Tagged With "App Said to Help Officers Cope"

Aloha, Yoga is a great way to practice self-care and mindfulness. Trauma-sensitive yoga might be a way to identify and meet the unmet need of individuals/groups to address, cope and heal from their trauma. Click on this link to see what the Trauma-sensitive yoga practitioners in our state!

Hawaiʻi Pacific Health is an excellent free resource that provides healthy and tasty recipes that promotes wellness. The issue of obesity prevention in early childhood education settings has been highly researched and the urgency to provide healthy and nutritious meals and health education in ECE settings is encouraged. It is challenging in our society today to have access to fresh produce as well as the cost associated with healthy diets. The HPH website offers tips and cost-savings...

Aloha and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year! This is a very simple, yet powerful activity that you can do with keiki (children), whole families, staff members, students and clients to help them processes the COVID stress associated with the Omnicron strain. This may also be helpful for those who are experiencing "COVID fatigue," secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. Simply take a sheet of paper and fold, "hamburger style" and write "COVID" in the middle of the sheet. One one...

I hear the expression, "make sure that your cup is getting filled," but that means we might be at a point where our cup is empty or half empty and needs to be filled. The caution is always given that if you are "thirsty in the desert, it is too late you are dehydrated." So in theory, we should always be practicing self-care so that we are pouring out to those we serve because we are "overflowing" from our own "cup." I know optimistic yet ideal target to shoot for in our daily life. One way...

“ The breath is a tool and can be used in many ways. Some types of breathing exercises definitely improve stress and anxiety. Just cross out “deep” and insert some other modifiers." - Julia Enguland Strait, PhD. I hope this post does not offend people who begin workshops or meetings with "deep breathing" exercises, it is not my intention. When I began zoom trainings during the pandemic, I would often start with a "Hanu/Hā" or breathing in and out to begin the session, for example, "4-7-8"...

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, released the following statements on inclusion of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA) in a bipartisan appropriations deal. The bill now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law. “Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022’s tribal provisions will restore justice for Native...

This is a great article to raise awareness both language and social emotional development for our early learners and their 'ohana. The mask mandate (I am an advocate for wearing a mask) could potential stunt the socio-emotional growth of a child. This is why it is so important for parents in the safety of the home, help their keiki with the learning and reading of social and emotional cues. Early childhood educators should consider providing resources to caregivers to help families with...

Image: Audrey McAvoy/AP Author: To read Devan Cole's article, please click here. Hawaii’s Democratic governor moved to strengthen abortion protections in the state on Tuesday, issuing an executive order prohibiting officials on the islands from cooperating with states attempting to prosecute people who received the procedure legally in his state. “I am issuing an executive order protecting women who seek reproductive healthcare in Hawaii and medical professionals who provide it,” Gov. David...

Kilo is the Native Hawaiian art of observation. Through Kilo , we become part of our environment by watching, observing, examining and even forecasting. Children learn best through play. During the developmental stage of a preschool keiki (child), it is important that a child has opportunities to interact with his/her environment. This is when a keiki is beginning the process of scaffolding information to make sense of the world and learn new things. Kilo can be natural for a keiki at this...

Our Mindfulness Minute Series (4 of 6) emphasizes self-regulation and self-awareness for your elementary-aged keiki (child). As I mention in my trainings, the strategies we use to help our keiki, “return to center” are the same strategies we can and should use in our daily lives. Stressed students cannot learn, stressed children have difficulty at home and stressed educators can have difficulty teaching and stressed caregivers . . . well, you see my point. waterford.org “seeks to blend the...

Our Mindfulness Minute Series (5 of 6) looks at the middle school years. As mentioned in the the 2nd installment of this series, the first 1,000 days of a child’s life is highly critical as this is where 85% of the human brain is formed and hopefully healthy, secure and consistent attachment is developed between the child and their caregiver(s). The middle school years are also a critical stage because of the biological and psychological development of your student/child. This is a stage...

Each exercise shared in this series addressed a certain age group of a child but can help adults restore and maintain calm as well. I highly encourage you to review each of the segments in this six-part series and see what works for you in various stressful situations. The “4-7-8 breathing exercise” (part 1) is an effective strategy when I am on a plane or before I speak before an audience. The “growing like a tree” (part 3) activity helps when I first wake in the morning as I step out of...

A study published in the JAMA Network on Pediatric research, dated December 12, 2022, found that mobile devices for calming children ages 0-5 decreased executive functioning and increased emotional reactivity (particularly with boys ages 3-5 and keiki with higher tempermental surgency). There are many apps and resources, many that are free that can teach and coach self-regulation, just be sure that they are age and developmentally appropriate. There are many calming activities that we can do...

*Disclaimer* This post may trigger some readers, this is NOT my intent. The next two series of posts will focus on “Religion and Culture” as protective factors. This post will focus on “Faith/Religion.” My ACE score is a six and my Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCE) score is a seven. One BCE question reads, “Did you have beliefs that gave you comfort?” Two youth pastors were highly influential non-adult relatives that provided guidance, shelter, and comfort during highly volatile points...

I don't mean to offend anyone, but there is power in word choice. The word "Resilience" or the description of someone who is "Resilient" at times can be overused. It is kind of like when I point out to my daughters (and it is met with "eye rolls") the misuse of the word "love," when the say, "I love chocolate!" Okay, some of you might actually use "love" in this case- no judgement here :D. I know I am bias and proud parent, but my daughter Cassidy is truly "resilient." She has been through a...

Back in 2019, we began planning to write a book, From Trauma to Resiliency, that would describe the experiences of survivors who have experienced multiple traumas and who have benefitted from relationship-based, collaborative family-school-community-based services. We asked colleagues doing amazing work in San Diego County to contribute chapters, and they shared stories of oppressed, traumatized groups of survivors that include, people who have faced abuse, war, and poverty,...

Aloha, I began the month with a post on medical trauma as an ACE category. I wanted to add this link to a Mid-Pacific school newsletter that was posted on May 23, 2023. It is a well-written article by MPI Sophomore, Carly Kaneshiro. Here is a TIC workshop strategy that could help you engage your audience. I would use this article and have participants circle/hi-lite the "traumatic experiences" as well as the "protective factors and elements of resilience" that they viewed. This exercise...

In our efforts to build wellness and resilience through TIC strategies for keiki “ children ”, we have a unique opportunity to incorporate the rich and diverse traditions of Indigenous cultures. By integrating Indigenous cultural practices and values, we can create an environment that not only supports our keikiʻs emotional well-being but also honors our heritage. In this blog post, we will explore how childcare providers can incorporate Indigenous culture into trauma-informed care practices...

In a conversation with the remarkable Aunty Pua Burgess, a treasure of hope and resilience, she shared with me a valuable piece of wisdom: "Become a steward, not a victim of the experience." This pearl, along with many others, provided me with a much-needed boost on my resilience journey. Throughout life, we inevitably encounter the "bridge of hope" – a necessary pathway we must traverse when faced with trauma, either firsthand or while supporting others in adversity. It marks the point...

Natural calamities and crises, like the current wildfires on Maui and Hawaiʻi Island, can deeply affect our keiki's physical, social, and emotional well-being. During these trying times, it's essential for parents and caregivers to provide effective emotional support. This blog post is dedicated to helping our keiki navigate the challenges posed by such events. With their limited life experiences and heightened emotions, children require special care to help them feel safe, secure, and...

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. visits a distribution center at Lahaina Crossing. A deadly wildfire destroyed the city of Lahaina, Maui. Deanne Fitzmaurice for NPR By Eric Westervelt, National Public Radio (NPR), August 21, 2023 The scale of the physical damage in the historic center of Lahaina is clear in its apocalyptic landscape of rubble, ash and debris. But the scale of the inner damage can be seen in the 5-year-old girl that Maui's chief mental health administrator John Oliver saw...

It’s time to take action and make our voices heard to build healthy, resilient communities! The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) is organizing trauma-informed advocates, activists, and stakeholders to urge their U.S. Senators and Representatives to support two bipartisan, bicameral bills that would significantly help prevent, address, and mitigate the negative impacts of trauma through community-based/led initiatives.

Navigating the tumultuous waters of today's geopolitical landscape can be overwhelming for adults, let alone children. In her insightful newsletter, “ What a trauma therapist would say to children about war ,” Psychotherapist, Beth Tyson, of the “Creating Trauma-Informed Organizations,” offers valuable guidance on helping children cope with the fear and anxiety stemming from global conflicts. With the unpleasant and unceasing churn of 24-hour news cycles and the omnipresence of social media,...