Blog

I’m excited to announce the publication of my 4 th book Healing with Heart Rate Variability: Using Biometrics to Improve OUtcomes in Trauma-Informed Organizations ! In this time of stress, trauma, and burnout, HRV provides a critical tool to help clients, patients, students, and our workers regain and maintain their health. To assist in the fight, I am giving away free digital copies at optimalhrv.com !

By Guest Author, positiveexperience.org/blog, 7/21/20 From the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black Americans throughout history, whose lives were taken by police brutality and systemic racism, we have seen how dismantling all forms of racism is critical to the central mission of HOPE: ensuring healthy, equitable child development for all, regardless of race. Systemic solutions, structures of accountability, and addressing individual biases are all...

I have written an adult book titled (sadly but aptly): Trauma Doesn't Stop at the School Door: Strategies and Solutions for Educators, PreK-12. It is available at Teachers College Press and Amazon as an ebook and paperback. What I have now created, by popular demand, is a set of items that animate the trauma responsive suggestions within the book. There are many concrete suggestions already within the book that are transportable to a reader's home institution and adjusted for culture and...

BY Michael Hill , Correspondent | June 17, 2020, 4PM EST on NJ TV News New Jersey’s children have been another particularly vulnerable population during this health crisis and experts are wading through the psychological effects on kids caused by toxic stress. Both from ongoing trauma due to the coronavirus and historic, caused by systemic racism and discrimination. It’s a lot to tackle. So the state is appointing a national expert on ACES – adverse childhood experiences– to head up a new...

All parents are flawed. We all fall short of being the parents our child needs and wants us to be. Our parents weren't perfect, either. As a result, many of us carry around childhood wounds that weigh us down and hold us back from our full potential. Thankfully, there is an inner child in all of us, right now, that we can send unconditional compassion, nurturing, and love to. "Reparenting" is a concept used in psychotherapy that empowers you to overcome the pain from childhood without...

By Andrea Goodell, Rapid Growth, July 20, 2020 Even as a child, Theresa Glass knew physical and sexual abuse was wrong. However, the shame that went along with it — “That was just part of life.” During much of her adult life, Glass, 46, has struggled with diabetes, depression, anxiety, and her weight. In April, she had a heart attack. “Part of me thought, ‘You deserve this,’” she says. “These things you went through (in childhood), they wire you to think, ‘I’m not worth taking care of; I’m...

By Aaron Hinks, Surrey Now-Leader, July 19, 2020 The question of whether the emotional stress caused by COVID-19 will have a long-term psychological effect on British Columbians isn’t a matter of if – it’s a matter of just how widespread it will be, says a leading physician in the province. South Surrey’s Dr. Tahmeena Ali, who this year was named the BC Family Physician of the Year , and White Rock psychologist Jennifer Mervyn, who was among 1 50 Canadians recognized as a leader in mental...

By Diana Lambert, Ed Source, July 17, 2020 Eureka Union School District’s seven campuses in Placer County may seem a little unfamiliar to students when they return to school on Aug. 13. The district, which serves 3,345 students at schools in Granite Bay and Roseville, will reopen its campuses — barring any major spikes in the number of coronavirus cases in their communities. But things will be a lot different from years past. Students will have lunch and spend recess with the same group of...

By Seema Jayachandran, The New York Times, July 10, 2020 As tax revenues shrink and emergency spending to address the pandemic increases, governments are facing tough budget decisions . Social programs that alleviate poverty and enrich the lives of millions of people are coming under pressure. But a new study suggests that even if fiscal prudence were the only consideration, officials taking a long view should think twice before cutting social programs, because many of them ultimately turn a...

By Ricardo Cano, Cal Matters, July 17, 2020 Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that more than 5.5 million California students will not be allowed to attend school for in-person education this fall. Instead, all education for at least 90% of the state’s children must be held online. Under the requirements , California school districts cannot reopen campuses until their counties stabilize coronavirus infections and hospitalizations. The governor’s announcement follows weeks of pleas from school...

Launched in April 2020, Resilient Wisconsin brings together the latest evidence-based tools and trauma-informed practices. So that people living with or affected by trauma or toxic stress—and the health services professionals and programs that serve them—can find the support and resources they need. Explore all of the resources and supports of Resilient Wisconsin . ACEs, adversity's impact Racial microaggressions can have a big impact Early life stress is associated with youth-onset...

Great strategies! I am really happy with the information, techniques, and discussion from today's webinar. Thank you! Rated 5 out of 5 - Assistant Principal, Lancaster School District, California DMind is just as powerful for school staff as it is for students. Thank you for another wonderful discussion. Rated 5 out of 5 - School Counselor, Houston This is just a sample of the reviews from Niroga Institute’s recent free webinar Prevent Teacher Burnout. It’s not too late to learn, practice...