Tagged With "Faith and Mental Health"
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Sheltering in Place: ACEs-Informed Tips for Self-Care During a Pandemic
Millions of lives have been affected in unprecedented ways by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are all grappling with uncertainty—our daily routines interrupted, not knowing what is to come. For those of us who have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), these times can be particularly distressing. At the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW), we know that childhood trauma can have a significant impact on an individual’s health and well-being – both physiologically and psychologically. Since the...
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Silent Cries: How the church can help people with mental illness [ChristianityToday.com]
I remember my family life while growing up in San Antonio, Texas as being tattooed by chaos, conflict, and consistent pain. My older relatives were often haunted by drug and alcohol abuse, violent relationships, and illegal activities. Like a...
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Six-week adult Sunday school curriculum on trauma-informed ministry coming soon!
Within the next month, I will be making available a draft version of an adult Sunday School curriculum that will introduce the concept of trauma-informed ministry to churches. If there are members of ACEsConnection that would like to "test run" the curriculum, I'd be honored if you'd reach out to me in the comments section or via a direct message. Email works, too! Just send to chrish@intermountain.org. The curriculum just takes a look at the "slice" of trauma-informed ministry that I am...
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Some 350 Florida Leaders Expected to Attend Think Tank with Dr. Vincent Felitti, Co-Principal Investigator of the ACE Study; Expert on ACEs Science
Leaders from across the Sunshine State will take part in a “Think Tank” in Naples, FL, on Monday, August 6, to help create a more trauma-informed Florida. The estimated 350 attendees will include policy makers and community teams made up of school superintendents, law enforcement officers, judges, hospital administrators, mayors, PTA presidents, child welfare experts, mental health and substance abuse treatment providers, philanthropists, university researchers, state agency heads, and...
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Study Uncovers Barriers to Addressing Mental Health Issues in the PC(USA) [pres-outlook.org]
By Presbyterian News Service, February 7, 2020 Although Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) members and leaders desire to address mental health issues in their communities and churches, many feel unprepared to do so. That’s according to a churchwide study recently conducted on behalf of the leadership staff of the Presbyterian Mental Health Initiative called for by the 2018 General Assembly. The study was commissioned by the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Compassion, Peace & Justice Ministry,...
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The Black Community, COVID-19 & Trauma [sdvoice.com]
By Latanya West, San Diego Voice, May 15, 2020 In January 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Dr. Nadine Burke Harris as California’s first-ever Surgeon General. An award-winning physician, researcher and advocate, Dr. Burke Harris’ career has been dedicated to serving vulnerable communities and combating the root causes of health disparities. Her work is equally dedicated to changing the way our society responds to one of the most serious, expensive and widespread public health crises of...
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The Compassionate Christian Response to Adverse Childhood Experiences
Davis Community Church 401 C street will be hosting an 8 week Bible based class from Oct 6-Nov 24 from 12-1:15 entitled the Compassionate Christian Response to Childhood Adversity. RSVP through church office : office@dccpres.org or call 530-7580182. Space limited to 20 Childhood Adversity and The Compassionate Christian Response Did you know adverse childhood experiences are very common, yet they are often unrecognized as contributors to poor physical and emotional well being across...
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The Need for Trauma-informed Education During Seminary
Don't know how many of you may have watched the new Resilience film on Sunday, April 10 but I did and it brought to my mind several ideas on how to further the work and awareness on the ACES issue. In a previous blog post here, Linda Jacobs appropriately addressed the importance of having trauma-informed churches . Reverend Streets has written a piece about the importance of engaging in trauma-informed ministry . So, I got to thinking that since so many, perhaps all, of the ACEs are trauma...
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The Power of a Trauma-Informed Ministry
ACE Overcomers: The Center for Resiliency and Trauma-Informed Training The Valley Dream Center of Fresno, California hosted a 2-day training, conducted by ACE Overcomers. 40 individuals gathered for the 2-day training on The Power of a Trauma-Informed Ministry. Most participants were from California's Central Valley, along with attendees from San Diego, Oregon and New Mexico. The primary goal was to increase an understanding of trauma and adverse childhood experiences and introduce a...
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The Soulful Journey of Recovery: A Guide to Healing from a Traumatic Past for ACAs, Codependents, or Those with Adverse Childhood Experiences
A groundbreaking new book from Tian Dayton, PhD, and the publisher of the New York Times bestseller Adult Children of Alcoholics …The book that started it all! T ian Dayton picks up where Janet Woititz author of Adult Children of Alcoholics left off…..for those who have grown up in a family with addiction, mental illness, or other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), the heartache and pain doesn’t end when they grow up and leave home. The legacy can last a lifetime and spread to generations...
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The Tiny Cell that Connects our Physical and Mental Health, and Solves a Decades-old Mystery of Why Toxic Stress Leads to Brain Changes that Spark Depression, Anxiety
More than a decade ago, I was diagnosed with several autoimmune diseases, one after another, including Guillain-Barré syndrome , which left me paralyzed twice while raising two young children. All told I spent six years in and out of bed and hospitals, learning, between crises, to use a cane or walker to navigate life as a working-mother-with-chronic-illness. My immune system was repeatedly and mistakenly attacking my body, causing the nerves in my arms, legs, and those I needed to swallow...
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Thinking About Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts Through a Science-Informed, Early Childhood Lens [developingchild.harvard.edu]
By Jack P. Shonkoff and David R. Williams, Center on the Developing Child, April 27, 2020 The COVID-19 virus is ruthlessly contagious and, at the same time, highly selective. Its capacity to infect is universal, but the consequences of becoming infected are not. While there are exceptions, children are less likely to show symptoms, older adults and those with pre-existing medical conditions are the most susceptible, and communities of color in the United States are experiencing dramatically...
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This is Us - Meet Peace4Tarpon - Connie McDonald!
Connie has lived in Tarpon Springs for over forty years. During that time, she has served as Interim Director of the Chamber of Commerce and “cut the ribbon” for many new businesses. It was here that she came to know and love the people of Tarpon Springs and developed a heart for both the youth and elderly. As one of the founders of “Wellness Ministries”, Connie works with folks experiencing homelessness by providing food, clothing, medical and spiritual support. She volunteered for over...
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Today's kids are experiencing a world full of trauma. Is your church trauma-informed?
In our world today, many children experience early childhood trauma. Through a lot of research, we now know that childhood trauma can affect children for the rest of their lives. ACEs too High explains in several articles and research reviews how trauma in early childhood can affect kids’ behavior and health during childhood and cause lifelong problems. We know early trauma causes toxic stress in the brains of young children—so much so that the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a...
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Tools and how to use them is focus of second webinar on Community Resiliency Model, May 14, 2020
The second of two free Community Resiliency (CRM) webinars with Elaine Miller-Karas , key creator of the CRM, will be held Thursday, May 14, from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET, (10 a.m. CT; 9 a.m. MT, and 8 a.m. PT) and will include the practical application of tools of the model. CRM is an ACEs science-based biological model for helping individuals become emotionally regulated during natural disasters and other dysregulating times. Miller-Karas will be joined by CRM trainers from Wilmington, NC:...
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Toxic Stress: Issue Brief on Family Separation and Child Detention [immigrationinitiative.harvard.edu]
By Jack P. Shonkoff, Immigration Initiative at Harvard, October 2019 Background The separation of children from their parents and their prolonged detention for an indefinite period of time raise profound concerns that transcend partisan politics and demand immediate resolution. Forcibly separating children from their parents is like setting a house on fire. Preventing rapid reunification is like blocking the first responders from doing their job. And subjecting children to prolonged...
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Trauma-informed churches
In our world today many children are experiencing early childhood trauma. We now know through a lot of research that childhood trauma can affect a child for the rest of their lives. The website ACEs too High (Adverse Childhood Experiences)...
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Trauma-Informed Churches – CMConnect Conference Notes
This blog post are notes written by GJ Farmer and taken from a workshop Linda Ranson Jacobs presented for CMConnect Conference in 2015. Early trauma causes disorganized attachment. In early attachments children feel safe. If there are attachment issues, the impulse is fight or flight. Childhood trauma affects children into adulthood. If we want a church of the future, we must become trauma-informed. “Sometimes that angry look, that stare, that inappropriate response, is a cry for help more...
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Trauma Informed Congregations Community of Practice meeting Apr 29
This message is from Cherri Pruitt Cherri J. Pruitt, Region VIII Maternal and Child Health Consultant HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau 999 18 th Street, South Terrace, Suite 472 Denver, Colorado 80202 303-844-7872 (phone)...
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Trauma Informed Congregations Community of Practice meeting June 24 2015
Short summary of presentations and topics discuss Briefing on Welcoming Movement and Welcoming Congregations Stephanie Kreps Stephanie Kreps from ?? shared the Unitarian Universalist...
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Trauma Informed Congregations Community of Practice meeting May 27, 2015
LINK TO THE RECORDING OF THE MEETING: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/p1zlsjfmfww/ Short summary of presentations and topics discuss Northeast Michigan Trauma-Informed Community Action : With the goal of making Northeast...
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Trauma Informed Congregations Community of Practice meeting (via AdobeConnect)
When: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 5:30 PM-7:00 PM. UTC Where: Adobe Connect room: https://hrsa.connectsolutions.com/trauma/ AND Conference Call: 888-233-6055 Passcode: 4390362# Hello all, We hope that you are able to join us for...
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Trauma-Informed Ministry curriculum, "Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks," now available on Amazon as an e-book!
Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks is a study on the intersections between the science of adversity in childhood (ACEs), trauma, and ministry. Suitable for individuals exploring how their faith and the science of brain development, toxic stress, and spiritual formation are connected, this study is best explored by small groups that want to being trauma-informed ministry interventions and outreach within their faith communities. This e-book version doesn't have the videos that are part of the...
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Trauma-Informed Ministry study, "Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks" now an Amazon ebook!
Bruised Reeds and Smoldering Wicks is a study on the intersections between the science of adversity in childhood (ACEs), trauma, and ministry. Suitable for individuals exploring how their faith and the science of brain development, toxic stress, and spiritual formation are connected, this study is best explored by small groups that want to being trauma-informed ministry interventions and outreach within their faith communities. This e-book version doesn't have the videos that are part of the...
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Two New Grant Opportunities for Youth Development and Diversion Services
In 2019, more than $40 million will become available to fund community-based, culturally rooted, trauma-informed services for youth in California as alternatives to arrest and incarceration. Thousands of California youth are arrested every year for low-level offenses. Youth who are arrested or incarcerated for low-level offenses are less likely to graduate high school, more likely to suffer negative health-outcomes, and more likely to have later contact with the justice system.
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Unconditional Love: Faith Leaders as Agents of Change in the ACEs and Resilience Movement
The Rev. Sanghoon Yoo learned about the ACE Study, saw the film Paper Tigers and understood that there might be a way to bridge the chasm between faith-based views of wellness and traditional approaches to mental health. “When I heard from the science and Paper Tigers that one of the most important factors for resilience is unconditional love, I thought: That’s not medical. That’s my language. That was an ‘aha’ moment for me; I never thought mental health and faith would go together.” Yoo,...
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VA expands access to therapy for sexual assault [MilitaryTimes.com]
The Veterans Affairs Department announced Monday it is expanding eligibility for veterans to access mental health treatment at VA hospitals or clinics if they were victims of rape, sexual assault or harassment while serving in the military. The...
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Was Jesus' ministry "trauma-informed?" [part 1]
I have written before about a growing trend in education, mental health, social services, and health care that has now extended to ministry settings: becoming trauma-informed . Trauma results when we experience something as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening. A traumatic event, circumstance or series of events leaves a lasting effect on our ability to experience “life to the full” as Jesus intended (John 10:10). Adversity, and particularly traumatic stress in childhood,...
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Was Jesus' ministry "trauma-informed?" [part 2]
Was Jesus’ ministry trauma-informed, part 2: recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma There is a movement that is beginning to take shape across the country when it comes to ministry settings: becoming trauma-informed . The topic concerns churches that are interested in missional engagement with the culture because there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that if we can break the cycle of adversity in childhood we can help everyone experience “life to the full” as Jesus intended...
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Was Jesus' ministry "trauma-informed?" [part 3]: recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma
Perhaps you have heard about it by now? There’s a movement spreading across the country when it comes to ministry settings: becoming trauma-informed . The topic concerns churches that are interested in missional engagement with the culture because there is a growing body of evidence that suggests that if we can break the cycle of adversity in childhood we can help everyone experience “life to the full” as Jesus intended (John 10:10). In the first post in the series , I focused only the first...
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Was Jesus’ ministry “trauma-informed?” [part 4]: Responding to trauma within the compassionate Kingdom of God
There is a movement taking shape across the country when it comes to ministry settings: becoming trauma-informed . I am personally invested in this movement and I am intrigued by the ways I see connections between Jesus’ teachings and trauma-informed ministry principles. In the first post in the series, I focused only the first identifier of a trauma-informed ministry: the realization of the widespread impact of trauma and potential paths for recovery. In the second and third posts, I...
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Webinar: Cultivating Our Best Selves in Response to COVID-19 | Tuesday, March 17 at Noon PDT
How to use the skills of the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) for self and others to be the calm in the storm as we face the unknown. Free Webinar Tuesday, March 17 at Noon PDT Speakers: Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW Linda Grabbe, PhD, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC Zoom Webinar Registration Link: https://zoom.us/j/715837300 Additional ways to join are listed at the bottom of this post. About the webinar leaders: Elaine Miller-Karas is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Trauma Resource Institute and...
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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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What does it mean for a ministry to be "trauma-informed?"
There is a growing trend in education, mental health, social services, and health care: becoming trauma-informed. For those in ministry, “trauma informed” can be a confusing phrase, bringing up images we might not naturally associate with the church and its mission and ministry. Trauma results from something that occurs in a person’s life that is experienced as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening. An event, circumstance or series of events that are traumatic leaves lasting...
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What Happens When "My" Spiritual & Mental Selves Face-Off!
Greetings, All! Dwayne, here! In this general Thread of helping "Religion" deal with Mental Health issues... My initial fear, to diving right in, has been too much doctrine & dogma getting in the way. Religion (just sharing my opinion) is all about putting walls up, to define what you believe... The Mental Health system already does that -- with labels, methodologies, and far too many misdiagnoses. My "Faith" is based on Spirituality -- which (again, just sharing my personal perspective)...
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When Hidden Grief Gets Triggered During COVID-19 Confinement
first published by The Meadows 4/15/20 Our sense of loss during the current COVID-19 crisis can trigger hidden emotions from when we experienced a sense of loss before. Whatever early losses you have had in your life — whether they be your own divorce, your parents, or both, or the abandonment of one parent, a childhood or parental illness or death, financial upheaval, constant moving around, or growing up with parental addiction or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — they are likely to...
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Where The Brain Processes Spiritual Experiences (scienceblog.com)
Yale scientists have identified a possible neurobiological home for the spiritual experience — the sense of connection to something greater than oneself. Activity in the parietal cortex, an area of the brain involved in awareness of self and others as well as attention processing, seems to be a common element among individuals who have experienced a variety of spiritual experiences, according to a study published online May 29 in the journal Cerebral Cortex . “ Spiritual experiences are...
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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 be "trauma-informed?" - a training for churches by Chaplain Chris Haughee, DMin
As I wrap up my doctoral studies, I am excited to see how the concept of becoming “trauma-informed” in ministry is starting to pick up steam across the country. A large part of the credit for furthering that conversation goes to you--my friends and colleagues here on ACEsConnection! It's been humbling to see how our relatively small ministry in Montana has something to add to the conversation. In fact, far from being behind the curve here in Montana, we are on the cutting edge in terms of...
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Why Is the Pandemic Killing So Many Black Americans [podcasts.apple.com]
By The Daily, The New York Times, May 20, 2020 Some have called the pandemic “the great equalizer.” But the coronavirus is killing black Americans at staggeringly higher rates than white Americans. Today, we explore why. Guest: Linda Villarosa, a writer for The New York Times Magazine covering racial health disparities, who spoke to Nicole Charles in New Orleans, La. about the death of her husband, Cornell Charles, known as Dickey. He was 51. For more information on today’s episode, visit...
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Why we need both God and medicine to overcome trauma [America Jesuit Review]
As part of the Ignatian Colleagues Program , a leadership opportunity for lay administrators and faculty at Jesuit institutions, I read the Rev. Bryan Massingale’s Racial Justice and the Catholic Church . Father Massingale writes that if Catholics see systems or processes that are unfair to certain populations, God calls us to change them to be more equitable. To do anything less is a sin. After reading it, I felt God calling me to use my position as the president of Marquette University to...
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Youth Ministry and Mental Illness
An important article by Baptist News Global on the role of youth ministers in responding to mental illness among adolescents. See: http://baptistnews.com/ministry/item/29461-youth-ministers-challenged-by-youth-mental-illness
Ask the Community
Addiction Linear Plan of TiCong
Hello All, Attached is first draft Linear Plan on Addiction. Please edit away and track changes then send your edits to Kimberly dot Konkel at hhs dot gov and I will incorporate them. Shalom, Kimberly
Ask the Community
Building Resilience and Expanding Health Linear Plan
Hello All, Attached is first draft Linear Plan on Building Resilience and Expanding Health. Please edit away and track changes then send your edits to Kimberly dot Konkel at hhs dot gov and I will incorporate them. Shalom, Kimberly
Ask the Community
Building Resilient Communities Through Trauma-Informed Congregations
Please join us for the Building Resilient Communities Through Trauma-Informed Congregations 2 nd Annual Meeting of the Trauma Informed Congregations Community of Practice Harmonizing the intelligence of science and the wisdom of community ~ Thursday, October 1, 2015 9:15AM (EST) –Registration & Light Fare Breakfast 10:00AM -4:30PM (EST) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Hubert Humphrey Building 8 th Floor (Room 800) 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20201 ~ This...
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Worth Forwarding - "Caught between the Amygdala and a Hard Place" - by Karyn Purvis, Ph.D. & David Cross, Ph.D.
As so many disturbing and traumatic events involving children have been covered by the media recently - it caused me to reflect on my own journey of becoming trauma-informed. Now that I know what I know, I cannot view such stories in a trauma- un informed way. I've found myself in discussions with others who may, or may not be, trauma-informed. It turns out this one factor predictably correlates with the type of conversation that ensues around any topic covered by the media where children...
Ask the Community
Decreasing Violence and Addressing Toxic Stress and Trauma in our Communities TiCong Linear Plan
Hello All, Attached is first draft Linear Plan on Violence, Toxic Stress, and Trauma. Again, please edit away and track changes then send your edits to Kimberly dot Konkel at hhs dot gov and I will incorporate them. Shalom, Kimberly
Ask the Community
Faith Based Organizations Paragraph on the new Wikipedia Site
I see that the organizers of ACEs Connection have added a page on Wikipedia about the ACE Study . Bravo! Much needed and well done! In that I am an author on Wikipedia - I have taken the liberty to add a paragraph on the contributions...
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INVITATION: Strategic planning meeting on Building Resilient Communities thru Trauma Informed Congregations
Monday, July 25, 2016 Dear ACES in the Faith Community Group Members, Please mark your calendars for the 3rd annual in‐person meeting of the Building Resilient Communities thru Trauma Informed Congregations (TiCiong) October 18th, 2016 at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ‐200 Independence Ave. SW in Washington, DC. More to come on this. For those interested in participating in the planning of our meeting, and building our strategy for the year, please send your letter of...
Ask the Community
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force Social media and engagement package Call for comments
Please help us engage people in the critical conversation about mental health and substance use disorder parity. President Obama created the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Task Force in March 2016 to focus key federal agencies on ensuring that Americans receive the coverage and treatment they need. The Task Force wants to hear from patients, families, consumer advocates, health care providers, insurers, and other stakeholders about their experience with mental health and...