Tagged With "Connecting Childhood Trauma"
Blog Post
John Gomperts: The Underrated Healing Power of a Healthy Relationship
F or centuries, religion and science have regularly found themselves at odds in defining the essential truths of our world—a debate that, of course, continues today. So, we should take note when distinguished leaders in those two, often-conflicting domains find themselves arriving at the same conclusion about a fundamental question: how do we put more struggling young people on a path toward success? The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke...
Blog Post
Jones: Day 2: Soda, cigarettes and trauma: How Adverse Childhood Experiences alter brain chemistry, cultivate unhealthy habits and prompt premature death
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...
Blog Post
Jones: Task force finds three important gaps in Oklahoma's trauma-informed care offerings
The Task Force on Trauma-Informed Care has identified three critical gaps in services in Oklahoma: rural communities, poverty-stricken residents and foster care. The panel, established a year ago by Senate Bill 1517, published its interim report this month. Its goal is to find ways to reduce or mitigate harm inflicted by Adverse Childhood Experiences, of which Oklahoma is No. 1 in the nation for youths experiencing two or more . The final report that will recommend a comprehensive strategy...
Blog Post
Keith: Local trauma specialist spreading knowledge statewide
NORMAN — Jeremy Elledge thinks he can change Oklahoma. From where he sits, that’s a tall order. Elledge works in mental health services in a state that's top in the nation for childhood trauma. Oklahoma leads in female incarceration and heart disease mortality, and has high rates of child abuse and divorce, lending to the cycles of trauma that impact the state’s youngest residents, the Tulsa World reports. But Elledge wants to stop that cycle. For the last two years, he’s been traveling the...
Blog Post
Killman: Day 1: Breaking the cycle
T he science is well established and should come as no surprise: children who suffer rough childhoods have a greater likelihood of being adversely affected later in life. Studies have shown that children who incur adverse experiences are more likely to develop mental health issues, suffer chronic health problems and/or take part in risky behaviors such as smoking or drug abuse. Oklahoma children are not immune from this phenomena. In fact we are No. 1, according to various nationwide...
Blog Post
Let's Go Upstream
As the knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma resilience begins to flow through Oklahoma and our nation, multiple programs, interventions and entire agencies are popping up to address the negative impact of trauma. As the river of knowledge flows faster and rises, the words of Desmond Tutu should inspire agencies and schools to take action. Desmond Tutu so brilliantly stated: There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go...
Blog Post
Life Expectancy by Zip Code: Where You Live Affects How Long You Live
Life expectancy is highly correlated with ACE scores and complex childhood trauma. Enter your address or zip code to know what the health outcomes are in your neighborhoods and communities. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Life Expectancy Calculator
Blog Post
Limited Dollars, Significant Influence: How We Advocate, Convene & Catalyze
So Your Grant $ Don’t Go Far? Then be little but loud! Using your voice with people of influence can move others to action. Be they business, foundation or policy makers; you have credibility (earned or not) just by virtue of being a foundation. You can provide a stronger voice for the cause represented by the nonprofits that do the work you care about. That voice can be through social media, through newspaper editorials, through presentations to civic groups, etc. You can involve volunteer...
Blog Post
Looking at childhood experiences related to stress
April is Stress Awareness Month and Child Abuse Awareness Month. In recognition of both of themes of awareness, I want to raise cognizance of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACES). Both lifelong physical and mental health problems arise when children experience extreme stress (toxic stress) caused by ACEs. Daily many children in our community experience toxic stress related to adverse childhood experiences (ACE). ...
Blog Post
Lucas & Block: Raising Resilient Oklahomans
W ith the opening of the 57th Legislature, the Potts Family Foundation has been busy rebuilding its Early Childhood Legislative Caucus with returning and new members alike. Membership comes from both sides of the aisle and both chambers of the Legislature. The caucus is made up of members who have committed to working through the state budget and policy to improve the lives of Oklahoma’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens and their families. In 2016, the foundation announced the OK25by25...
Blog Post
Martinez-Keel: 'A source of hope': Oklahoma teachers learn impact of child trauma at state summit
Thousands of educators gathered in the Cox Convention Center on Monday and eagerly stared at a model of a brain. With 86 billion neurons firing, the brain is a “miracle of complexity,” Dr. Bruce Perry said as he showed the image on a screen. The impact of childhood trauma is similarly intricate. The renowned psychiatrist and child trauma expert spoke to an arena full of teachers, school counselors and nonprofit workers for the Oklahoma State Department of Education’s third-annual trauma...
Blog Post
Martinez-Keel: Oklahoma City Public Schools announces new administration, staff positions
Superintendent Sean McDaniel on Friday announced a plan to dedicate $600,000 toward additional administrative, leadership and mental health staff for Oklahoma City Public Schools. McDaniel said the reorganization plan included three more administrative positions and an unspecified number of new leadership directors, school counselors and nurses. “As I spent this year listening and learning about the many challenges faced by our students, families and staff, it was apparent that there were a...
Blog Post
McAlester ACEs Info & Holiday Stress Tips
Check out this wonderful holiday resource developed by the Pittsburg County Trauma Task Force. Thanks to Stacy Williams and Carol Blansett for sharing. https://www.acesconnection.com/g/raising-resilient-oklahomans/clip/mcalester-aces-info-and-holiday-stress-tips-pdf
Blog Post
More & more states are connecting family friendly workplace practices to early childhood development
In Oklahoma, we call it the Family Positive Workplace but the basics and premise are the same. Employers who implement even a few of these practices are contributing to reducing the stress on and improving the work - family life balance of their employees. In 2018, the Potts Family Foundation introduced the Oklahoma Certified Family Positive Workplace initiative and recognized 12 businesses across the state with the Certification. This year we will recognize 32 more businesses. The...
Blog Post
"Moving from Understanding to Implementing Trauma-Responsive Services" Takeaways from SAMSHA Forum in Johnson City 9.5.19
Speakers and guests at the SAMSHA Forum included (l-r) Mary Rolando of the Department of Children's Services; Chrissy Haslam, First Lady of Tennessee; Dr. Joan Gillece, SAMSHA Center for Trauma Informed Care; Dr. Andi Clements, East Tennessee State University; Becky Haas, Johnson City Police Department; Carey Sipp, ACEs Connection, and Robin Crumley, Boys & Girls Club of Johnson City/Washington County. It was easy to be both inspired and a bit overwhelmed at the Substance Abuse and...
Blog Post
National Council for Behavioral Health Conference #NatCon19
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...
Blog Post
Neal: Trying to Break Cycle
A near-capacity crowd gathered in the lecture hall at Autry Technology Center on Monday morning for the showing of a documentary and public discussion of how childhood trauma is negatively impacting the community. It was one of two showings Monday of “Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope,” which drew educators, mental health professionals, clergy, social workers, nonprofit and civic leaders together to discuss ways to improve social and health outcomes for community...
Blog Post
Neal: United Way hosts seminar on effects of childhood trauma
ENID, Okla. — The United Way Coach-A-Kid program hosted a lunch-and-learn session Wednesday at Stride Bank Center on the effects of childhood trauma. Garfield County Child Advocacy Council Director Carole Wade was speaker for the event, sharing perspectives from her time as an advocate for children and families. Wade discussed with the group the findings of a 1998 study by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of more than 17,000 adults into the long-term effects of Adverse...
Blog Post
New Community!!! Ardmore OK Behavioral Health Collaborative
I'm excited to announce the newest ACEs Connection geographic community for my region, the Midwest & TN: Ardmore OK Behavioral Health Collaborative . This community is a partnership of local organizations taking a trauma-informed stance on behavioral health in Carter County, OK. Their goal is to build a healthy, connected and resilient community. The community manager is Ashley Godwin . Ashley Godwin joined Ardmore Behavioral Health Collaborative in March 2017 as the Director where she...
Blog Post
Newbigging: Key to lifelong good mental health – learn resilience in childhood
Poor mental health among young people is on the rise in the UK, while access to support and treatment remains patchy . There is now a pressing need to build resilience in young people to minimise their risk of poor mental health later on, as our latest report argues . There are 12.5m young people in England, and one in ten will experience poor mental health. Half of all lifelong mental health problems start before the age of 14 , but only one in four young people uses mental health services.
Blog Post
Nominate a Trauma-Informed Care Champion: #TICchampion
Becoming a trauma-informed organization requires clear communication about the transformation process, and support from staff at all levels of an organization. Often these efforts are spearheaded by “trauma-informed care champions”— individuals committed to raising awareness regarding the health effects of trauma and toxic stress and improving care for people who have experienced trauma. This week, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) invites you to recognize people around you who...
Blog Post
Nothing Matters More Than Hope -- Including Resiliency
“In every published study of hope, every single one, hope is the single best predictor of well-being compared to any other measures of trauma recovery. This finding is consistently corroborated with other published studies from top universities showing that hope is the best predictor for a life well-lived."
Blog Post
Now that we know, how do we help?
As I travel across communities, I find a range of different reactions to discussions surrounding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Some people are completely confused and look at me with deer-in-the-headlights expressions having never heard this term before. However, those who are familiar with ACEs (and most likely have seen the movie Resilience ), ask me, “Now that we know about trauma, how do we help?” As knowledge about the impact of trauma on mental and physical health is spreading,...
Blog Post
OK Trauma-Informed Care Task Force to launch
(l to r) Joe Dorman, CEO, OK Institute for Child Advocacy, OK State Rep. Mark Lepak _______________________________________________________________ Joe Dorman, CEO of Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) , and former Oklahoma state representative and challenger to Republican Governor Mary Fallin in 2014, conveyed surprise and satisfaction when he told me that Fallin gave him the pen she used to sign a bill to create a Task Force on Trauma-Informed Care ( SB 1517 ) in April. This...
Blog Post
Oklahoma 2018 State Profile
Hi, Everyone: Here’s the state profile for Oklahoma. To review the entire profile, open the PDF that is attached to this post. If you have corrections or additions, please leave them in the comments section of this post. We’ll be reviewing the comments regularly and doing fact-checks. The information you give us will also help us determine how to organize and expand the information in the state profiles. We will be turning this post into a living profile that, with your help and input, we’ll...
Blog Post
Oklahoma First Lady Stitt to provide resilience workshop at Northwestern
Alva and Northwestern Oklahoma State University will host Oklahoma's First Lady Sarah Stitt on Feb. 13 at an event designed to educate community members about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE). Stitt and her office have joined forces with the Potts Family Foundation, Northwestern and Northwest Family Services to present a film screening and panel discussion on this important topic. The documentary film "Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope" will be shown at 11 a.m. in...
Blog Post
Overall: Day 3: ACES: Breaking the cycle 'All I ever knew.' Drugs. Alcohol. Jail. Oklahoma's children repeat the patterns of their parents
It was Christmas Eve, and 13-year-old Tara Peterson had a house full of uncles and aunts and cousins. The adults started drinking, and once they started, they usually didn’t stop until they were falling down drunk. “It was normal behavior,” Peterson remembers. “It’s just what people did.” Feeling grown up, she joined them. And that’s how her drinking problem began. Not sneaking around and hiding it but right in front of her closest relatives. With them. Marijuana came next, then harder...
Blog Post
Parker | Manaugh: Oklahoma establishes Pyramid Model State Leadership Team (Joins 31 other states as Pyramid Model partners
O KLAHOMA CITY, OK ( April 29 , 20 20 ) — In its role as Oklahoma’s Early Chi ldhood State Advisory Council, t he Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness (OPSR) Board established the Pyramid Model State Leadership Team (PMSLT) on April 16 , 2020 . This important action was taken in response to the high number of children in Oklahoma who experience advers ity during their early years as well as a need to improve coordination across early childhood programs. Unaddressed , A dverse C hildhood...
Blog Post
Pennington: TIME4K program expands to help students in Wayne, Cabell counties
HUNTINGTON — Through blowing bubbles, easy-to-follow activities and the occasional use of glitter, the West Virginia Trauma-Informed Mindfulness for Kids program is expanding to help youth struggling with trauma or toxic stress find positive coping strategies in Cabell and Wayne counties. The program, also known as TIME4K, is a three-year, grant-funded pilot initiative through Marshall University’s Social Work and Psychology departments that offers resources to teachers and behavioral...
Blog Post
Perrin: Promotion of Mental Health as a Key Element of Pediatric Care
N umerous national surveys, cohort studies, and meta-analyses have documented the etiologic and experiential connections between childhood abuse, physical illness, and mental health disorders 1 , 2 spanning from childhood to adulthood. Yet pediatric training and practice typically focus primarily on the identification and treatment of physical health conditions. The recent advent of enthusiasm for integrated care is a welcome nod to the marked comorbidities that have been amply reported.
Blog Post
Peterson & Densley: Op-Ed: We have studied every mass shooting since 1966. Here’s what we’ve learned about the shooters
In the last week, more than 30 people have died in three separate mass shootings in Gilroy , El Paso and Dayton, Ohio . We believe that analyzing and understanding data about who commits such massacres can help prevent more lives being lost. For two years, we’ve been studying the life histories of mass shooters in the United States for a project funded by the National Institute of Justice , the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. We’ve built a database dating back to 1966 of...
Blog Post
Portell: Understanding Trauma-Informed Education
ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) have made their way into the mainstream over the past couple of years, even showing up in a segment that Oprah did for 60 Minutes . And because ACEs have a profound effect on children, the concept has been taken up in the world of education. Approaching education with an understanding of the physiological, social, emotional, and academic impacts of trauma and adversity on our students is driving changes in our systems. However, these changes are not...
Blog Post
Positive Childhood Experiences offset ACEs: Q & A with Dr. Robert Sege about HOPE
Tufts University medical professor Dr. Robert Sege directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that address social determinants of health. He is also the principal investigator for the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences).The HOPE framework is based on research that shows how positive childhood experiences can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Sege and colleagues...
Blog Post
Positive Childhood Experiences offset ACEs: Q & A with Dr. Robert Sege about HOPE
Tufts University medical professor Dr. Robert Sege directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that address social determinants of health. He is also the principal investigator for the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences).The HOPE framework is based on research that shows how positive childhood experiences can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Sege and colleagues...
Blog Post
Prosperity Policy: A message for our new governor [The Journal Record]
Kevin Stitt became governor of Oklahoma this week at a highly promising time for our state. “With rising employment and positive outlooks across most industries, the outlook for Oklahoma’s economy heading into 2019 appears positive,” wrote the head of the Oklahoma City office of the Federal Reserve Bank in a mid-December report. The unemployment rate has fallen to near record lows and workers are finally seeing real hourly wage growth. Due to the strong economy and bold actions taken by...
Blog Post
Public health strategies, ACEs, and much more to learn [ClaremoreProgress.com]
What does a legislator do when not in session? Last month, I was asked by the Speaker to attend a regional meeting of key state policymakers with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It seems the committee chairmen of our health-related committees couldn’t attend, so I was afforded the opportunity to learn about something not exactly in my wheelhouse. The meeting was sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, and is the third such specialized session they’ve...
Blog Post
Racism Kills: What Community-Level Interventions Can Do About It [Rewire.news]
In the first two installments of this series, we addressed promising approaches for buffering the impact of racism on health—learning cognitive and emotional strategies, known as self-regulation , for coping with stress and building cultural connections that buffer the impacts of toxic stress. Both of those arenas are born out of social science research showing a connection between these elements and improved health outcomes, even in the face of significant adversity. But these individual...
Blog Post
Rains: Ardmore community seeking ways to address childhood trauma amid low state rankings in well-being, high drug-related arrests
Most parents would never look at their child and say, ‘I can’t wait to mess you up.’ Instead, it’s often ‘I want better for you than I ever had,’ said Ardmore Behavioral Health Collaborative Director Ashely Godwin. However, within the last couple of years, Oklahoma has ranked in the bottom 10 states in the nation for child well-being and has been among the states with the highest recorded juvenile drug-related arrests. A report conducted by Greenhouse Treatment, a rehabilitation facility,...
Blog Post
Rapaport: Parents' Childhood Trauma Tied to Behavior Problems in Kids
Parents who had a lot of traumatic or stressful experiences during childhood may be more likely to have kids with behavioral problems, a U.S. study suggests. Adverse childhood experiences can include witnessing parents fight or go through a divorce, having a parent with a mental illness or substance abuse problem, or suffering from sexual, physical or emotional abuse. These childhood experiences have been linked to "toxic stress," or wear and tear on the body that leads to physical and...
Blog Post
Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz: Solving Poverty in Your Local Community (www.betterleadersbetterschools.com) & Commentary
Cissy's note: This is a great podcast for parents, educators, and community organizers and change makers. It is an interview with @Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz interviewed by Danny Bowers "Sunshine" of Better Leaders Better Schools . Rebecca Lewis-Pankratz says things like, " We all need each other. Everyone here is important," and " The community is who we are," but they aren't inclusive-sounding platitudes. She is a tireless optimist but also understands, personally and professionally, how...
Blog Post
Reilly: An Initiative to Improve Health in Schools Puts Trauma Front and Center
A recent initiative from America’s Promise Alliance—an organization best known for its efforts to boost high school graduation rates—supports work with communities to improve health in schools. Addressing trauma will be a major focus of that work, which is backed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and reflects growing interest among funders and nonprofits in this area. The organization is working on six community-led projects to make schools more healthy. Communities identified their own...
Blog Post
Research-Based Trauma-Skilled Schools Model Jointly Released by Two National Organizations [prnewswire.com]
In response to an alarming rise in the number of students who have experienced trauma and mental health issues and who do not succeed in school, the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) and the Successful Practices Network (SPN) announce the release of the Trauma-Skilled Schools Model. The Trauma-Skilled Schools Model was developed to address two serious challenges faced by our nation's schools: The growing negative impact of childhood trauma and the absence of clear and doable action...
Blog Post
Resilience Milestone
Shortly after purchasing the documentary film Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope , the Potts Family Foundation (PFF) strategized how best to share the potential impact this film could have on policy makers and within individual communities across the state of Oklahoma. Discussions related to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their impact on children’s social, emotional and cognitive development, as well as the resultant poor health outcomes in adults, could be a...
Blog Post
Resources from the 2018 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Conference
In October, I attended the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Conference in San Francisco. It was really inspiring. Below please find share some of the books, videos, and resources that I learned about. All the best, Natalie BOOKS 1) The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity by Nadine Burke Harris, MD https://centerforyouthwellness.org/the-deepest-well/ 2) The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD...
Blog Post
Roach: OK25by25 promotes resilience and family positive workplace
What’s the best way to improve the well-being of young children and their families in Oklahoma? The OK25by25 Early Childhood Coalition has focused its efforts on two major programs: Resilience and Family Positive Workplace. Both of these programs support the goal of improving the well-being of children, pre-birth to 5, and their families. The goal of OK25by25, a 10-year initiative managed by the Potts Family Foundation (PFF), is to move Oklahoma to the Top 25 states, by 2025, in selected...
Blog Post
Robert Block: We need to be building adult capabilities to improve child outcomes [tulsaworld.com]
You may have been hearing the phrase “trauma-informed care” a lot more recently and there are good reasons for that. As the landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study from 1997 receives more and more attention, Oklahomans, from all walks of life and professions, are better understanding the social, emotional and cognitive damage already wrought on so many of our children. That damage, as the study reveals, manifests itself in challenging behavioral patterns in our children and poor...
Blog Post
Saegert: Partners in Education awarded $1,000 grant
A local organization is working to increase awareness of what trauma can do to a child, and by extension, an entire community. Partners in Education was recently awarded a $1,000 grant from the Potts Family Foundation . The foundation is working with organizations across the state to help inform communities about the nature of trauma. PIE Executive Director Cynthia Pickens said because her organization focuses on education, the topic is a relevant one. “The adverse childhood experiences are...
Blog Post
Seok, Murphey, Abdi: Children with special health care needs are more likely to have adverse childhood experiences
The prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is higher among children and youth with special health care needs than among their peers without special health care needs, according to Child Trends’ analysis of data from the 2016-17 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH). The survey asks parents or guardians to report whether their child has experienced any of nine ACEs. The percentage of children and youth with special health care needs who have had an incarcerated parent,...
Blog Post
Sesame Workshop and BTC Team Up to Help with Big Scary Feelings during the COVID-19 Crisis
JENNA QUINN (ACES CONNECTION STAFF) 1 HOUR AGO Caring for Each Other: How to Use Sesame Street in Communities Resources for Health Emergencies with Families Now Wednesday, April 1, 2020 @ 3 PM ET We're all in this together, and that's why we're all coming together. Sesame Workshop and the Brazelton Touchpoints Center are partnering on a webinar series, beginning April 1st, to share online resources that can help us handle the sudden changes in our lives when we face health emergencies like...