported crime. Once that is done, if the accused has no or...
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Childhood Trauma Clips on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has been known as a source of wholesome, relevant information for decades. (Remember Sesame Street? ) Well, PBS also has videos on childhood trauma that you can access at no cost, even from the Caribbean. Some of the content is designed as a series so you can arrange to view the segments when you have the time. So get the popcorn ready and check out PBS for your free Childhood Trauma-related content. [Clips related to Childhood Trauma on PBS] If you would...
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Find Resources
Hi everyone, one function of this Community is to provide members with helpful and easily accessible resources on various aspects of preventing and addressing childhood and adult trauma. Towards that end, we invite you to peruse and add to the Resources posted here for members. You can access Resources here or from the Top Menu bar. If you would like information about the ACEs Caribbean Community or wish to join this Community, please reach out to me via email at acescaribbean@yahoo.com . I...
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ACEs Clips on PBS
As we established last week, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has free content on the topic of childhood trauma that you can access even from the Caribbean. Well, what would happen if you search for "adverse childhood experiences" on PBS? You would receive a wider range of content, that's what! Some of the content is designed as a series so you can arrange to view the segments when you have the time. So get another bowl of popcorn ready and check out PBS for your free ACEs-related content.
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"Did You Know?" - Start of a Series
Hey Community! We are planning a series titled, "Did You Know" to highlight some not-too-well-known facts about ACEs science. Along the way, we will bust some myths and educate you, our members, about childhood trauma, resilience, and hope. So if you would like to take part, please comment below and let us know what areas you would like us to cover. Are you in?
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Trading Sex as a Minor is Sex Trafficking
Okay, so I want to share this article with you about the link between ACEs and sex trafficking in the USA. It is titled, " Youth Arrested for Trading Sex Have the Highest Rates of Childhood Adversity: A Statewide Study of Juvenile Offenders ". However, I need to explain something to you (i.e. vent) first... The researchers and article publishers use the term "arrested for trading sex" because in the early part of the century (c. 2014) that was the unfortunate state of the law in the USA...
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ACEs and Human Trafficking Research
Ten years ago today the Trafficking In Persons Bill of Trinidad and Tobago was laid in the country's Parliament. It was eventually passed, assented to, and became law as the Trafficking In Persons Act, Chapter 12:10. (The Act itself took effect in January 2013.) So to commemorate the anniversary of the introduction of the Bill, we will share one of the first of what we hope will be many resources on the link between childhood trauma and human trafficking. The report, titled " Domestic Sex...
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Question of the Month - Is Child Adversity Linked to Ethnicity?
Hi Community! Here in Trinidad and Tobago, we are probably more diverse in terms of ethnicity than many of our Caribbean neighbours - a callaloo of sorts (Remember the national anthem proclaims: "...Here every creed and race find an equal place..." ) Well, research overseas shows that there is a difference in how children experience adversity based on their ethnicity. In the USA in particular, there are neighbourhoods that are predominantly white and others where the majority of persons are...
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First Things First
Hi everyone, welcome to ACEs Caribbean Community! (Insert sounds of reggae, soca, steelpan, or tassa here) This is a safe space for all who are interested in addressing issues of childhood trauma, adult trauma, resilience, hope, and related threads. Whether you are a Clinician, Parent, Educator, Researcher, Healthcare practitioner, NGO member, or Government employee, your input to address Trauma is valuable to make the Caribbean a safer place. Our lens is a distinctly Caribbean one because,...
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Help Inform and Transform the Caribbean with ACEs Caribbean Community
Hi there. We recently started the ACEs Caribbean Community on the website, Aces Connection, to rally our Caribbean people and those who love the region to work together to bring the knowledge of Aces Science ( Adverse Childhood Experiences ), Resilience, Hope, and Truth to our regional people and government institutions. We are facing an epidemic of crime, violence, addiction, despair, and suicide throughout the region and we believe that a better understanding of the connection between what...
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Can ACEs Training Help Doctors and Patients During Covid-19?
For more than a year the world has been gripped in the throes of combating the Novel Coronavirus 2019 and over 1 million lives have been lost globally to the disease. In the face of the fear, anxiety, despair and grief which has arisen, a question for those familiar with ACEs science is whether this body of knowledge can help alleviate the prevailing stressors. Here is where Hope steps in. Last month, panelists in an Aces Aware webinar discussed the secondary health effects associated with...
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ACEs Connection Overview
ACES CONNECTION NETWORK OVERVIEW ACEs = Adverse Childhood Experiences 2 SITES ACEsTooHigh.com A solutions-oriented news site for the general public that covers stories on ACEs, trauma, and resilience. ACEsConnection.com An action-based...
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Young Black Men's Mental Health During Covid-19
Research from the UK suggests that men from racialised backgrounds are reporting higher levels of mental distress during the pandemic compared to white men (Proto et al., 2021). Contributing factors include bereavement, loneliness and worries about coronavirus and misinformation.
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How will Covid-19 and Trauma Shape the Lives of Young People?
The New York Times published an article today which features Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, the Surgeon General for California, USA and podcaster Ezra Klein of The Ezra Klein Show where they discuss Covid-19 and the growing evidence that childhood adversities including things like Covid-19 impact us into adulthood. It is an interesting transcript but, if you prefer to use your ears rather than your eyes, the link below has an option to listen to the original podcast.😀 Here are some excerpts...
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Building a Multi-System Trauma-Informed Collaborative.
Since the effects of childhood trauma do not play out in isolation, an effective response to child trauma should benefit not only children but the communities in which they live. This feeds into what we know from studies about factors that impact a child's growth - they occur within the family, community and also are climate-related. Multiple studies reveal the extremely high percentage of youth in contact with the law and under the care of social services who have been exposed to violence...
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UK 'Punishing Abuse' Report Finds Many Justice-Involved Youth have Trauma Histories.
A published study from West Midlands in the United Kingdom, titled "Punishing Abuse", has confirmed what many have long suspected - many youth are being punished in the criminal justice system for acting out in the aftermath of childhood trauma. It looked at 80 youth, 67 of whom were male, and many of whom were of Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) heritage. They included White and Black Caribbean youth, some of whome were born in and others whose parents came from the Caribbean island...
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How do we do #SmartJustice?
What is social justice? What is smart justice? How do these terms intersect with adversity in childhood, trauma, and resilience? All interesting questions which are answered in one stunning webinar conducted over 90 minutes and done by Community Justice Scotland . The webinar brings forth insights of credible and experienced people like Fr. Gregory Boyle, who founded Homeboy Industries in the USA over 30 years ago, and Sir Harry Burns, former Professor of Global Public Health. The link to...
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Is There A Link between ACEs and Human Trafficking?
Today is March 25th and - just in case you have no clue why that date is significant to us in the Caribbean - it marks the anniversary of the Slave Trade Act of 1807 by which the British Parliament abolished the trade in slaves in the British Empire. (If you are not a student of history, you can read the Wikipedia version here .) True, the abolition of the institution of slavery itself occurred nearly 30 years later but this 1807 legislation was a proverbial "nail in the coffin" for slavery...
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How Trauma-Informed Care Can Prevent Youth Incarceration
Last week we looked at 'Punishing Abuse', a report which showed that the majority of youth offenders in a research done in West Midlands, UK had a history of childhood abuse and trauma. Today's post examines this from a US state perspective, through the audio accounts of former juveniles in conflict with the law. Please take a listen to them as they discuss their childhood adversities and later criminal involvement. Also interviewed is a clinician who shares how Trauma-Informed Care can...
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Grief and Crime.
Odd title. What's the deal with that? How is crime connected to grief? I've spent a few decades serving (in one form or other) people who were incarcerated or had a history of incarceration. A few years ago, I was privileged to do a program on the topic of "Grief and Hope" at a local penal facility with a group of amazing men. During the course of our time together, both I and they were surprised to find out that most of them had experienced grief in childhood prior to them becoming involved...
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When Oppression Becomes Competition.
Big Shout-Out to @Real_Toons on Instagram who creates these amazing cartoons and sparks a series of interesting discussions. While the cartoon is framed with a Black man and a Black woman from America, the question I want to raise here is "Do we see this in our discussions around ACEs?" The outcry against racial injustice in 2020 has triggered multiple events which reminded some and gave a platform for many to highlight the generational trauma inherent in slavery. However atrocious that...
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Interesting Weekend Tweet.
For us in the Caribbean, there is a tendency to cover up sex crimes committed against children by their relatives. When the offence is made known, the first call is seldom to the police but to other relatives. This is often done to strategize how to preserve the family's reputation (albeit at the expense of the child's mental and physical health), may be motivated by a false sense of protection to spare the child the shame of the offence being made public, or to confer some benefits upon the...
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Why Call It Good?
That question was posed by a male relative as he sat teary-eyed and sad. To what was he referring? "Good Friday" which we celebrate today in Trinidad and Tobago and in many other Caribbean countries. His sincere concern: "How could a day which marks the brutal torture and death of Jesus Christ - who gave His life for the world out of His Love - ever be called "good"?" At the time, the explanation which he received was enough to satisfy him and change his demeanor. The death (and...
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What's On Your Short List?
There is an interesting course on Coursera on "Resilience in Children Exposed to Trauma, Disaster and War". It is quite broad in scope and has a lot of helpful information for us in this field. One of the many things I found to be of value is to learn that across the decades of research, there is a consistent group of factors proved to help children from various cultures. Below is a link to a video from the course which outlines a short list of what makes a difference in helping children who...
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Free Trauma-Informed Law Webinar
Hello everyone! One of the core areas in which we need to see a transformation is in the Justice system - from the point of arrest all the way through to reentry. As we've shared previously, there is ample research from the original 1998 ACEs study through to recent times which indicates the majority of persons in conflict with the law have multiple ACEs. So if you're interested in learning how Trauma Informed principles can be used to transform Justice, please register for the free webinar...
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Re: Happening Now! Hello again. The webinar we...
It was quite interesting. A good background on the ACEs study and how law enforcement can do better to respond to calls with trauma in mind. It was hopeful and that makes my heart smile. In many places, police are unprepared to deal with mental health and related challenges in persons with whom they interact. If it reduces death of citizens, improves capacity in the police and other first responders, I'm on board.
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Happening Now! Hello again. The webinar we...
Happening Now! Hello again. The webinar we posted about in the calendar is on right now! Adverse Childhood Experiences: The Importance of Law Enforcement Recognition and Intervention. It's tremendous to see experienced law enforcement officers training their peers in understanding the role childhood adversity plays and how to intervene responsibly. More info is available at the Justice Clearinghouse website. Be sure to check out some of their upcoming webinars which we've posted in our...
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Please Register for A Better Normal 26th March 2021
Tomorrow is going to be amazing as there is an upcoming webinar on A Better Normal which will focus on becoming Trauma-Informed. Please attend this webinar to learn about the groundbreaking research of Positive Childhood Experiences and how this is going to transform the work PACEs Connection is doing. Learn more about the upcoming webinar by reading the post on the Home Page of PACEs Connection -...
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A Nation in Trauma [A newsday.co.tt article]
Mr. Benjamin asked, "Does the cycle of death, trauma, outrage, and dismissal deal with the root causes of the violence which affects each person in T&T?"
"...the nation is full of people whose traumatic childhood experiences have set them on a path that would lead them down violent roads with a fatal end. He said unless T&T puts preventative measures in place to handle childhood trauma, the cycle will continue and T&T will remain a nation in trauma."
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Regrets at the End of Life.
Hi everyone. We trust you're all exercising wisdom and, being responsible Caribbean people, not flouting the national public health regulations. Over the decades, I have looked on as many persons I loved left this life. A few of them spoke with me shortly before their departure and I was able to glean the degree to which they were satisfied with their lives. Based on those experiences, the article linked to below resonates with me on several levels. ...Imagine someone who is nearing the end...
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Sex Offenders and High ACE Scores
In the Caribbean and elsewhere, sex offenders tend to be considered the worst of all offenders. If their crime was against a child, then they themselves become targets for violence from other inmates in prison. So it requires a mental adjustment and an objective stance to write about this research. Done by Barry University's Jill Levenson, the title is " Incorporating Principles of Trauma-Informed Care Into Evidence-Based Sex Offending Treatment ". She cites previous research to establish...
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Changing Our Response to Childhood Adversity.
"For generations, we have trained practitioners to consider childhood suffering only through the institutional lens of child protection. Through research on the prevalence of ACEs in our most vulnerable children, it has become clear this approach is not enough." This is the introduction to an online event, "Changing Our Response to Childhood Adversity", to be hosted by The Learning Institute (https://www.learninginstitute.co.uk/) of the UK on 30th June 2021 where they will unveil their...
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Are ACEs Overplayed?
Hello everyone! It's Friday again. To send you into the weekend, we want to ask you to put your thinking caps on. In reading the literature, it is clear that there is no unanimity with respect to the role that the Adverse Childhood Experiences study should have in guiding public health. One nation in which there has been much thought given to the issue is Scotland. In 2019 two advocates squared off to share their respective points of view as to the value of the ACEs research and how best it...
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La Soufriere now more dangerous, pyroclastic flows have begun. [Newsday article]
The danger posed by the La Soufriere volcano has increased significantly in the past day with the discovery that there have been sightings of pyroclastic flows on the leeward side of the peak. The lead scientist on the scene, vulcanologist/geologist Professor Richard Robertson explained that pyroclastic flows "are not like the ash that damage things by the weight. These flows really are moving masses of destruction, they just destroy everything in their path. If you have the strongest house...
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Secret Service Study on Children Who Kill Finds Link to ACEs.
Hello Community. It's Friday again! To kick off the weekend, we want to examine some research from the USA conducted by the Secret Service that has found a link to Adverse Childhood Experiences in youth who plotted or executed mass murders or shootings at school. According to the study, most of the perpetrators were "motivated by grievances against them, usually peers and bullying. Many were suicidal or had depression." Eight had a desire for fame or notoriety. "More than half had been...
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Florida Study Reveals Link Between ACEs and Sex Trafficking of Minors
Hi everyone! We trust you are doing well and enjoying the Community and benefiting from the resources being shared by our members. It is the 25th day of the month and you know what that means - we are looking at the issue of ACEs in the context of human trafficking. Today we have another resource to show the link between childhood adversity and the vulnerability of persons with high ACE scores to human trafficking. In this 2016 study, " Human Trafficking of Minors and Childhood Adversity in...
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Still I Rise - A Documentary Highlighting Sex Trafficking (with ACEs Lurking in the Background).
Hey everyone! We hope the weekend has been a blast so far. As you know, we rarely post on the weekend. However, although it is Sunday, the date is the 25th of April, so we are sharing this post in fulfilment of our promise to highlight the issue of ACEs and Human Trafficking on the 25th day of every month. We did submit a post on the topic on 1st April to observe the 10th Anniversary of the laying in Parliament of the Trafficking In Persons Bill in Trinidad and Tobago. If you missed it,...
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Can We Talk About George Floyd? [Al Jazeera article]
Hi everyone. As everyone knows, the year 2020 was defined by a series of events, many of which linger to this day. Covid-19, as devastating as it and government efforts to curb it have been, may have been eclipsed for a time by the reporting and riots which ensued after the horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers in the USA. Last week, the tension of a 3-week trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd ended with a guilty...
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'A lot of grief and anxiety' for kids, youth after living with COVID for 1 year, says psychotherapist. [CBC article]
Around the world, the 1 year anniversary of Covid-19 interrupting our lives was observed in different ways. For many, the concern is for the children and young people who are experiencing Covid-19 as an adverse childhood experience. The clinical observations of a Canadian psychotherapist may well be true for the Caribbean region as it relates to how children are coping one year on. Alyssa Strachan, based at the Delton Glebe Counselling Centre in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada has been helping...
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Wondering Wednesday - Could California's Roadmap to Resilience Help the Caribbean?
Hello everyone and welcome to another Wondering Wednesday. This is where we examine what is working or has been introduced in other parts of the world and explore the value of adapting those ideas and concepts to the Caribbean. Today we are examining some of the components of a report published in December 2020 by the State of California in the USA. Titled "Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General’s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health", it is...
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Wisdom Wednesday
Good morning everyone. It's the middle of the week already. We're hoping the day will be fruitful for you. For many of us, adversity implies a negative experience. We think of it as something to eradicate from our lives and memories. However, as Dr. Bruce Perry reminds us, we can learn key lessons and receive wisdom from the various challenges we have experienced and lived through. Many people have launched into a new business, course of study, or a form of service to others as a result of...
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Resources - Racism and Discrimination as Risk Factors for Toxic Stress
Hi everyone, we hope you are all doing well and keeping safe and healthy. On April 28, 2021 there was a very informative online discussion hosted by Aces Aware of California, USA on the topic of Racism and Discrimination as Risk Factors for Toxic Stress. "Featuring opening remarks by California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, this is the first in a series of webinars that will explore research demonstrating how racism and other forms of discrimination can serve as risk factors to...
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Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers, nurturers, biological or surrogates throughout the Caribbean and the world! Empirical data shows that 42% of our Caribbean families are single-parent in nature. From my observations in Trinidad and Tobago, many such homes are led by a lone woman caring for more than 1 child. With all that you have experienced - your own adverse childhood trauma, the trauma of adulthood, and the challenges of Covid-19 - we salute you! We cheer you on, admire...
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Action on ACEs Conference 2021: From ACEs to Resilience (June 10)
Hi ACEs learners. We're trying to ensure you have access to credible information and training on ACEs by sharing links to such events. Today is no exception. The organisation, Action On ACEs, based in Gloucestershire, UK is hosting a free virtual conference on Thursday 10th June 2021 from 9:30 am to 3:30pm UK time. The conference, ‘From ACEs to Resilience’ will focus on "resilience, how to build it in children and young people and how we can support adults who have experienced ACEs. It will...
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Bryan Stevenson Nailed It!
Hi everyone. If you missed the Feature Address of Picower Institute's symposium on Early Life Stress and Mental Health, you missed a treat. Bryan Stevenson blew everyone away with his flawless talk on racial injustice and how this has shaped the American judicial system to the devastation of persons, many of whom have suffered childhood and generational trauma. It was one of the most powerful opening talks of any conference I have ever heard! We shared excerpts of his talk using Twitter...
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New Campaign To Raise Awareness of ACEs
Hi everyone, ICYMI today marks the start of a new awareness campaign to heighten knowledge of the importance of ACEs science. It's called Your Number Story. This is the link to an article here on PACEs Connection by Joy Thomas that explains the campaign and the rationale behind it: https://www.acesconnection.com/blog/impacts-of-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces-inspires-launch-of-number-story-national-public-awareness-campaign The campaign, funded through private philanthropy, is a creation...
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Upcoming "YouTube Live" - ACEs & The Boy Child (May 16 @ 2pm EST).
In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month and World Day of the Boy Child (WDBC) on May 16, 2021, ACEs Caribbean Community will be hosting its first "Live" online chat on the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Caribbean. In a virtual discussion titled " ACEs & The Boy Child ", we will speak with the founder of World Day of the Boy Child, Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, and explore Mental Health and the effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences on boys with consulting psychologist,...