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Trauma-Informed, Inside and Out: San Diego MARC Update

Meetings of the San Diego Trauma Informed Guide Team (SD-TIGT) now start with a moment of mindfulness. That could mean a breathing exercise or a quick round-robin with each participant saying a positive word before the group dives into that day’s agenda, says Heidi Echeverria, Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) project manager. “We’re trying to make it a habit to start with positivism. Taking the time to do this creates a calm environment and a lightness among members.”...

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's Parting Thoughts: a Trauma Informed Approach to Life

President Trump just fired the Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Dr. Murthy later posted some of his final thoughts on his Facebook page. These are words to live by, for anyone interested in ACEs and trauma. Kindness is more than a virtue. It is a source of strength. If we teach our children to be kind and remind each other of the same, we can live from a place of strength, not fear. I have seen this strength manifest every day in the words and actions of people all across our great nation. It...

Announcing the Parenting with ACEs Monthly Chat Series!

I'm thrilled to announce our NEW Live Chat series!!! Starting in May, once a month, we will have a live Chat Event. It will take online in the Parenting with ACEs Group the second Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST). We'll learn from our featured guests (below) about ACE-related issues. We'll have discussions and share experiences, stories, and resources with each other. Here is who and what we have scheduled for 2017. 2017 Monthly Chat Schedule / Time is Always: @ 10 AM PST (1...

Do You Know How Courageous You Are?!

Abuse and trauma survivors are incredibly strong people. We know our strength is what helped us survive, and it’s what keeps us going now. Yet we know something is missing. This missing link is courage. We know we’re strong. But we’ve never allowed ourselves to realize that we’re also courageous people. And we always have been. That’s because courage is risky. The only thing we’ve ever wanted is what we never had as abused children: safety. Risk makes you vulnerable. No thanks, right? Hey, I...

Why be 'trauma-informed'? - A training for churches

As I wrap up my doctoral studies, I am excited to see how the concept of becoming “trauma-informed” in ministry is starting to pick up steam across the country. A large part of the credit for furthering that conversation goes to you--my friends and colleagues here on ACEsConnection! It's been humbling to see how our relatively small ministry in Montana has something to add to the conversation. In fact, far from being behind the curve here in Montana, we are on the cutting edge in terms of...

The Legacy of Untreated Secondhand Drinking-Related ACEs

I am the child of a parent with an alcohol use disorder . My mom didn’t stop drinking until age 79. She died at 84. There was no warning, no lingering illness. She died two days after an unsuccessful emergency surgery. But we had five years during which she did not drink, after forty-five years during which she did. You see, my mom knew she had a drinking problem. So did we, the rest of her family. There were times when she fought mightily to stop or control it. There were times when the...

In Portugal, Drug Use Is Treated As A Medical Issue, Not A Crime [NPR.org]

Gandelina Damião, 78, is permanently hunched, carrying her sorrow. She lost three children to heroin in the 1990s. A quarter century ago, her cobblestone lane, up a grassy hill from Lisbon's Tagus River, was littered with syringes. She recalls having to search for her teenagers in graffitied stone buildings nearby, where they would shoot up. "It was a huge blow," Damião says, pointing to framed photos on her wall of Paulo, Miguel and Liliana. "I was a good mother. I never gave them money for...

The Importance of ’13 Reasons Why’ and Its Reflection of Teen Mental Health [PsychCentral.com]

Warning: This article does include spoilers for the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why”. On March 31, 2017 Netflix released a new series titled, “13 Reasons Why”, based off the book by author Jay Asher. This series depicts a young man, Clay Jensen, and his journey to bring justice for his friend Hannah Baker. Hannah, a seventeen-year-old high school junior with nothing but the future before her, took her life on a seemingly calm afternoon. Why is this important? The Centers for Disease Control...

Florida Woman Became Prison Pen Pals with the 13-Year-Old Who Shot Her in the Face [People.com]

Ian Manuel spent 26 years behind bars after he shot a woman in the face when he was just 13 years old, but he rarely felt alone. That’s because the woman he hurt, Debbie Baigrie , decided to forgive him — and more. The night he shot her, in Tampa, Florida, on July 27, 1990, is something they both still relive. Baigrie, then 28, was out with friends for the first time since giving birth to her second child, and she was walking back to her car to head home. Manuel, who had a history of minor...

Innovations from Abroad Are Keeping Seniors Socially Connected [RWJF.org]

Through the plate glass window of the café where I sipped my coffee, I watched an older gentleman bend to pick something off the ground. He did this repeatedly: down and up, down and up. I learned that he did this every day for hours, picking up fallen leaves. The man had dementia and lived in Hogewey, a community outside Amsterdam where older people with advanced dementia lead largely autonomous lives in familiar, welcoming surroundings. This particular gentleman liked to pick up leaves—and...

Depression Turned Me Into A Different Person, And I’m Okay With It [HuffingtonPost.com]

Originally written by Jessica Rabaey on Unwritten It’s been almost two years since I walked into a depression and anxiety treatment center. I vividly remember the car ride there with my parents ― they were both trying to be strong for me and reassure me it was the right place for me to be at the time. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact I had to be admitted to a treatment facility. I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact I couldn’t beat the depression on my own as I had so many times...

The Prison Psychiatrist Who Knows There Are Some Inmates He Just Can’t Help [NYMag.com]

John, 61 Prison psychiatrist Los Osos, California I moved to California from Texas at the behest of my wife, who pretty much said, “I’ve had it — I wanna move to California.” I’d planned to set up a private practice when I got here. It’s a lot more varied and a lot more gratifying. But it also tends to be all-consuming. I needed some cash flow, and I started working at a men’s prison. I found that it was a lot easier: I didn’t have any overhead. I wasn’t on call every night. I had paid...

Inside / Outside: Your Choice – A Letter from Prison, by John Mendoza F65673

The Mendocino County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission is happy to present the book Inside/Outside: Your Choice - A letter from Prison by John Mendoza F65673. The book is geared towards youth between twelve and eighteen years old. The link to the website is: inside-outside.me This book was made possible by a grant from the Mendocino County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission and the generous donations of Heroes for Youth, sponsored by CASA (Court...

PROMISING Strategies, Practices, Approaches

Beyond Paper Tigers Conference 2017 Wednesday, June 28 & Thursday, June 29, 2017 A fast-paced information and strategies conference for parents, educators, clinicians, mental health workers & law enforcement. Learn how to effectively use cutting-edge brain science to address the overwhelming effects of chronic stress and trauma in the development of children. Beyond Paper Tigers 2017 provides a universal approach to this global concern. Follow the link below to register for the...

School-based health bill passes committee [Lake County Record -Bee]

In California, AB 254 authored by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (D-Richmond) will ensure access to health and mental health services for all students. The bill passed the Assembly Health Committee this afternoon. “We cannot continue to allow children that suffer from health conditions to fall behind in school and slip between the cracks,” said Thurmond. “All students, regardless of economic circumstances, deserve an opportunity to pursue an education and get the healthcare they need to remain...

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