Tagged With "Department of Social Services"
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Notes from our 1-23-19 meeting - Check these out!
ACEs Enthusiasts Community Meeting NOTES! Date: January 23, 2019 About this community: We bring the community together to prevent, heal, and treat ACEs while promoting resiliency. Embedded GREEN text= hyper link just click for more information New Year - New Focus! With start of new year, Sonoma County ACEs Connection will re-start fresh with a community focus, while seeking opportunities to leverage and coordinate with others. Welcome & Gather - thanks to Nancy for bringing (lots of!)...
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Notes from our 3.27.19 meeting
ACEs Enthusiasts Community Meeting Notes March 27, 2019 from 3:30 to 5:00 Location: Child Parent Institute About this community: We bring the community together to prevent, heal, and treat ACEs while promoting resiliency. New Year - New Focus! Sonoma County ACEs Connection is starting fresh in 2019 with an emphasis on community, while seeking opportunities to leverage and coordinate with others. Welcome & Gather Mindful moment - volunteer to lead? Welcomed several new folks, representing...
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Notes from our 9/23/15 meeting
Twenty of us attended the meeting. We were warmly greeted by Allen Nishikawa with a warms towel ceremony that allowed us to truly arrive and be present. The topics we discussed were the Paper Tigers viewings, Dr. Anda’s presentation at Hanna...
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Nothing About Them Would Stand Out in a Crowd
photo credit: chuttersnap/unsplash.com By Alice M. Kenny (pseudonym) (The article below is an excerpt from my new book, Crazy Was All I Ever Knew: The Impact of Maternal Mental Illness on Kids . I have used a pseudonym to protect the privacy of family members.) The emotions adult children of parents with mental illness experience are a mixed bag. Sometimes a jumble. Guilt, loss, grief, and resentment are among the emotions that persist or bubble to the surface in adulthood. Some feel...
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Oakland, CA, trying out model used in Baltimore to reduce trauma, increase resilience
Oakland BSC activity: Photo/ Courtesy of Trauma Transformed/East Bay Agency for Children When a group of community organizations in Baltimore came together in 2015, they already knew trauma figured large in many lives. There was violence in the community, in schools, and in community members’ homes. Police brutality occurred. Many suffered the loss of loved ones to incarceration or death. There were house fires and homelessness. Much of the dysfunction was systemic and rooted in racism,...
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Oakland, CA, youth organization takes next step in systems change to heal trauma
In a room in East Oakland, Calif., photos of children are projected on a screen. “Who is that?” asks Briana Moore, a licensed clinical social worker in private practice and a master trainer for the East Bay Agency for Children’s Trauma Transformed program. “Bill Clinton,” responds one of the 20 employees of the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC).
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Oakland Promise Brilliant Baby is giving families a Resilient Start
Program Provider Sadie Williams works with financial coach Judit Trinidad as they practice family engagement for Oakland Promise Brilliant Baby Program enrollees.
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OCAP needs you! Apply now to become a member of their 2019 Citizen Review Panels
Make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children in California. Use your voice to change the child welfare system in California! Convened by the Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP), they are seeking citizen (YOUR) input at their quarterly meetings. Now is your chance to make recommendations to the State! Apply now t o become a member of the California Child-welfare Citizen Review Panels (CRPs). Meetings are held 4 times a year. Participation can be by phone, computer, or in-person.
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Oreos, Apples, Coconuts and Bananas: The Precarious Position of Interpreters. Basic ACES Training for Providers, Part Three
If you work with clients in health or human services, you will at some point work with an interpreter. Have you thought about the awkward position they occupy? Language is only part of the problem. They must be “white” enough to understand and navigate the bureaucratic culture, while being black/brown/yellow/red enough to understand the client’s worldview and concerns and to be able to gain the trust of the communities they serve. When I worked with refugees, I often served...
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Overcoming Adversity with Diversity in Technology and Digital Media Storytelling
Hanna Institute's Professional Networking Breakfast will be next Thursday Dec 14th, 7:30-9am with digital media genius Villy Wang, speaking about social enterprise and how digital media arts can empower youth of color from historically underserved communities to take back their narratives through storytelling. Breakfast and Inspiration for $30. Free for educators and students.
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Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Summer 2019 Learning Institute!
The Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center is incredibly excited to announce that registration is open for our Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Summer 2019 Learning Institute ! What: Two days of incredibly high quality faculty (e.g. David Shonfeld from the National School Crisis & Bereavement Center! Yolo Akili Robinson from the Black Emotional & Mental Health Collective!) offering intensive learning sessions to support the mental health...
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Paper Tigers Inspires Action
Just moments into watching "Paper Tigers" last August, Angie Dillon Shore and Socorro Shiels found themselves wiping away tears. By the film's conclusion, Angie, a former youth counselor and current Upstream Investments Program Manager, and Socorro, then the Superintendent of Santa Rosa City Schools both felt compelled to take immediate action. What if together, these two women could bring the film to local educators and parents? Could the film change the conversation...
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Petaluma Group Inspired to Prevent, Heal, Treat ACES
A local Petaluma group kicked off 2016 by inviting Karen Clemmer, PHN, and Brian Farragher, Executive Director of Hannah Boys Center to speak about preventing, healing, and treating Adverse Childhood Experiences. Erin Hawkins, Community Outreach Program Manager of the Petaluma Health Care District, encouraged members of the Community Health Initiative for Petaluma Area (affectionately known as "CHIPA" to many members) to ponder the impact of ACES on the health of Petaluma...
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Petaluma Health Care District wins Community Philanthropy Award [Northbaybusinessjournal.com]
Petaluma Health Care District, a public agency and a California special district, funds evidence-based health programs and invests in local nonprofits that provide critical social services and address the root causes of poor health. During the 2015-2016 fiscal year, PHCD provided $280,000 in charitable funds, sponsorships and in-kind technical support to 33 Southern Sonoma County nonprofits, such as the Boys and Girls Club, Mentor Me, North Bay Children’s Center, Petaluma Educational...
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Petaluma Health Center leads effort to link women to services
Sonoma County was one of six sites selected nationally to participate in a CityMatCH practice collaborative to prevent substance exposed pregnancies. In 2012 Rebecca Munger CNM, PHN the Sonoma County Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health Coordinator lead a broad coalition of reproductive health champions who worked across sectors and settings to develop a trio of strategies to reduce substance exposed pregnancies. The first strategy developed with CDC and WHO technical support was a bundled...
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Philadelphia will pilot a trauma-informed facility for arrested youth [Generocity.org]
The City of Philadelphia will begin testing trauma-informed facilities as an alternative to holding cells for arrested youth. Those facilities, which will be “child-centered” and “service-oriented,” will be funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2018 Mayors Challenge. Philadelphia’s city-led social enterprise incubator FastFWD was funded by way of the Mayors Challenge in 2013. The 35 finalists for the 2018 challenge have received grants of “up to $100,000” to test public prototypes of their...
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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...
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Post Traumatic Growth after Natural Disasters - Communication and Connections Help [sciencedaily.com]
A recent study from researchers at the University of Missouri found more communication among family, friends and neighbors who experienced the devastating and deadly 2011 Joplin Tornado was related to more post-traumatic growth. The 2011 tornado in Joplin, Missouri, was one of the most destructive in U.S. history -- killing 161 people, injuring 1,150 and destroying approximately one-third of the city's homes. Individuals who experience such disasters can exhibit a range of mental health...
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Preparing People for Climate Change in California: Sonoma County Listens and Shares
Last summer Bob Doppelt asked me to join a planning committee for a conference on climate change . I was surprised to be asked as my recent professional expertise is tied to addressing childhood adversity. Bob changed my perspective on the relevance by saying, "Adversity and trauma are the social side effects of climate-related disasters. Imagine the social-emotional impacts on Katrina survivors." The connection was a glimmer in my mind, but I agreed to support a California conference .
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Prevent Child Abuse - Sonoma County annual report 2014-2015
In case you missed picking up a copy of the 2014-2015 annual report from Prevent Child Abuse-Sonoma County, here it is. This year, it provides a snapshot of child abuse and neglect data, a two-page overview of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study,...
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Preventing Early Childhood Adversity Before It Starts: Maximizing Medicaid Opportunities [CHSCS.org]
The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are a critical window for cognitive, physical, and social development. Exposure to adverse experiences during this period and beyond in early childhood dramatically increases the potential for lifelong poor health and social outcomes. This in turn can result in substantially increased health care costs across an individual’s life span. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — including neglect, abuse, exposure to violence, family dysfunction, etc. — also...
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Proposed Changes to the SCAC Working Guidelines: Vote at October Meeting
At our October meeting, we will vote to approve a set of working guidelines for Sonoma County ACES Connection. Attached you will find a description of the recommended changes. Please read and be ready to discuss and vote on the proposed changes at our meeting on the 26th. How we developed these recommendations I had requested that SCAC members post any comments or concerns about the proposed guidelines. I received comments from a few persons and invited all of them to participate in an ad...
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RSVP now! Protective Patterns and Centering Skills Webinar, Thurs 3/25 at 4pm!
Dovetail Learning has been working in the Social and Emotional/Resilience field for over a decade, so we'd like to share our work. There is no doubt that we all feel the tension, stress, and uncertainty of these times. How can we be more kind and connected with all we have going on? Dovetail Learning is proud to share We Are Resilient practices to maintain wellness and self-care in this unique moment in our shared history. Please view our free webinar directed toward parents/care givers (but...
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‘Public Health 3.0’ represents future of fighting public health problems in Sonoma County
Martin Espinoza of the Press Democrat captured an exciting event which took place in Santa Rosa earlier this week... Public Health 3.0: A high-ranking federal health official visited Santa Rosa on Tuesday to discuss a new direction for local public health departments, one that would push them far beyond their traditional role as watchdogs of communicable and chronic diseases and make them community partners in identifying the “social determinants” of health. Outlining an approach dubbed...
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Public Health Matters Blog Posts: Using trauma-informed care to guide emergency preparedness and response
"Exposure to a traumatic event or set of circumstances can negatively affect a person’s mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being for a long time after the initial incident. We know that not all individuals respond to trauma in the same way and we know that individuals with a history of trauma, especially childhood trauma, are more likely to experience psychological distress and are at increased risk for the development of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with future...
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Public Health Policy Nerds, Unite!
Public Health Policy might seem kind of boring to most people, but I love it! Yesterday was especially exciting! I was at the California Endowment in Sacramento with an incredible group of public health nerds who did their best to...
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Early childhood educators learn new ways to spot trauma triggers, build resilience in preschoolers
A hug may be comforting to many children, but for a child who has experienced trauma it may not feel safe.
That’s an example used by Julie Kurtz, co-director of trauma informed practices in early childhood education at the WestEd Center for Child & Family Studies (CCFS), as she begins a trauma training session. Her audience, preschool teachers and staff of the San Francisco-based Wu Yee Children’s Services at San Francisco’s Women’s Building, listen attentively.
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Election is OPEN: Sonoma County ACEs Connection Steering Committee
Dear ACEs Connection Members, We would like to invite you to formally participate in the election process for the ACEs Connection Coalition Steering Committee. Please use this link to complete your e-ballot: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/scacelection Our next meeting will be on September 27th. We will be meeting at a new proposed time from 3:30-5:00 and currently in the works on a new location. Please note the following deadlines: September 8 - Elections Close September 27 – ACEs Connection...
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Eleven state-specific profiles feature ACEs-related data and ACEs/trauma-informed/resilience-building initiatives
One of the resources shared with participants in the Sept. 13-14 convening of First Spouses in Milwaukee to address trauma was a series of state information sheets that featured data on ACEs prevalence and ACEs/trauma-informed/resilience-building initiatives. These one-pagers provided a succinct summary of state highlights on trauma that in some instances were well known to the First Spouses but for others, provided new information. In partnership with state trauma leaders, ACEs Connection...
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Ellen Bauer Speaks with KRCB Radio on the ACEs & Resiliency Fellowship
Check out this fascinating interview with Bruce Robinson of KRCB and Public Health Director Ellen Bauer: http://radio.krcb.org/post/educating-fellows-counter-adverse-childhood-experiences Please share the story on your social networks to help us continue to share the message of ACEs.
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Evaluations for three Paper Tiger screenings
Thanks to Karen Clemmer for putting this together.... Tuesday 8-25-15 9-11:00am at Family Youth & Children 17 participants 13 evaluations submitted (Social Workers = 9, Clerical = 2, Nurse = 1, Administrative = 1) Questions: Responses: Before 2 out of 13 rated their understanding of ACES as GOOD or EXCELLENT After 5 out of 13 rated their understanding of ACES as GOOD or EXCELLENT After 9 out of 13 rated their confidence for using trauma informed...
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Factors Associated with Whether Pediatricians Inquire About Parent's ACEs
Families trust and look to their pediatricians for guidance about parenting and help with managing behavioral, mental health and developmental problems. Pediatricians have since realized that how parents raise their children is heavily rooted in the parent’s own childhood experiences. As you may know cumulative adverse childhood experiences, especially in the first three years of life, have a profound negative effect on a child’s physical health, brain development and mental health. This...
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Families Affected by Parental Substance Use in Pediatrics Journal July 2016
Karen Clemmer shared this article noting it is very relevant to Maternal Child Adolescent Health-focused work, including preventing perinatal substance use, supporting the perinatal mental health system of care, and raising awareness about ACES. The article also highlights how field nursing can be a protective factor for children impacted by these issues. Pediatrics July 2016 From the American Academy of Pediatrics Clinical Report Families Affected by Parental Substance Use Vincent C. Smith...
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Find out about events to observe the one-year anniversary of the October 2017 wildfires at SonomaCountyRecovers.org
You may have heard about a number of events that are planned around the county to observe the one-year anniversary of the October 2017 wildfires. A listing of these events can be found at SonomaCountyRecovers.org . The anniversary of our October 2017 fires is not just a typical day, it is a day where many may feel disillusioned and realize they are still working their grief. It is a day where while we might have to go to work, we have to remember to take care of ourselves and remember it is...
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First health-related cost of ACEs study shows $113 billion price tag for California; just one ACE costs $28 billion
Researchers who have been looking for a way to quantify the health toll of ACEs in dollar terms, now have an example in a newly-released study of California. ACEs exacted a toll costing an estimated $113 billion annually, according to the study in the journal PLOS One. ACEs-associated cardiovascular disease was the condition that lead author Ted Miller dubbed “the giant in the room.” It accounted for $29.6 billion in spending, more than three times higher than the next ACEs associated...
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FREE! Drama Spectrum! Fall 2019 (Child Parent Institute)
RSVP Now! 8 Sessions | Tuesdays | October 22 - December 10 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm CPI Kinder Gym | 3650 Standish Avenue, Santa Rosa Connect with other students on this FREE eight session adventure to explore the theater arts! Find your unique role to play as we get creative to learn about and practice qualities that make strong communities, friends, and leaders. Drama Spectrum offers a nurturing creative home for young people ages 12 - 18 interested in learning more about the dramatic arts and...
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Free Mental Health First Aid Training on 1/25/18
Sonoma County Behavioral Health Division is offering a training on January 25 called "Mental Health First Aid." To register for this event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mental-health-first-aid-tickets-42283296478 Mental Health First Aid is a public education program that introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental illnesses, builds understanding of their impact, and overviews common supports. This 8-hour course uses role-playing and simulations to demonstrate how to...
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Free of Violation of Rights - Legal Imperatives That Could Address the Impact of ACEs
Last week, I took a call from a passionate suicide prevention advocate, James Gallant who wanted to discuss an approach for reducing ACEs. "Do you assess kids with disabilities for violations of their legal rights?" James asked. I was stumped at how to answer this, and didn't immediately see the connection to ACEs. But as James went on to share his expertise on the subject, I felt more compelled to find out what we are doing locally. James makes the case that kids with an ACE score of 1 are...
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Free screenings of Resilience, Paper Tigers April 13, 27 in San Rafael, CA
"Volunteers-4-Youth" is pleased to announce the showing of two important films that explore factors that affect the wellbeing of young people. Resilience View Trailer HERE and Paper Tigers View Trailer HERE These films are free of charge and open to all people who work with and are concerned about the future of our youth. To attend, you need to sign up through the Brown Paper Tickets link (see below). Please sign up soon, as seating is limited. Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the...
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Free Webinar on 2/22: Telling the Story of Trauma and Resilience with Keith Hefner
Telling the Story of Trauma and Resilience A Thought Leader Conversation with Keith Hefner Free Conference Call and Discussion Thursday, February 22, 2018 2:00-3:00 PM EST There is a lot of good work these days to support adults who work with teens who have experienced trauma. But there is a dearth of trauma-informed stories and tools. Keith Hefner, Executive Director, Youth Communication, has made a career out of helping teens who have experienced trauma write their stories through...
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From Awareness to Action, with Voices of Lived Experience: Wisconsin’s Collective Impact Initiative
Perhaps it wasn’t the optimum time to update the network’s vision and values statements: a virtual meeting held in the midst of a global pandemic. But a record number of people—51, compared to the typical 30—tuned in for the May 1 Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health (OCMH) Collective Impact Council, and they gave the new values statement, which highlights inclusivity and collaboration, an enthusiastic thumbs-up. At the virtual table were members from key state departments—Children...
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Gabby Falzone translates the study of trauma [OaklandNorth.net]
When she was 12, Gabby Falzone and her family became homeless in New York. At 15, she ran away. She moved between squats and stints with her family, but said she suffered too much abuse from them to stay for long. At 17, she moved to Boston, where she said she survived by exchanging sex for rent. At 19, she got into a friend’s car and drove to San Francisco. Within a month, she said, she was shooting heroin. “I kept thinking that if I escaped where I had just been, it would get better, not...
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Governor Newsom announces Nadine Burke Harris to be CA's first-ever surgeon general
Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the appointment of Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, a national leader in pediatric medicine, to serve as California’s first-ever Surgeon General. There is overwhelming consensus in the scientific community around early warning signs and childhood determinants of serious health outcomes. As California's Surgeon General, Dr. Burke Harris will urge policymakers at every level of government and leaders across the state to consider the social determinants of health,...
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Group Advocating For Creation Of ‘Trauma-Informed’ Legislation In Sacramento [kpbs.org]
Could state policies be improved by a greater understanding of the lingering effects of childhood trauma? That's the case that social workers and psychologists will be making to California legislators Tuesday as part a policymaker education day. The California Campaign to Combat Childhood Adversity wants lawmakers to learn about the effects of toxic stress resulting from childhood trauma, which they say can influence everything from health care to the economy . "California's children are in...
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Hanna Institute Speaker Breakfast - Judge Troy Nunley (Sept. 14th from 7:30a.m. to 9a.m.)
EQUITY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE & OVERCOMING ADVERSITY SEPTEMBER 14: FEATURED SPEAKER Judge Troy L. Nunley United States District Court of the Eastern District of California Judge Nunley is a staunch advocate for children, especially the most vulnerable. He brings rich personal experience to his judicial role; he grew up in the Hunter's Point neighborhood of San Francisco with a single mother, ultimately rising to one of the highest positions in American lawyer can occupy, after being a...
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Hanna principal addresses the ‘devastating consequences’ of childhood trauma [SonomaNews.com]
Hanna Boys Center Executive Director Brian Farragher wrote this for the Sonoma Index-Tribune: Since I arrived at Hanna in June of 2014, we have been focused a great deal on the impact of trauma and adversity on the boys and families we serve. Over the course of the last 20 years, research has been conducted on the negative impact “childhood trauma and adversity” has on the developing brain, how these early experiences disrupt neurodevelopment and set children on a...
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Healing From Childhood Trauma — AVAIYA University online course, July 29 - Aug. 6
AVAIYA University is hosting a free online class, Healing From Childhood Trauma, July 29 - August 6, that features 18 physicians, therapists, psychologists & more who share life-changing strategies to heal from childhood trauma. Featured in the course are Dr. Dan Siegel on "Trauma & Mindfulness", Dr. Jamie Marich on "Healing the Wounds of Childhood Trauma", and Ann Kelley and Sue Marriott on "U nderstanding Unresolved Attachment to Heal From Loss & Trauma." I'm doing a session on...
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helping inmates with children transition back into society
October 28, 2015 UW team to lead research efforts on initiative for incarcerated parents Deborah Bach The University of Washington will play a key role in a new initiative aimed at helping inmates with children transition back into...
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Helping Young Children Recover after the Northern California Wild Fires
Helping Young Children Recover after the Northern California Wild Fires In the aftermath of the wild fires in Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Solano countie s that started on Sunday, October 8, 2017, many children and their parents may be experiencing varying levels of distress related to events associated with the fires. The way in which this time of acute stress is handled can be very predictive of the long-term impact of the fires on each of us, especially children. The most important thing...