Tagged With "Mental Health"
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The Importance of Positive Emotional Communication Starting From Infancy
“Why do some children become sad, withdrawn, insecure, or angry, whereas others become happy, curious, affectionate, and self-confident?” It has something to do with emotions and emotional communication.
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Trauma-Informed Care News and Notes for January 2020
ACEs, Adversity's Impact Grief vs. traumatic grief California launches "ACEs Aware" initiative to address the public health crisis of toxic stress from childhood trauma After Bryce Gowdy's suicide, lets elevate the conversation about poverty's effects on youth Association of adverse experiences and exposure to violence in childhood and adolescence with inflammatory burden in young people Hard choices: How moving on and off reservations can increase the risk of homelessness for American...
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Two studies shed light on state legislators’ views on ACEs science and trauma policy
New and returning lawmakers take the oath of office on day one of Washington state's 2017 legislative session. — Jeanie Lindsay/Northwest News Network As advocates prepare to see how ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) science, trauma, and resilience play out in the 2020 state legislative sessions — many beginning in January — they are undoubtedly asking: “What does a legislator want?" It may be a stretch to play on Freud’s question: “What does a women want?", but the query captures how...
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Ways to Counter the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences [psychologytoday.com]
By Veronika Tait, Psychology Today, October 4, 2019 Groundbreaking research conducted in the 1990s found that the greater number of negative childhood experiences a person had, the more likely they were to experience poor health outcomes later in life such as heart disease, liver disease, and cancer. A new study published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect has found that positive experiences, such as having a teacher who cares about them, can buffer against these negative outcomes.
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We Must Step Forward on Behalf of the Children at our Border [fsg.org]
By Lauren Smith, FSG, June 26, 2019. Everything I have learned in my almost three decades as a pediatrician and public health advocate caring for children and families tells me that what we are doing to migrant children at the border is morally and medically wrong. It goes against all that we know about how children should be treated. It is also not who we aspire to be as a nation. We are and must be better than this. Recent detailed reports of the appalling conditions in the detention...
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Webinar Oct. 17 — Integrating ACEs science in pediatrics: Early adopters share lessons from the field
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...
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Whole People Series & Study Guide (www.pbs.org)
There's a fantastic five-part series, Whole People , done by PBS, " spotlighting the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) through personal and community stories. It explores the long-term costs to personal well-being and our society. While much work needs to be done, there are many innovative developments to prevent and treat ACES. We all play a role in becoming a whole people." It's amazing. The five topics covered are as follows: Childhood Trauma Healing Communities A New...
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Why We Need to Talk About the Serious Health Implications of Childhood Trauma [yahoo.com]
By Mary Wilde, Yahoo Lifestyle, March 18, 2020 Despite four years of medical school, three years of residency and over a decade in practice, I was never taught the profound connection between high childhood stress and increased risk of chronic disease. It was at a community event sponsored by our local school district that I first learned it, as I watched the documentary entitled, “Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope.” Suddenly, the medical education I had been...
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Beating the Isolation Caused by COVID-19
There is no doubt that the coronavirus has taken the world’s collective breath away. People are getting sick by the thousands, with many not surviving. The governments around the globe have mostly shut down their countries to help prevent Covid19 as it kills even more people.
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Greater Richmond Trauma Informed Community Network, first to join ACEs Cooperative of Communities, shows what it means to ROCK!
In 2012, Greater Richmond SCAN and five other community partners hatched a one-year plan to educate the Richmond, Virginia, community about ACEs science and to embed trauma-informed practices. Eight years later, the original group has evolved into the Greater Richmond Trauma-Informed Community Network (GRTICN) with 495 people and 170 organizations. And they're just scratching the surface.
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Massachusetts Prepares for Children's Mental Health Needs During Covid
Months into the pandemic, we know the Covid-19 virus doesn’t just pose a threat to our physical health: it has serious repercussions for our individual and collective mental health too. Given ACEs Connection members’ interest in trauma-informed initiatives that support the needs of children, the Massachusetts Childhood Trauma Task Force (CTTF) wants to share its recent report on Covid-19 and children’s mental health.
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California colleges increase online mental health services to serve expected student need [edsource.org]
By Larry Gordon, Ed Source, August 31, 2020 With surveys showing that the pandemic is worsening anxiety and depression among college students, campus counseling centers across California are bracing for an expected sharp rise in the numbers of students seeking mental health services. Like most college and university classes, psychological therapy sessions switched to online — or on telephone — in March. The campuses say they will try their best to advertise, expand and improve those virtual...
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The Health Care System Has the Black Community in a Choke Hold [chcf.org]
By Vanessa Grubbs, California Health Care Foundation, August 4, 2020 It was the Black woman’s third trip to the emergency department because she was feeling short of breath. She was starting to panic. She knew the COVID-19 death toll was climbing and that it was far worse for Black people than white people , and yet the doctors told her to go home again. But this time she pleaded, “If you all don’t admit me to the hospital, I’m going to die. I can’t breathe.” This is the story told by Sheila...
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'A Better Normal:' Can universal ACEs screening be equitable? -- Concerns and solutions
Can universal ACEs screening be equitable? A conversation about concerns and solutions. When: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2-3:30 pm PDT/5-6:30 pm EDT This webinar explores what it takes to ensure that equity is built into the process of screening and providing support for families who have experienced trauma and want help. REGISTER HERE Background At the beginning of this year, California, through the ACEs Aware initiative began rolling out universal screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs),...
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A Better Normal Community Discussion - Reimagining Health Care
In a conversational style, join physician Drew Factor who will speak with Dr. Tracy Gaudet, Liza Guroff and An é Watts in a discussion entitled "Reimagining Health Care". Dr. Gaudet will speak about her experience engaging in transformational change at the Veterans Administration and how this has shaped the development of her own Functional Medicine Institute, while Ms. Guroff and Ms. Watts will speak about their knowledge of a Trauma-Informed Approach both at a systems (National Council for...
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"A Better Normal" Community Discussion Series- Our Reckoning with Race and Equity at ACEs Connection
Register for A Better Normal- Our reckoning with race and equity at ACEs Connection
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In a Worldwide Health Crisis, Lessons From Resilient Communities [rwjf.org]
By Katie Wehr, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 22, 2021 The RWJF Culture of Health Prize honors communities—urban, rural, tribal, large or small—that are beacons of hope and progress on creating places that enable health and well-being for all. RWJF recognizes Culture of Health Prize winners for their broad definition of health and strong collaboration between community partners and residents, and across many sectors and levels of power. In a Culture of Health Prize community, those...
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New Covid Cases Plunge 25% or More as Behavior Changes [khn.org]
By Christina Jewett, Kaiser Health News, January 28, 2021 A dozen states are reporting drops of 25% or more in new covid-19 cases and more than 1,200 counties have seen the same, federal data released Wednesday shows. Experts say the plunge may relate to growing fear of the virus after it reached record-high levels, as well as soaring hopes of getting vaccinated soon. Nationally, new cases have dropped 21% from the prior week, according to Department of Health and Human Services data,...
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Governor Murphy Launches New Jersey’s First Adverse Childhood Experiences Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Childhood Trauma and Adversity [Press Release Office of Governor Murphy]
02/4/2021 TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, First Lady Tammy Murphy, and New Jersey Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer today launched New Jersey’s first Adverse Childhood Experiences Action Plan, a comprehensive statewide strategy to prevent and reduce childhood trauma and adversity. The action plan outlines several initiatives to identify, coordinate, and advance programs and services across state government to reduce and...
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ACEs Aware Webinar: Cultural and Racial Differences in Understanding and Responding to Adversity [centerforyouthwellness.org]
CYW WEBINAR Cultural and Racial Differences in Understanding and Responding to Adversity, Trauma, Resilience and Healing Wednesday, February 24th 12:00-1:00pm PT/3:00-4:00 ET The Center for Youth Wellness is excited to announce our third ACEs Aware webinar on February 24 at Noon PT/3pm ET. Gatanya Arnic, CYW's Chief Executive Officer, will discuss how cultural and racial differences can impact ACEs screening and response. Gatanya will lead a discussion of how the biases inherent in the...
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Confronting Racism, Overcoming COVID-19, & Advancing Health Equity [calbudget.org]
February 2021 · By Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto and Monica Davalos The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the depths and reach of racism on the health of children, families, and individuals, with communities of color in California experiencing higher rates of illness, death, and overall hardship due to the virus. This devastation must be the catalyst for California policymakers to acknowledge that racism has caused lasting and negative impacts on communities of color. While some local policymakers...
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ACEs Research Corner — February 2021
[Editor's note: Dr. Harise Stein at Stanford University edits a web site — abuseresearch.info — that focuses on the health effects of abuse, and includes research articles on ACEs. Every month, she posts the summaries of the abstracts and links to research articles that address only ACEs. Thank you, Harise!! -- Jane Stevens] Walker CS, Walker BH, Brown DC, Buttross S, Sarver DE. Defining the role of exposure to ACEs in ADHD: Examination in a national sample of US children. Child Abuse Negl.
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Coronavirus: Addressing Disparities with California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris [washingtonpost.com]
By Washington Post Live, The Washington Post, February 19, 2021 As California surpasses New York in the number of deaths due to COVID-19, the state continues to grapple with vaccine shortages, disparities in immunizations, and the rapid spread of coronavirus mutations. California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris, MD, who advises the governor on matters of public health, joins Washington Post Live for a discussion focused on the state of California’s battle with COVID-19. She’ll discuss...
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Teaching During a Pandemic: A Model for Trauma-Informed Education and Administration [pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
By Gary W. Harper and Leah C. Neubauer, Pedagogy Health Promot., February 23, 2021 *full article available 1 March2021 Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) realities have demanded that educators move swiftly to adopt new ways of teaching, advising, and mentoring. We suggest the centering of a trauma-informed approach to education and academic administration during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) guidance on...
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Teaching During a Pandemic: A Model for Trauma-Informed Education and Administration [pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
By Gary W. Harper and Leah C. Neubauer, Pedagogy Health Promot., February 23, 2021 *full article available 1 March2021 Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) realities have demanded that educators move swiftly to adopt new ways of teaching, advising, and mentoring. We suggest the centering of a trauma-informed approach to education and academic administration during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) guidance on...
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Anxiety, Depression and Working Moms in a Pandemic
Covid-19 is a challenging time for all of us. People are limited to their homes, and social distancing is the requirement of the time to stay protected from this contagious virus. Although social distancing is the only thing stopping the spread of the virus, it is also becoming the number 1 cause of anxiety and depression. People worldwide from all walks of life are suffering the psychological effects of isolation, and working moms are not an exception. They experienced a unique pressure...
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New Report — Socially Connected Communities [healthyplacesbydesign.org]
From Healthy Places by Design, March 2021 NEW REPORT Socially Connected Communities Solutions for Social Isolation In recent decades, people in the United States and around the world have experienced soaring rates of social isolation, with profound impacts on community health and well-being. Healthy Places by Design, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has released a new report that reframes the conversation about isolation and outlines five recommendations for creating...
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How Strongly Does ACE Affect One’s Physical and Mental Health?
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) leave different kinds and levels of mental or physical trauma on each individual. Physical child abuse may leave kids needing the services of a reliable pediatric surgeon . Some children may need help from a facial plastic surgery specialist to address self-esteem issues caused by facial scars. Some ACEs may require long-term therapy sessions. Despite their therapeutic benefits, the best essential oils for anxiety can only do so much when dealing with...
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'No one is sure what to expect': Schools, colleges add more counseling services to address student mental health [edsource.org]
By Carolyn Jones, EdSource, March 16, 2021 As students begin returning to the classroom as the pandemic eases, schools are bracing for an onslaught of serious mental health conditions that, for some students, may take years to overcome. In the year that campuses were closed due to Covid-19, students experienced waves of loneliness, fear, upheaval and grief. Some lost loved ones, others saw their parents lose their jobs and their families sink into poverty. Nearly all experienced a degree of...
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7 Positive Childhood Experiences that Help Kids Grow into Successful Adults [youthranch.org]
By Idaho Youth Ranch, May 1, 2020 Just as there are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that play a role in the future success of kids, there are also 7 positive childhood experiences (PCEs) that can offset their damage. This recent discovery comes from a John Hopkin’s study published in 2019. Researchers were looking to determine if any “protective childhood experiences” could be linked with positive outcomes as adults—increasing resiliency and offsetting some of the trauma or damage...
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Tackling the Housing Crisis and Bridging Generational Divides Through Home-Sharing [ssir.org]
By Noelle Marcus, Illustration by Gracia Lam, Stanford Social Innovation Review, March 22, 2021 The policies and resources devoted to housing security for Americans fall devastatingly short of meeting the need. Since 2017, nearly half of renters have spent 30 percent or more of their incomes on housing costs—an unsustainable portion, according to The US Department of Housing and Urban Development. And today, an unprecedented and long-term housing crisis looms, with an estimated 40 million...
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SAVE THE DATE! Biology of Stress: How ACE Screening Can Reveal and Mitigate ACE-Associated Health Conditions [acesaware.org]
April 14, 2021 Register for the Webinar The latest ACEs Aware webinar will discuss the physiology of toxic stress and how to apply the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress in pediatric care. After completing this webinar, the participant should be better able to: Describe the physiology of toxic stress and the biological changes that may be a pathway to clinical progression of chronic illness related to exposure to ACEs and toxic stress. Apply the physiology of...
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Science Plays the Long Game. But People Have Mental Health Issues Now. [nytimes.com]
By Benedict Carey, The New York Times, April 1, 2021 When I joined the Science staff in 2004, reporters in the department had a saying, a reassuring mantra of sorts: “People will always come to the science section, if only to read about progress.” I think about that a lot as I say goodbye to my job, covering psychiatry, psychology, brain biology and big-data social science, as if they were all somehow related. The behavior beat, as it’s known, allowed tremendous freedom: I wrote about the...
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COVID Testing Available - 5/22
Flier attached for COVID testing this upcoming Saturday in Poughkeepsie.
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A Mental Health Focus at the Barbershop [psychologytoday.com]
By Breanna Gentile, Psychology Today, May 16, 2021 Maybe it was your lived experience, or maybe it was something you saw in the movies: sitting in the barber shop getting your haircut and talking about all sorts of things from funny to serious to ridiculous. For Lorenzo Lewis , founder of The Confess Project, it was his lived experience and his muse for creating “America's First Mental Health Barbershop Movement.” I had the pleasure to chat with Lorenzo and understand how The Confess Project...
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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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We’ve changed our name to PACEs Connection!
We have some very exciting news! As of today, ACEs Connection is now PACEs Connection. PACEs stands for Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences.
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Struggling with Mindfulness? Essential Tips for Beginners (wakeup-world.com)
Mindfulness meditation can change lives. From an enhanced sense of oneness with the world to the easing of depression and anxiety, through to the physical benefits on physiological stress levels, heart health and healing, there are a thousand and one reasons to practice mindfulness. But if you’re a total beginner, is it really as easy as ‘just sit there for a few minutes and day and be aware of your surroundings’? Nope. Not at all. 1 – Make Time for Mindfulness If you’re going to get...
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How Systemic Racism Continues To Determine Black Health And Wealth In Chicago [npr.org]
By Terry Gross, National Public Radio, May 6, 2021 There is a 30-year gap in the life expectancies of Black and white Chicagoans depending on their ZIP code. On average, residents of the Streeterville neighborhood, which is 73% white , live to be 90 years old. Nine miles south, the residents of Englewood, which is nearly 95% Black , have a life expectancy of 60. Journalist Linda Villarosa says the disparity in life expectancies has its roots in government-sanctioned policies that...
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Offset trauma for students by promoting positive experiences [exclusive.multibriefs.com]
By Sheilamary Koch, Multibriefs: Exclusive, July 27, 2020 When Christina Bethell was little, she lived in a low-income housing complex in Los Angeles where her neighbor, a quiet lady the kids called Mrs. Raccoon, always had her door open for the neighborhood kids. Every Saturday she threw a little tea party with candy to celebrate any child with a birthday that week. Bethell fondly remembers the woman’s kindness as source of comfort during her challenging childhood. Dr. Bethell, now a...
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Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample: Associations Across Adverse Childhood Experiences Levels [jamanetwork.com]
By Christina Bethell, Jennifer Jones, Narangerel Gombojav, et al., JAMA Pediatrics, September 9, 2019 Question : Are positive childhood experiences (PCEs) associated with adult depression and/or poor mental health (D/PMH) and adult-reported social and emotional support (ARSES) independent from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)? Findings : In this cross-sectional study, adults reporting higher PCEs had lower odds of D/PMH and greater ARSES after accounting for ACEs. The associations of...
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6 Things we can all do today to create a trauma-informed society
You don't have to be a therapist to help survivors heal from trauma. Here are 6 key behaviors that embody what it means to be "trauma-informed" that we can all start doing right now.
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Orange County schools join with Children's Hospital to address student mental health needs [edsource.org]
By Carolyn Jones, EdSource, June 8, 2021 Faced with rates of adolescent suicide and self-harm that have been among the fastest-rising in the country, schools in Orange County have teamed up with a local hospital to boost mental health services on campuses. The partnership between Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the Orange County Department of Education will include a streamlined connection between the schools and the hospital system, and “well spaces” on every campus where students...
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ACEs Self-Care Resources From AAP-CA3
The American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3 has developed a visual resource adapted from the ACEs Aware Self-Care tool . The handout is print-ready and available in English , Spanish , Amharic , Arabic , Chinese , Farsi and Vietnamese .
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How Early Childhood Experiences Affect Lifelong Health and Learning [developingchild.harvard.edu]
From Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, June 2020 How is ongoing, severe stress and adversity in early childhood connected to chronic disease in adults? And, what can we do about it? In this animated video, narrated by Center on the Developing Child Director Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., learn what the latest science tells us about how early experiences affect not only early learning and school readiness, but also lifelong health. Understand the effects of adversities such as...
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NEW WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT: Restorative Justice in Schools [georgetown.edu]
Restorative Justice in Schools: Trauma-Informed Approaches to Increasing Protective Health Factors for Girls of Color Thursday July 1st 12 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. EST Empowering girls of color and supporting their educational success is not simply an issue of educational equity. It is a matter of health justice. Join us for a conversation about the possibilities for and potential uses of restorative justice practices in schools with Thalia González, a nationally renowned scholar in the field of...
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A Health Equity Approach to Preventing Sexual Violence [preventioninstitute.org]
From Prevention Institute, June 2021 Summary Sexual harassment, abuse, and assault can have short- and long-term physical, emotional, and psychological effects on a person’s wellbeing and impact an entire community, from the culture and connections between people to the economic toll. Preventing sexual violence means we all must address deep-rooted abuses of power that contribute to inequities in health, safety, and wellbeing. A health equity approach to preventing sexual violence means that...
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NCTSN June 2021 Spotlight [mednet.ucla.edu]
LGBTQ+ youth experience trauma at significantly higher rates than their straight and cisgender peers. Some of the most prevalent traumatic events they experience are parental rejection, intimate partner violence, bullying, sexual assault, and physical and emotional abuse. The effects of untreated and unrecognized trauma can extend far into adulthood and can negatively impact their social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. Providers can help LGBTQ+ youth thrive and heal from past trauma by...
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Three Truths About The Anxious Mind
To help our community better understand anxiety, learn three things to remember when it comes to what’s going on inside an anxious mind.
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Healthy People 2030 Adds 4 Objectives on Childhood Trauma, Up From 0 (salud-america.org)
by Amanda Merck @AMFitnessHealth For the first time, the Healthy People 2030 guidelines have added four objectives on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), a step to recognize the systemic impact of childhood trauma on health. ACEs, such as abuse and poverty, are a public health crisis . None of the past Healthy People editions ─ 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020 ─ had an objective to address ACEs as part of its national guidance to promote health and prevent disease. Now there are four objectives!