Tagged With "post-traumatic growth"
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How TIC Measurement Drives TIC Change
Organizations often see measurement and program evaluation as a luxury or something extra to do - they'll do it if they have extra cash or if it's required by a grant or a change package they purchase. It’s viewed as something that will tell them at the end whether the intervention moved the needle. What they fail to recognize is that the process of measurement is an intervention in and of itself and it can drive the change process... Read More
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Longing for Change and Finding Hope Again...
So happy to collaborate with Andi Fetzner, Psy. D, with this Free Webinar that introduces my new course, 'The Changemaker: It Starts With You'. Origins Training & Consulting provides education on becoming trauma and resilience-informed as well as the training needed to bring a trauma-informed approach to your community, company, school or organization. My online course is a bridge to the personal growth and healing needed to sustain the energy it takes to inspire and implement positive,...
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Transforming Leadership, Transforming Trauma
Achievement and success can mask underlying pain in such a way that it festers and continues to hold power over us.
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RISE: Navigating individual and collective wellness, advocacy, and change
Join Melissa McPheeters of Rise to Resilience with special guest and parent, Janise Cross, for this interactive workshop! Click here to register! Schedule: During this 3-hour interactive workshop, Melissa and Janise will facilitate a presentation, time for personal reflection, and voluntary activities to solidify learning and growth among participants. Two fifteen minute breaks are provided. There is no expectation that you have your camera to participate. We encourage you to show up in...
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What Do We Do Once We Realize the Prevalence of Adversities?
When people hear about the mental and physical health risks of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, one of the first questions is, “What do we do about this?” Awareness of the prevalence of adversity and the impact of stress on the brain and body leads to the possibility for prevention and response. Whether you are acting within a family, agency, organization, business or community, the next steps should be taken knowing that we will all work together to bring about change.
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New Resource: Utilizing Data to Improve Child Wellbeing Through Community Action
A newly developed document titled “Utilizing Data to Improve Child Wellbeing Through Community Action” has just been released and can be found attached to this blog post. The purpose of this document is to identify best practices in utilizing data to monitor and evaluate child adversity, health, development, and wellbeing in order to build community support and create policy, systems, and environmental change. This resource was created in partnership by All Children Thrive - California and...
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Gabriel Nunez-Soria
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The Mirroring Between Individual and Collective Trauma Healing
Remembering past trauma begins the “re-membering” process of taking our fragmented pieces and putting them back together. This applies to individuals with trauma, as well as the collective traumas we experience in societies and our world. Remembering trauma is a growth process because the memories open the door to putting all the pieces together which leads to our healing. We know that our physiological reactions to trauma are held in our bodies and DNA. As individuals, before we can begin...
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What Does Community Development for Liberation Look Like? (nonprofitquarterly.org)
Earlier this month, a small group of roughly 50 people gathered in San Juan, Puerto Rico to discuss what a liberatory movement for community economic development might look like. For many, it was their first in-person conference since the COVID-19 pandemic. The convener? CEO Circle, an informal network of leaders of color of national community development organizations. Founding members of the loose network are Akilah Watkins-Butler of the Center for Community Progress , Tony Pickett of...
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The Brave and Unbroken Podcast & Mental Health and National Trauma Awareness Month
The month of May recognizes Mental Health Awareness and National Trauma Awareness. On that note, I'd like to share a few resources that I had the honor of participating with that address trauma, abuse and mental health. The Brave and Unbroken Podcast is brand new – recorded in March and aired in April. The other two resources are video clips shared at my You Tube Channel. Please note, I am currently working on my You Tube Channel to share more resources, music and conversation – I have...
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Coaching for Community Connection because Relationships are the Agents of Change
What are the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, our relationships and our goals, dreams and aspirations? What story are we telling ourselves about the future of the world? Often it is a story from the past. Cause that is all we “know”. We only know what we have experienced. We don’t know what will happen in the future. We think we do… but we really don’t know.
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7 Organizational Strategies for Resilience
No matter what type of organization you help run, if you are a leader, you should be promoting resilience and agility in the workplace. Why? When the individuals that make up an organization are better able to face challenges, the entire system is strengthened. Resilience mitigated risks, ensuring that challenges won’t set your business back as far they could. Organizations improve their overall resilience when they can: · anticipate disruptions · prepare for roadblocks · respond to sudden...
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Is your workforce well? Improve Your Workforce Resilience through Social Current Learning Collaborative
We often say that employees are our greatest asset. This is most certainly true. Employees are people we need to connect with personally and partner with closely to create a resilient organization. Today, we are faced with many new and longstanding challenges to workforce resilience. The ongoing stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenges around advancing inclusion and equity, and secondary stress that some staff experience on a regular basis are a few of the many obstacles to creating a...
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Art therapy - stories without words in Tarpon Springs, Florida
Peace4Tarpon is a community initiative that began in 2010 making Tarpon Springs the first trauma-informed community in the nation. Through ongoing research, we now know that unaddressed childhood trauma is the root cause of the most challenging issues we face whether in our personal, family, work life or in the larger community. These impacts on mental, emotional and physical health can have a ripple effect which often crosses generations. We also know that trauma knows no boundaries –...
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7 Most Important Aspects of Trauma Sensitivity Training
Full implementation of a trauma-informed approach typically takes three years to accomplish, but many organizations are looking for more manageable solutions that require fewer resources. If you want to implement trauma-informed practices but aren’t ready for full implementation, here are some of the most important aspects of trauma sensitivity training that you can share with your team. Developing a One-Page Resource for Trauma Sensitivity Training Recently a colleague asked for my input on...
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3 More Ways to Rewire Shame from Adverse Childhood Experiences
These three cognitive countermeasures round out the skills for neutralizing shame imprinted in the first 18 years of life. They complement the right brain strategies described in recent articles.
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Moving Forward After Adverse Childhood Experiences: How to Move from Suffering to Flourishing
Once the suffering resulting from adverse childhood experiences is managed, we can turn toward creating a more satisfying life.
Pursuing the honorable life leads to self-respect and inner peace. Compassion for mistakes, understanding their reasons, and applying integrity skills starts us on the path to flourishing.
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9 Ways to Embody Trauma-Informed Values
Throughout our last several blogs, we’ve explored the broader themes of how to accomplish trauma-informed cultural change. We’ve also discussed how embodying trauma-informed values is essential to accomplishing that change. But what does embodying trauma-informed values look like in real time? How are we practicing the values in our personal and professional lives? How do the concepts we discuss become embedded and embodied in our work? Today, we’ll give you concrete examples of how to...
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Secondary Traumatic Stress - a Hidden Epidemic Join Us Sept. 30th
The "Great Resignation," "Quiet Quitting," and rising social awareness of historical racism have all brought attention to a common but frequently overlooked hazard of caregiving professions: Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS). In the execution of duties, professions that support our society with compassion and empathy can face traumatic stress from exposure to the experiences of the people that they are there to support. This stress can have deleterious physical and emotional consequences...
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Looking at ACEs through Trauma Informed Lens
Brains aren’t just formed and its structure for development in early childhood is determined by more than just our genes, they are also built based on our experiences. Early childhood experiences can affect the development and physical architecture of our brain, which provides the foundation for future learning, behavior and health. Think about building something that will last through time. We would usually focus on a strong foundation and connect the rest of the structure from that...
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Looking at ACEs through Trauma Informed Lens
Brains aren’t just formed and its structure for development in early childhood is determined by more than just our genes, they are also built based on our experiences. Early childhood experiences can affect the development and physical architecture of our brain, which provides the foundation for future learning, behavior and health. Think about building something that will last through time. We would usually focus on a strong foundation and connect the rest of the structure from that...
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Trauma-Informed Approaches to Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Brief
Please consider reviewing the s resource titled “Trauma-Informed Approaches to Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Brief”. It can be found attached to this post . The purpose of this resource is to describe the connection between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and tobacco use; share how cessation service delivery can adopt and implement trauma-informed approaches; and provide recommendations and strategies for how cessation programs can apply the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...
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Moving Forward After Adverse Childhood Experiences, Part 2: Harness the Liberating Power of Forgiveness
The well-timed choice to forgive deep injuries from childhood, though difficult, can greatly improve psychological wellbeing and free us to move ahead. Four keys to forgiveness lay the foundation for cultivating healing forgiveness skills.
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How to Apologize: Advice from a Trauma-Informed Expert
If you’re familiar with the trauma-informed space, you know that we often talk about the experience of feeling seen, heard, and valued. We talk about creating space at the table for everyone, practicing vulnerability to strengthen relationships, and holding ourselves accountable when we make mistakes. These are all great topics to discuss, but it can prove challenging to distill these larger ideas into practice. But, when we talk about apologizing, we wrap all of these complex concepts up...
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How to Apologize: Advice from a Trauma-Informed Expert
If you’re familiar with the trauma-informed space, you know that we often talk about the experience of feeling seen, heard, and valued. We talk about creating space at the table for everyone, practicing vulnerability to strengthen relationships, and holding ourselves accountable when we make mistakes. These are all great topics to discuss, but it can prove challenging to distill these larger ideas into practice. But, when we talk about apologizing, we wrap all of these complex concepts up...
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Lightening the Load We Carry from Childhood: 10 Ways to Forgive the Unkindest Cuts
While the process of forgiving painful offenses from childhood can be very difficult, efforts to forgive bring great rewards. The process begins with acknowledging the pain, applying self-compassion, and taking even small and faltering steps to get the forgiveness ball rolling.
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9 Things That Happen When Employees Feel Safe at Work
If you asked me what the single most important aspect of trauma-informed implementation is, I’d say it’s much more complex than that. But then I’d say safety at work . To be fair, there are many moving parts when we aspire to create safety at work. It’s not an easy task to undertake. From encouraging employees to develop individual safety plans to creating a comprehensive organizational safety plan , establishing safety at work can take years. It’s a lot harder than following eight simple...
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9 Things That Happen When Employees Feel Safe at Work
If you asked me what the single most important aspect of trauma-informed implementation is, I’d say it’s much more complex than that. But then I’d say safety at work . To be fair, there are many moving parts when we aspire to create safety at work. It’s not an easy task to undertake. From encouraging employees to develop individual safety plans to creating a comprehensive organizational safety plan , establishing safety at work can take years. It’s a lot harder than following eight simple...
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Adverse Childhood Experiences and Care for the Soul
Strengthening the wounded soul can improve psychological and physical wellbeing and help to complete the recovery process. Although ACEs, understandably, can numb feelings, including spiritual feelings, once healing has progressed, spiritual feelings can often be successfully cultivated.
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Self-Care: Ethical Implications For The Novice Social Worker
Greek philosopher and physician Hippocrates of Kos is considered the father of modern medicine. An influential physician and scholar, Hippocrates was adamant about effective healthcare practices. During his career, Hippocrates implemented an essential policy for future physicians to follow. To establish consent to heal, doctors should ask patients if they are willing to give up the things that cause them to be sick (Hippocrates & Asulanus, 1526). Hippocrates believed physicians needed...
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💗 Get A FREE Copy of My NEW Book - It's Not About Food, Drugs, or Alcohol: It's About Healing Complex PTSD
Hi Everyone! The good news is after seven years, with a five year break (AKA stall-out), I have finally finished my new book and have titled it: It's Not About Food, Drugs, or Alcohol: It's About Healing Complex PTSD Although my book won't be available to the general public until its launch date on Feb 21 st , 2023, I am offering FREE advance reader copies to a limited amount of people this week. Below is a summary of what my book's about and how to qualify to get a free copy this week.
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Finding Joy After Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse childhood experiences understandably can numb feelings, including feelings of joy, happiness, and pleasure.
Making time to be joyful rewires the wounded brain. Once healing has progressed, the capacity for joy can usually be expanded through the repeated application of proven joy strategies.
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Relationship Commitments Guide for Self-Reflection, Development, and Practice
I'm excited to share a project I recently completed! You can visit https://www.risetoresilience.org/resources to access the guide, Relationship Commitments template with example, and a supporting tool to explore your past, present, and desired future beliefs. Categories on the template include topics such as dealbreakers, core values, relationship values, love languages (giving and receiving), priorities, personal agreements, and more. Who is this for? Anyone, really! Whether you practice...
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The Four Pillars of Emotional Intelligence
If you read last week’s blog, you might remember that we touched on social-emotional learning , which is closely tied to emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a core idea in the trauma-informed model. In fact, it is one of the 7 Commitments identified in Sandra Bloom’s Sanctuary model. If we want to make understanding, healing, and growth possible (and build trauma-informed communities), then we must embrace the importance of emotional intelligence. But how can we pin down what...
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12th Annual Virtual Rise of Resilience Conference
Come join The Riverside Trauma Center, a service of Riverside Community Care, Inc., for its 12 th annual virtual conference on February 2, 2023. We’d love to see you and your community there! The Rise of Resilience: Living Through Trauma and Disruptive Events ,’ will bring together leaders, employers, health and human service workers, educators, and government officials to discuss how trauma intersects topics such as diversity, equity, productivity, growth, and the humanization of work;...
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10 Ways Trauma-Informed Therapy Can Help You Navigate Change
Change in the most basic form means to become or make something different. Changes happen for everyone, whether they are small or large. They can be detours on the road due to construction, your favorite coffee shop closing, your child going to school, a relationship beginning or ending, or any transition in life . I think we can all agree that change can be hard ! And it’s especially hard for trauma survivors (and since the COVID pandemic, many believe we have all experienced some trauma...
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More than support – 9 things trauma-informed therapists always provide
People need support. Absolutely. Providing support is a foundational principle to a therapist’s role because, as said beautifully by Brené Brown, “what we don’t need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human.” Trauma-informed therapists, however, need to be more . They need to create a safe space for healing, always, which means being more than just supportive. People come to therapy when their survival strategies are no longer working, right? They are in distress, and looking for...
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Bouncing Forward After Adverse Childhood Experiences
Once the healing of hidden wounds from adverse childhood experiences has sufficiently progressed, attention can turn to developing a richly satisfying future. Your innate inner strengths, experiences, and acquired skills will help rewire your brain for a brighter future.
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The Trauma Triangle: How Fostering Awareness of Reenactments Builds Resilience
The basic concept surrounding trauma-informed care is this: We all have trauma. Some of us are at a higher risk of experiencing trauma. We carry this trauma with us, and if we do not address it, we will not heal from it. Understanding reenactments is one way that we can continue healing from trauma. Our healing helps us make sure that we don’t traumatize or re-traumatize others due to our own inability to emotionally regulate. In the context of trauma healing, there are three main things we...
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A Promising Treatment for Hidden Wounds from ACEs
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an emerging trauma therapy for the hidden wounds resulting from Adverse Childhood Experiences. Research to date shows ART for traumatized adults is quick, effective, safe, and well-tolerated. Consistent with new understanding of the brain and body-centered treatment approaches, ART primarily targets trauma images and associated physical and emotional sensations, creatively and efficiently using eye movements and strategies from other trauma treatments.
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11 Trauma-Informed Boundary Phrases to Use at Work
Trauma-informed leaders know that healthy boundaries are essential for healthy relationships—in and out of work. But setting and reinforcing your boundaries can be challenging when you haven’t had a lot of practice. That’s why we’ve provided these boundary phrases to help you maintain healthy relationships at work by saying no and setting expectations in a kind and trauma-informed way. As you read through these boundary phrases, keep in mind that not all phrases are right for all people or...
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Drug Addiction and ACEs: A Journey Through the Gates of Hell to Redemption
Attachment disruptions and other hidden wounds from ACEs can render one more vulnerable to drug addiction. Genuine, mature love from others, and for oneself, can change the course of one's life. A recent book highlights the path from childhood trauma to addiction to recovery.
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Human Service Organizations Can Mitigate the Impact of Stress for Employees
Human service agencies’ organizational stress naturally affects the employees who work for the agencies, oftentimes causing more stress to the employees already working in high stress environments. Though many human service agency employees choose the work they do because it gives them purpose and meaning, often that is not enough to prevent added workplace stress or to ameliorate the effects of that stress. Organizational stress is going to happen, but agencies can continue to hire and...
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The 2023 Creating Resilient Communities Summer Curriculum is Now Open for Registration
PACEs Connection is excited to roll out our summer 2023 *CRC* curriculum dates. Members who complete the CRC will qualify for a fall 2023 fellowship program.
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Rising from the Ashes of Childhood Brutality
Country music artist Allen Karl (Sterner) endured unspeakable childhood cruelty and chaos, yet turned into a caring, competent adult. His story provides many useful insights that can help and inspire others who have endured multiple ACEs.