Blog

Please welcome the following communities to ACEs Connection. Midwest Region (USA) on ACEs Connection: This group is dedicated to fostering resilience and building community in the US Midwest. @Ingrid Cockhren (ACEs Connection Staff)

If you're wondering where you can find past episodes of our 'A Better Normal' Community Discussion Series, or other ACEs Connection videos, then check out our Youtube Channel . We have curated playlists so all the videos you're looking for are in one place: 'A Better Normal' Community Discussion Series Trauma-informed Ted Talks We Love Community Resilience Model with Elaine Miller-Karas Starting & Growing Resilient Communities How to Series Here's an episode from our 'A Better Normal'...

The current global pandemic and associated economic crisis is shining a spotlight on the stresses and resiliency of families and some of the fundamental flaws in the U.S. child welfare system. Many of these have been obvious to child welfare leaders and professionals for decades but change doesn’t come easy to this reactive, antiquated system. Now, as we struggle through circumstances and challenges of unprecedented proportions, our systems and leaders must be nimble and creative in ensuring...

Please join us for the ongoing community discussion of A Better Normal, our ongoing series in which we envision the future as trauma-informed. LGBTQ+ Identity and Race in the US: An Intersectional Discussion On Historical and Generational Trauma With Panelists Rev. Dr. D. Mark Wilson and Alexander Cho, Ph.D., Moderated by ACEs Connection staff members Jenna Quinn and Alison Cebulla Friday, June 19th, 2020 Noon to 1pm, PT (3pm to 4pm ET) >>Click here to register<< Please join us...

Families with young children are currently facing unprecedented challenges and need support now more than ever. To help parents and caregivers access much-needed resources, our friends/partners at the Early Learning Lab just released Stay Play Grow , a free app that provides a one-stop source of trusted resources curated by their team of child development experts, women, and working moms. Parents and caregivers can find tips, tools, and information across four key areas in English and...

This week's "Breaking the Silence with Dr. Gregory Williams" will be a very special Father's Day Edition. Greg will be giving the world a "glimpse" into his private journal and speak on the topic: "FATHERHOOD: My Faults & My Thoughts." This show will feature his innermost thoughts of growing up with an abusive father that sexually abused him every day of his childhood until his 17th birthday. Dr. Williams will be sharing how the impact of that kind of trauma and abuse forged the patterns...

By Ernest Owens, The New York Times, May 26, 2020 During a recent session conducted over Zoom, my therapist told me I was “glowing.” In the middle of a pandemic. I struggled to explain why until she prodded, “No crazy experiences with white people this month?” “Not that I can immediately recall,” I replied. That’s when it became clear: I’m doing better these days because staying home alone and practicing social distancing has meant I’m avoiding many of the racist encounters that used to...

By Washington Post Staff, The Washington Post, June 8, 2020 The video of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis triggered protests across the United States and brought renewed attention to ongoing concerns about systemic racism in the criminal justice system. The slaying, in the midst of a pandemic that has disproportionately infected and killed black people , has exposed long-standing racial inequities in every aspect of American life. To help provide context...

By Traci Pedersen, PsychCentral, June 11, 2020 Women who experienced childhood trauma are more likely to become mothers at a younger age than those with a more stable childhood, according to a new Finnish study of girls who had been exposed to the trauma of war. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, support evolutionary theory which states that people living in an unstable environment with high mortality rates are better off reproducing sooner rather than taking the...

By David Kelly, Chronicle of Social Change, June 12, 2020 If we learn only one lesson from the pandemic, it must be that family is essential. Not just our own family or families that look like ours do, but all families. We should not need a public health crisis to remind us of this simple and very human truth. Most of us realize, although perhaps may not always fully appreciate, just how vital family is in our lives. Relationships can be complicated, and we might not always get along with...

Traumatic events can deeply impact a person’s ability to feel safe and secure in the world. Mental health professionals, especially those who are trauma-informed, understand the significance and prevalence of trauma, and they aim to respond to the unique client needs for physical, psychological, and emotional safety. It is estimated that 50-90% of people seeking mental health care have experienced one or more forms of trauma in their lifetime (CDC & Kaiser Permanente, 1995-2011); this is...

By Noah Lanard, June 15, 2020, Mother Jones He’d survived cancer and kidnapping. Now he was up against Trump and the pandemic. On April 13, Raúl Luna González told his sister Margarita Albarrán Luna that he was trying to hide symptoms of COVID-19 from the staff of the Louisiana immigration detention center where he was being held. People with fevers at the Richwood Correctional Center were being moved to solitary confinement while they awaited test results. Luna had survived too much to risk...