Tagged With "ACEs"
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Re: When Your Child Is Your PTSD Trigger
Dawn: I'm do glad you shared this piece. It's so important!!! There's little for parents in all phases of parenting to deal with this even though it's predictable. Thanks for sharing and for all you do!!! Cissy
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Re: Introducing myself: Cissy White, parent with ACEs who’s parenting with ACEs (and who’s the Parenting with ACEs group's new group manager!)
Hi Cizsy, I am a survivor of child abuse also with a ACE Score of 7. I am now 63 yrs old and dealing with pains of a sandwich generation. I have two adult children five grandsons who I want to enjoy. All are healthy and whole I have been in self healing all of my life. Yet I am still care taking my mom and mentally ill brother. I am sure us baby boomers are going to be looking for help & support. Roxy Foster
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Re: Parenting’s Troubled History
Kristen: Thank you for posting this. It's so detailed and interested. I learned a lot. I just heard a discussion on NPR yesterday about how kids need empathy because of that Sesame Street segment teaching it. http://wfae.org/post/sesame-study-kindness One of the things they said is that many bullies have excellent manners and sometimes the emphasis on politeness is overdone because it doesn't necessarily equate with kindness. I thought that was interesting. I agree that the hate speech in...
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Re: Paying Attention as the Most Exhausting Part of Parenting with ACEs
Hi Cissy, thanks for writing this, it's beautiful and so right on. My kid is now 10 but I remember all of those feelings you describe very well. It was dumb luck that I was able to find an attachment parenting mamas group when my son was 11 weeks old. That group really saved me. I couldn't conceive of self care, especially after I became a single mom when my son was 2. I neglected myself so badly after that that my back completely went out. I needed surgery that required a long recovery.
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Re: Parenting Triggered Healing form ACEs
Thank you for sharing your story, Fahad. You've been very courageous in your decisions, and your children lead healthier lives for those decisions. Many other people who have cut ties to their abusive families have expressed similar anguish about doing so, but are leading much happier, stress-free lives. Yesterday, I had the fortune to hear Elaine Miller-Karas at the Trauma Resource Institute . She has been doing great work with individuals who have suffered all types of trauma, from ACEs to...
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Re: Paying Attention as the Most Exhausting Part of Parenting with ACEs
Leah: Thanks for sharing. I've never thought of an attachment parenting mamas group as such a fabulous resource! I love this list for that! When I reflect, I did get a lot of support from others doing attachment parenting and there were great list servs as well which did help. It was great for research and general support and information but less so for meals and help. Local groups are a great option. And knowing other parents feel the strain! I wonder what other programs, informal and...
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Re: Personal and Parental Reflections on Adverse Childhood Experiences
excellent short video on ACES
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Re: In Posthumous Memoir "Playing Hurt", Sportscaster John Saunders Faces His Demons [wbur.org/hereandnow]
This is more from his own writing. It's at the end of the above piece. Book Excerpt: 'Playing Hurt' By John Saunders, with John U. Bacon My father’s death didn’t affect me the way I thought it might. I didn’t feel relief or sadness or even happiness. I felt nothing. Not numbness, but simply nothing at all. But in hindsight I might have been fooling myself, ignoring the pain his death really caused me. Our last chance to make things right had passed, forever, which might have affected me far...
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Re: Is ACEs Advocacy Worth Risking Professional Backlash?
Dawn: Thanks for posting. This is a great piece. I'm with you in knowing the risks are real with "coming out" as a survivor. There is impact us and some loss of privacy - even if it's voluntary and chosen. But it's not like we aren't impacted when we are silent or silenced. We are. It's just maybe in different ways. think it varies so much depending on our specific jobs, careers and the particular workplace and people we work with as well as And this varies so much depending on our specific...
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Re: Is ACEs Advocacy Worth Risking Professional Backlash?
Cis, being "googlable" effects everything now. Especially parenting. I often talk to my daughter (she's almost 8, my son is only 4) about the work I do helping people who have difficult lives. I make a point to not say mental illness but that's a whole other topic. What I find difficult is when I'm working at home on ACESs related advocacy work and she asks me what it is and why. It's tough to figure out how much detail and personal truths to answer her with.
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Re: TOOLKIT UPDATE
Dear Linda: That sounds like a fantastic tool/resource. Is it something parents can use on their own and/or in groups? Is it only or mainly for staff at shelters? I look forward to seeing the tool and learning more. Cissy
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Re: TOOLKIT UPDATE
Thank you for your interest, Cissy! While the toolkit is designed primarily to inform domestic violence staff at shelters, community partners and other service providers that are have contact with families experience domestic violence/ACEs, there is a lot of content in the toolkit that can be lifted and used with parents and groups. There are also links and references to resources specifically designed for caregivers and strategies that can be easily shared and taught such as tools for...
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Re: TOOLKIT UPDATE
Hi Linda: It sounds like a great tool and I can't wait to see it. Please share it here when it is ready and I'm sure other parents, like me, can provide feedback if you like on how user friendly it is for direct use, independent use or for parent groups. I'd love to know more about what those working in the shelters are wanting and needing as well. That's such an important perspective, what they need, in the job, and tools they feel are lacking to be able to offer. Please feel free to share...
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Re: TOOLKIT UPDATE
Thanks, Cissy, I appreciate the suggestion and will definitely do so and look forward to your feedback!
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Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Primary Care [jamanetwork.com]
By Thomas L. Campbell, JAMA, May 28, 2020 Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as experiencing or witnessing violence or abuse or living with a parent with mental illness or substance use disorder, have been shown to have a powerful influence on subsequent mental and physical health and life expectancy. Exposure to ACEs has been linked to more than 40 negative health conditions, including poor mental health, substance use disorder, adverse health behaviors, chronic physical disease,...
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I learned the impact of prolonged exposure to stress from my foster child [washingtonpost.com]
By Jenn O'Connor, The Washington Post, June 6, 2020 You know what stress is, right? You’re late for work, your car won’t start, gas costs more than you expected. We’ve all been there, and it’s not pleasant, that palm-sweating, heart-racing anxiety. Luckily, it’s not long-lasting — not toxic. What is toxic stress? It’s prolonged adversity and/or abuse — not having enough to eat or being exposed to violence. It’s the kind of stress that puts you on edge and keeps you there, day after day after...
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Transforming Trauma Podcast: Post-Traumatic Growth in Communities of Color and NARM in the Classroom
Transforming Trauma Episode 015: Post-Traumatic Growth in Communities of Color and NARM in the Classroom with Giancarlo Simpson Transforming Trauma host Sarah Buino and guest Giancarlo A. Simpson, MS, reconnect in the wake of George Floyd’s death and the nationwide protests against racial violence and systemic oppression, providing real-time context to their previously-recorded conversation about NARM’s ability to address complex trauma and support post-traumatic growth in communities of...
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Opinion: We Need a Safety Net for Children Experiencing Toxic Stress [calhealthreport.org]
By Jim Hickman, California Health Report, June 8, 2020 We need to invest in the safety-net institutions that serve and support our most vulnerable now and during times of crisis. COVID-19 is decimating our fragile, unfunded and outdated safety net, and the vital links between families and their local economic, health and social supports. The pandemic has made “underlying conditions” the new code phrase for the social and health inequities disproportionately impacting black and brown...
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Transforming Trauma Podcast: Strange Situation - A Journey into Understanding Attachment, Motherhood and Developmental Trauma
Transforming Trauma Episode 016: Strange Situation: A Journey into Understanding Attachment, Motherhood and Developmental Trauma with Bethany Saltman In this episode of Transforming Trauma, author Bethany Saltman shares the lessons she learned while writing Strange Situation: A Mother’s Journey Into The Science Of Attachment . Bethany and host Sarah Buino explore the different roles that curiosity, delight, anxiety, shame, and acceptance play when looking at parent-child attachment, and...
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Community Resilience Series Part 1: Parenting in an Age of Uncertainty [Peace & Justice Institute at Valencia College]
The Peace and Justice Institute (PJI) at Valencia College is excited to offer 3 free, online workshops with Dr. Ken Ginsburg , as part of a Community Resilience Series. The first workshop in this FREE series will be specifically for parents: Parenting in an Age of Uncertainty , July 7th from 5:30 - 7:00 pm EST (zoom). REGISTER HERE “As parents, we want to protect our children from witnessing the fear and uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. We wish we could take away the disruption...
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Do safe, stable, and nurturing relationships work? New research has important findings for responding to ACEs
While we know that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can cause risk behaviors, research has told us that the presence of protective factors can help mitigate the effects of ACEs. Common risk behaviors such as smoking tobacco and alcohol misuse can be a result from the trauma of childhood disadvantage. In responding to ACEs, public health research proposes that protective factors such as safe, stable, nurturing relationships (SSNRs) with a caring adult can mitigate the long-term effects of...
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Tea for Two, Trauma for Three
Perhaps, that is the true miracle of resilience. The option to start fresh, even while I am still in pain. To build my life upwards, though triggers keep me scurrying back to shore up and re-lay crumbling foundations.
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This wasn't the first time
Going out to buy groceries, going out for a walk, driving your kid back home from school. For most people these activities are normal, everyday things with little to no excitement, as they should be. Unfortunately, getting food, exercising, and supporting my son’s education have been a little more out of the ordinary for me. You see, I am a Mexican Indigenous man, brown skin, shaved head. My ethnicity and physical appearance are by no means unusual, especially in the part of the country...
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Children will pay long-term stress-related costs of Covid-19 unless we follow the science [Stat News]
T he world is learning more about the uncommon but puzzling ways Covid-19 can show up in kids, keeping worried parents on the lookout for symptoms of the disease. We should also be concerned about how toxic stress brought on by the pandemic, or made worse by it, will affect children’s developing brains and bodies and their future health. In millions of households, kids are experiencing an incredible amount of stress and anxiety. They’ve lost the stability and safety of schools and day cares,...
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Parents Need Help with Trauma Too: A Bottom-Up Approach
Psych Central published my latest article on trauma and it's one you don't want to miss! Through my work with children coping with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) the historical trajectory became very clear to me. Often childhood trauma doesn't start with the child who was traumatized, but it starts with the parents and grandparents of that child who were overwhelmed by adversity and never had help. Unprocessed emotional trauma is likely to be passed on in some capacity to at least the...
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Seven Steps to Calm an Explosive Child
Are you exhausted by the explosive behaviors of the children you love? First, I want to say I am so proud of you. I know the fatigue and frustration that comes with parenting a child who feels out of control. The fact that you are reading this article means you are looking for support and guidance, and that means you are on your way to helping the children in your life. And believe me, you are probably already doing a better job than you think! Kids need you to show up more than anything!
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"How to talk policy and influence people": a special series of Law and Justice with Cissy White
In this extended "How to talk policy and influence people" interview with Christine "Cissy" White, a writer (see healwritenow.com), mom, trauma survivor (including child sexual abuse) and staff member of Aces Connection, we discuss the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) science and the importance of attachment and a felt sense of safety for health and human flourishing. We explore some criticisms of the ACEs framework, the benefits and risks of ACEs screening and problems with the concept...
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A worthy listen: ACEs & Parenting Skills
JUST SAY IT – S01 E22 Rene Howitt & COPE24, Changing Our Parenting Experience Rene Howitt is the founder of a non-profit child advocacy organization COPE24 - Changing Our Parenting Experience . She is also an appointed member of Missouri’s Task Force on Children’s Justice and the Critical Event Review committees. She has authored two books: - Whose Best Interest - Fosterhood CLICK HERE TO LISTEN: Podcast Interview: COPE24 & ACEs
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Stress? Mental Health 2021 New Year’s Resolutions
Stress? Mental Health 2021 New Year’s Resolutions Mornings, ask “What’s right about my life? Afternoons, ask others “What can I do to show you how much I care?” Evenings, ask “How relaxed can I feel right now?” Dreaming, ask “How can I make the world a better place?” Remember that you can always reach “out” for more resources: Teachers = VEBA Parents = ACEsConnection Remember that you can always reach “in” for more resources, as well: Inner Doctor = ACE Study’s Dr. Vincent Felitti discusses...
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A Child’s Tantrums: Beyond the Dominant Narrative (claudiagoldmd.com)
By Claudia M. Gold, MD, December 20, 2021 Three-year-old Bella’s frequent tantrums since the birth of her baby sister Julia brought the family to my behavioral pediatrics practice. Her father Jose began our visit with an explanation. “She’s jealous and is trying to get attention.” He even had a solution. “Maria (their mother) just needs to spend more special time with Bella” and “She needs to set more firm limits.” I felt as if he had read the book; reciting the lessons I’d learned years ago...
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Childhood PTSD is a Disease of Loneliness. Here's How to Learn to Connect Again.
Trauma from childhood is, in essence, an injury to the ability connect with people. And that's why so many people who were traumatized as kids experience loneliness throughout their lives -- sometimes even when they're surrounded by people. In this post I share a 10-minute video excerpted from my online course "Healing Childhood PTSD." it's all about loneliness and disconnection, and how to reconnect again. READ THE POST AND WATCHED HERE.
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How adverse childhood experiences or ACEs impact your current wellbeing
Often, people who have a history of trauma in childhood find themselves struggling to flourish in adulthood. Trauma affects the brain in ways that can make you more likely to experience difficulty when faced with emotionally stressful and demanding situations in your relationships, at work, and as a parent. Throughout my life, both growing up and as an adult, I’ve faced a number of challenging life experiences, stressors, and traumas, and I understand this struggle on a deep, intrinsic...
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Peer-to-Peer-Resilient Parenting: Tools and Strategies that Work
Peer-to-Peer - Resilient Parenting: Tools and Strategies that Work. A two-hour discussion of tools and strategies that providers can use with parents to buffer toxic stress and build resiliency in their children. Learn how to talk to parents about ACEs, support the process of parental coregulation, and promote buffering through healthy coping. Join us on Wednesday 3.03.21.
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Attachment Trauma: The Unique Impact of ACEs in Infancy
"Attachment Trauma is the severe disruption or dysfunction of the infant-maternal bond. This can result from stress and dysfunction in the family, mental health problems in the mother, and/or extended separation from the mother. These are traumatic experiences regardless of when they occur during childhood. However, when they occur during the first 2 years of life they have a uniquely damaging impact, leading to Attachment Trauma." Originally posted at CPTSDFoundation.org: ...
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The Healing Place Podcast: Rene Howitt - Cope24: Parenting & Child Development Classes for High School Students
Rene Howitt, founder of Cope24, offers professional development workshops to school districts across the nation. She also provides presentations and key note speaking at universities, teacher conferences, advocacy events and churches.
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Learning to Be Human: Jack-In-The-Box
BY: ERIN ROBINSON My mother works in child care. When I would drop by for a visit, I never paid close attention to what I was saying around the infants. “The babies won’t remember me,” I thought, “and they certainly won’t remember anything I do or say. Why should I be overly cautious around these little humans when it is too early in their lives to matter?” It was not until I watched “Neurorelational Development: Early Brain Development and the Power of Relationships Webinar” given by Dr.
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Amazing Infographic on ACEs, Spanking, and the Benefits of Positive Parenting
Putting the pieces together! Join an upstream approach to ending violence against children! This is an ACEs & Spanking INFOGRAPHIC that helps parents understand the connection between ACEs and the importance of not spanking and instead, using positive parenting techniques. For a free webinar series to support parents: https://stopspanking.org More information on ACEs, Spanking, and Positive Parenting: https://stopspanking.org/aces/
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Book Review: Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows—A Story about ACEs and Hope
Juleus Ghunta’s empowering book Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows—A Story about ACEs and Hope , vibrantly illustrated by Rachel Moss, is a much-needed story of a boy who experiences Shadows that interfere with his ability to read because they make his mind “flicker like a hurricane,” go blank, and sometimes race and “refuse to shut down.” This is an affirming, normalizing contextualization of how bad events and scary experiences, now understood from the science of adverse childhood experiences...
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Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) inspires launch of Number Story national public awareness campaign
Understanding the story behind one’s score can empower and support people and families, which is what NumberStory.org -- and “The Story of Your Number” campaign -- is designed to do.
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Upcoming Livestream on Father's Day - ACEs & The Father Wound
Many men and women around the world are nursing a Father Wound and it is negatively impacting their health, eroding their self-confidence and crippling their ability to form healthy relationships, among other things. For such persons, the word "father" does not represent the definitions outlined in the title image. Rather, it brings to mind memories of hurt and pain, or thoughts of abandonment and neglect, or simply a void. So, on Father's Day, at 2pm Eastern Standard Time we want to address...
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Parenting to Prevent & Heal ACEs Handout
This handout is based on the work of Donna Jackson Nakazawa , who worked with us and generously allowed us to paraphrase content from her book, Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology & How You Can Heal . Donna's book specifically addresses those of us parenting with ACEs (which she also does brilliantly in the powerful documentary, Wrestling Ghosts , which is about parenting and healing from ACEs). This handout can be downloaded, distributed, and used freely. It is...
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A Strengths-Based Approach Brings HOPE to ACEs
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its first in a series of reports called “Snapshots” after polling 3,000+ parents about their experiences during the pandemic. Surprisingly, while many of the findings were concerning, most people reported a deepening relationship with their children despite the stress and tension they were experiencing.
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HOPE Summit speakers show how positive childhood experiences offset adversity
The Rev. Darrell Armstrong, pastor of the historic Shiloh Baptist Church in Trenton, New Jersey, is an accomplished man. He graduated from Stanford University in public policy and went on to get his master’s degree in divinity studies at Princeton. As a former director in the New Jersey Department of Human Services, he was responsible for New Jersey’s statewide strategy for preventing child abuse and neglect. Armstrong has also worked as an entrepreneur, workshop facilitator, and radio host.
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Interview with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris & Dave Ellis
We recently sat down with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s first surgeon general, and Dave Ellis, the first executive director of the Office of Resilience at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. A pioneering voice on prevention, early identification, and treatment of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Dr. Burke Harris gained national prominence with her viral 2015 TED talk on this topic. Dave Ellis made his name as a national leader in providing trainings and...
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New Study: Evolved Nest Experience In Childhood Buffers The Negative Effects Of ACEs
New Study: Evolved Nest Experience In Childhood Buffers The Negative Effects Of ACEs
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Book Review: Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows: A Story about ACEs and Hope
Review of Rohan Bullkin and the Shadows by Jessica King Childhood can be brutal. Some of the authors I admire most have been able to reflect on difficult childhood trauma and create art, holding those experiences up to the light and processing them. In children’s literature, these personal, heartfelt #OwnVoices works tell a difficult story with truth and compassion. Books like this form a vital “mirror” for children in similar circumstances. I received an advance copy of Rohan Bullkin and...
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Historical Trauma Specialist Certification Level-1
HEAL HISTORICAL TRAUMA & Iya Affo PRESENT: The Historical Trauma Specialist Certification- Level 1 is a comprehensive understanding of Historical Trauma from a multicultural lens. The training is designed for participants serving, leading, advocating and working with people of color. It is the perfect training for people in a variety of disciplines as well as multicultural families and for anyone with the desire to understand the impact of slavery, genocide and colonization. The course...
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Stress is Contagious: How to Stop the Spread & Regain Your Health
Stop the spread...of STRESS! Stress is not only triggered by external or internal factors. You can also pick up stress from social interactions – spouse, other household members, colleagues, etc. – usually referred to as emotional contagion. Learn how to stop the spread of stress and regain your health.
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The Launch of Heal Trauma Global: Culturally Attuned Trauma Training
Being Trauma-Informed means that we are Culturally Attuned. Heal Trauma Global is a sister company to Heal Historical Trauma and was cultivated to fill a wide gap in stress science & trauma training. The trauma-informed movement is beautiful! It's wonderful that as a society we are moving in a direction that honors an individual's past as part of the driving force behind current behaviors. Yet, time and time again, I have attended trainings that are labeled as Trauma-Informed only to...