Blog

In this episode of "How to talk policy and influence people", I speak with world-renowned child psychiatrist, neuroscientist and author Dr Bruce Perry about the challenges of presenting important knowledge about the human condition to policy-makers and having them act upon it appropriately or, indeed, at all. We talk about the human brain, attachment, safety and modern child-rearing practices where care-givers are often isolated from crucial sources of social support. We discuss the...

BY: Eric Wilson-Edge / October 22, 2020. UW.Tacoma.EDU. Racism is a public health crisis, says UW Tacoma Assistant Professor Sharon Laing. In July, Laing and UW Associate Professor Wendy Barrington were guests on the campus podcast, Paw’d Defiance, to talk about the social determinants of health (SDOH). “The World Health Organization describes social determinants of health as ‘the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age,’” said Barrington. “Examples include social and...

What do you do when kids overhear stories of vile racism as they walk past their dad on the couch watching the evening news? How do you talk to a child who comes home after “learning” a new slur from a friend? And how do you help the child who was victimized by a racist in the community? Will we teach them to courageously stand up for themselves? Will we teach them the power of forgiveness and kindness in the face of such ugliness? How will we help them deal with the internal voices that...

It's her victory reward for overcoming her addiction. Now celebrating one and a half years sober! Look how far she's come since the first half of 2019! Hospitalized for detox from alcohol, repeated falls requiring hospital and rehab facility stays, threats of suicide, and trying desperately to escape the pain of her childhood trauma.

By EdSource Staff, Edsource, December 18, 2020 Even in the most frustrating, hopeless, boring, grief-filled days of the pandemic, California families found slivers of joy. In Los Banos, the Ruiz and Gutierrez family played indoor badminton and learned American Sign Language together. In the Lucerne Valley, 8-year-old Colton Reichow careened over the desert hills on his dirt bike and learned how to butcher a cow at his grandfather’s farm. In Los Angeles, Shari Abercrombie found a way to make...

Conversations with Evey and Elizabeth Join us on Monday Evenings for Comfortable Conversations on Uncomfortable Topics. Each week we will introduce conversation starters and discuss issues of interest for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. This relaxed, informal, interactive group will meet Mondays from 6-7:30 over Zoom for a conversation about the topic of the evening. We are open to most areas of interest and welcome topic suggestions from survivors for discussion. So far the...

By Vanessa Sacks, Rebecca M. Jones, and Hannah Rackers, et al., Child Trends, December 15, 2020 youthCONNECT is an integrated student supports initiative, developed by Venture Philanthropy Partners (VPP), that is being implemented in Prince George’s County, Maryland, in partnership with the Prince George’s County government and Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS). At Suitland High School, the youthCONNECT theory of change posits that providing college and career preparation...

Raising Families Up. Matila Sackor-Jones, MS, Assistant Director-Community Engagement Services Practitioners working with human service populations may already be aware of the barriers to securing behavioral health services for their clients. Unfortunately, access to these much needed services has been significantly restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to challenges with maintaining service continuity, the coronavirus pandemic has required many behavioral health providers to...

Laura's note (added 12/24/20): This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault and abuse. This article contains descriptions of sexual assault. On Jan. 12 , Lisa Montgomery is set to become the first woman executed on federal death row in nearly 70 years. The last executions, both in 1953, were of Bonnie Heady, killed in a gas chamber in Missouri, and Ethel Rosenberg. Ms. Montgomery would be only the fifth woman put to death in a federal civilian execution, according to the...

It’s little contested 2020 has been a sh*# show for most every American. It has personally knocked me down countless times. There are so many aspects of this pandemic and 2020 that have challenged my resilience as an individual, a mother, a small-business owner, and a female leader in my field. Despite what people assume, resilience-lacking 2020 hasn’t been a personal failing. Resilience is not a choice. Resilience is not an attitude or a mindset. Resilience is a physiological phenomenon. I...

From Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, December 16, 2020 The year 2020 has been a tumultuous one, as the nation faces the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences, unrest sparked by long-standing racial injustice, and the devastating effects of climate change. Increases in rents continue to outpace income gains, and millions of households face unaffordable cost burdens according to the latest State of the Nation’s Housing 2020 report by Harvard University’s Joint...

By Liz Simons, EdSource, December 17, 2020 California’s Master Plan for Early Learning and Care may seem at first glance like an overly forward-looking plan in this time of urgent need. But the plan is a template for a better life, not only for our youngest children, whose futures hinge on their access to quality early learning and care, but for women — working mothers and the early childhood workforce, almost all women, disproportionately women of color. Unfurled during a tidal wave of...