The two biggest myths about ACEs science are: MYTH #1 — That it’s just about the 10 ACEs in the ACE Study — the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study . It’s about sooooo much more than that. MYTH #2 — And that it’s just about ACEs…adverse childhood experiences. These two myths are intertwined. The ACE Study issued the first of its 70+ publications in 1998, and for many people it was the lightning bolt, the grand “aha” moment, the unexpected doorway into a blazing new...

We are delighted to make available the Building Strong Brains of Tennessee funded, Building A Trauma Informed System of Care toolkit. This toolkit is based upon the work of the Northeast Tennessee ACEs Connection group and it's many partners since 2015. In time, Building Strong Brains of Tennessee will also have printed copies available. In preparing this toolkit, Dr. Andi Clements and I tried to share in a very transparent fashion the steps we've taken, mistakes we've made and inspiring...

Nearly 700 members of our community gathered in Blountville, Tennessee last week for the inaugural Addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Summit.This call to action provided inspiration and education for professionals to take the next steps toward implementing trauma informed programming in their specific service areas. Keynote speakers Liz Murray “Homeless to Harvard”, Dr. Stephanie Covington, Dr. Andi Clements and Becky Haas. #balladhealth #addressingaces #East Tennessee State...

Patients would carry soda into Dr. Gerard Clancy’s office, with cigarettes tucked away for after therapy. Often victims of abuse or violent crime, they would seek soothing but risky behaviors to cope. Overweight. Chronic pain. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Type II diabetes. His former patients will die younger than they should, he said. Clancy conducted therapy sessions until he became president of the University of Tulsa in 2016. At his psychiatry clinic, he saw firsthand how a...

Three hundred staff members of Buchanan County Virginia schools being trained in using trauma informed classroom approaches. Last week I was honored to be invited by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to participate as a presenter for the Senator Tommy Burks Victims Academy which was held on the University of Chattanooga campus. Aware of how Johnson City has created a trauma responsive community, I was asked by TBI to speak on creating Trauma Informed Multidisciplinary teams. Over...

Please join us in Northeast Tennessee on July 11th for the "Addressing ACEs - A Call To Action" event. Keynote speakers include best selling author, Liz Murray who will be sharing her "Homeless to Harvard" story, internationally recognized clinician, Dr. Stephanie Covington sharing, "Trauma and the Three “Rs”: Recognize, Respond, Recover", Dr. Andi Clements and Becky Haas presenting, "How to Create a Trauma Informed Community" based on the Johnson City model which has gained national...

Friday, April 12, 2019 marked an exciting, auspicious, and perhaps pivotal day in the history of Monroe County, Indiana. That’s a lot of adjectives—and pressure—to pile onto just another glorious spring day in Bloomington. But I think many folks who virtually congregate on a site that supports communities implementing trauma-informed and resilience-building practices grounded in ACEs science would agree that a county’s first-ever ACEs conference deserves a little ballyhoo. But this ACEs...

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the annual National Council for Behavioral Health Conference. I have been to my fair share of conferences but #NatCon19 was one of the best. First, I'm biased. It took place in my city, Nashville, TN . And the venue was the world renowned Opryland Hotel's Gaylord Convention Center . And, I love, love, love the Opryland Hotel ! As any seasoned conference goer, I had a strategy when it came to which sessions and events I wanted to attend. My game...

“What our students really crave the most is predictability from the adults interacting with them,” says Roger Sapp, a student success teacher at KIPP. For that reason, the one-on-one session is not a reward for being “good” or withheld if something bad happens. The kids who need it can count on it – every day. The scene is from a video by Edutopia (aka the George Lucas Educational Foundation), which has produced a series of more than 20 powerful, engaging shorts on how children learn in...

Child Abuse & Neglect Article of the Year 2017 Child Abuse & Neglect, The International Journal, is pleased to announce the winner of its ‘Article of the Year’. The papers shortlisted for this title have demonstrated outstanding contribution to research on child welfare and we wish to recognise these scholars and research topics within the community. The papers selected for this title were voted on by the editorial team and editorial board (33 votes) of Child Abuse & Neglect. For...

We hope you will join ther first annual Trauma Informed Schools Network Conference: Cultivating Connections coming to Nashville, TN in mid-July. Details to come soon. The RFP wil open this Friday.

Moral imperative or financial gain? Preventing and mitigating ACEs is both.