Blog

On May 14, Governor Gavin Newsom announced the May Revision of his State Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget proposal. The May Revision supports vital services that reinforce the state’s commitment to preserve and improve the overall health and well-being of all Californians, while operating within a responsible budgetary structure. The May Revision includes a number of proposals designed to advance and augment the impact of ACEs Aware , as well as proposals relevant to supporting the goals and...

We recently sat down with Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s first surgeon general, and Dave Ellis, the first executive director of the Office of Resilience at the New Jersey Department of Children and Families. A pioneering voice on prevention, early identification, and treatment of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Dr. Burke Harris gained national prominence with her viral 2015 TED talk on this topic. Dave Ellis made his name as a national leader in providing trainings and...

By Rose Ibarra, Seattle Children's, May 24, 2021 For many of us, the past year has been uniquely stressful. Have you felt especially exhausted, struggled to focus or been more irritable than usual? Maybe you’ve found yourself wondering why you can’t cope with the stress better. “There are very real, biological reasons why we’re finding it harder than usual to perform,” said Dr. Shannon Simmons , a psychiatrist at Seattle Children’s and medical director of the Psychiatry and Behavioral...

By Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, May 22, 2021 The high school editors kept hearing the same murmurings from their classmates. The yearbook would be depressing. It would be thin, if published at all. What was there to look back on, anyway? No prom, no football games , no grad night. Just day after day of Zoom and sweatpants. At the same time, the seniors lamented how their final year of high school, in all its monotony, was passing them by. They feared that they wouldn’t remember it. “I...

By Jay Beckwith, Sonoma County Gazette, May 24, 2021 The isolation required by COVID-19 has been a mixed bag. It has allowed me to come to terms with trends that have emerged over the last few years. Having spent my life as an avid environmentalist and a play systems creator, the trends that concern me are those that consider how the environmental crisis impacts children. I found the National Intelligence Council's recent release: Global Trends 2040: A More Contested World, particularly...

How has the death of George Floyd impacted the state of police reform in the United States. Americans are still wrestling with ways to reform police agencies, one year later. Below you can find three different perspectives on the state of police reform in the United States as we approach the one year anniversary of this tragedy. A Year After George Floyd: Pressure to Add Police Amid Rising Crime [nytimes.com] “I don’t care how bad it gets — no one wants more cops,” Ms. Jones, 56, said last...

What Happened to You? Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain development and trauma expert, Dr. Bruce Perry, discuss the impact of trauma and adverse experiences and how healing must begin with a shift to asking, 'what happened to you?' rather than 'what’s wrong with you?' Through wide-ranging, and often deeply personal conversation, Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Perry explore how what happens to us in early childhood – both good and bad - influences the people we become. They challenge us to shift from...

In this episode of Delusional Optimism, Dr. B and Seth Creekmore speak with Gail Kennedy from PACEs Connection. Gail talks about the connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and positive and adverse childhood experiences (PACEs). She also discusses how PACEs Connection provides a worldwide online and community-based network with the goal of raising awareness in how ACEs can change and impact who we are as well as the positive things that happen to us. “Once you learn about...

Come to a Rally for Justice organized by The Adolescent Redemption Project (TARP) and meet others who are interested in criminal justice!

Western Youth Services is hosting various Peer-to-Peer and Network of Care Events for May and June 2021.

Enjoy this Resilience Week recap video showcasing some of the amazing contributions and celebrations throughout the week! Save the Date! Virginia's second annual Racial Truth & Reconciliation Week will be August 1-7, 2021. The week aims to implement the Racial Truth & Reconciliation Virginia mission of empowering marginalized communities in acknowledgment of truth to promote healing, reconciliation, and justice for children and families. View the Racial Truth & Reconciliation VA...

1.0 Continuing Medical Education (CME) / Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Credit Available* Wednesday, June 2, 2021 Noon - 1 p.m. Register Here Join us on June 2 at Noon for the first in a series of webinars that will explore the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, presented by California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris . This webinar will: Cover the science of how ACEs and toxic stress can impact our biology. Explain how ACE screening can be used to...