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Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse, neglect or family dysfunction. And what is one of the most important factors in building resilience? Healing, hopeful, honest and trusting relationships. Those relationships are the heart of the work we do and the people we serve. The National Council for Behavioral Health’s 9th Trauma-Informed, Resilience-Oriented Approaches Learning Community is a year-long initiative that provides you with...

Editor's note: The National Pediatric Practice Community on Adverse Childhood Experiences , part of the Center for Youth Wellness, included the following information in its newsletter that may impact your patients access to health care: "Make Your Voice Heard & Comment re: Proposed Limits to Food, Housing The Department of Homeland Security proposed new definitions of public charge , which marks a significant departure from its current policy. The changes pose risks to immigrant families...

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...

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...

The following are links to state reports on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) ACEs module data. Also included at the end of the list are links to the CDC 5-state study and a 10-state plus the District of Columbia study on ACEs...

Cissy's note: Melissa Merrick, PhD (pictured above), is a Senior Epidemiologist with the Surveillance Branch in the Division of Violence Prevention at CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. She will be the keynote speaker at the Massachusetts Essentials for Childhood summit and share about new ACEs data (see below) about which populations have the highest levels of ACEs on average. An except from this article published on the JAMA Network can be found below. Please follow...

(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...

ACEs, Adversity's Impact 'My daughter didn't want a parent,' says a foster mom of kids exposed to meth, trauma Childhood abuse, complex trauma and epigenetics The highly sensitive person in an emotionally neglectful family Grandparents: Raising their children's children, they get the job done Children with JIA have higher rate of adverse childhood experiences Where does listening fit in the medical model of disease? Bad childhood experiences increase burnout among student nurses On...

[Editor's note: Dr. Harise Stein at Stanford University edits a web site -- abuseresearch.info -- that focuses on the health effects of abuse, and includes research articles on ACEs. Every month, she's posting the summaries of the abstracts and links to research articles that address only ACEs. Thank you, Harise!! -- Jane Stevens] Harris HR, Wieser F, Vitonis AF, Rich-Edwards J, et. al. Early life abuse and risk of endometriosis. Hum Reprod. 2018 Sep 1;33(9):1657-1668. PMID: 30016439 Using...

There’s a lot that’s indisputable about childhood trauma. Emotional or physical abuse early in life impacts health outcomes as children grow up. Community- and family-based approaches to dealing with trauma are better than institutional settings. And children of color are more likely to face traumatizing childhood experiences. Those events can include something as common as divorce, but also encompass circumstances such as having an incarcerated parent, living with someone with a substance...

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...

Dear Illinois ACE Connection members, Children and families from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Illinois experience trauma, adversity, and chronic stress. Social determinants such as where we live, work, and play, can further exacerbate positive or negative physical, emotional, and behavioral health issues. The critical factor that determines if a child, family, and/or community can manage trauma, adversity, and chronic stress successfully is resilience : the process by...