Blog

Giving and Receiving (Source: Week 46, page 199, Superkid Power Guidebook , © 2013, 2019, Janai Mestrovich) Why this Concept is Important Times like Christmas and birthdays spur children to look forward to “getting” presents. Giving and receiving become synonymous to presents. Material gifts are a way to understand the concepts of giving and receiving but can delete a healthy perspective for those who don’t take the understanding any further. Giving and receiving are partners. To be able to...

Teletherapy app Ayana matches users to licensed professionals based on their culture, race, and experiences. Can it help close the mental healthcare gap? It was a cry for help that inspired entrepreneur Eric Coly to launch his startup. The former investment banker was approached by a close friend who confided to him that she needed counseling, but she couldn’t find a therapist. Or more specifically, she couldn’t find an African-American therapist. She wanted someone who could understand her...

By Kim Newell Green, San Francisco Chronicle, December 17, 2019 As a pediatrician, I know that one of the most powerful tools for ensuring the health of my patients and of all our nation’s children is nutritious food. As such, school lunch in particular is vital, not only to their health but also to their learning capacity. The Trump administration has recently proposed changes to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Nearly a million students may lose automatic eligibility...

By Carolyn Jones, EdSource, December 20, 2019 The exchange went awry quickly. Jill McWilliams, a high school guidance counselor was trying to persuade a student and her mother that the bright, motivated senior should apply to college. “The mom said to her daughter, ‘What, you think you’re better than us?’ The girl started crying and said, ‘No, I don’t. I’m sorry,” recounted McWilliams at Anderson New Technology High School in rural Shasta County. “This story isn’t unique. That’s all too...

By David Nield, Science Alert, December 21, 2019 Nearly a quarter of people who experience severe trauma go on to develop PTSD (or post-traumatic stress disorder), and a new study could help doctors better understand how one leads to the other. In time, this might lead to improved treatments, too. As a type of anxiety disorder, PTSD comprises four main groups of symptoms, which can include flashbacks and physical reactions to them, heightened anxiety, emotional numbness, and avoiding...

By Melissa Tanji, The Maui News, December 20, 2019 With the daily trauma police officers face and the rising number of police officer suicides across the nation, the Maui Police Department this week launched a free wellness app for the department that can be downloaded to officers’ smartphones to help them deal with the mental stresses of the job. “Officers witness trauma on a daily basis, and they are carrying that burden,” said Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu, who has known officers who have...

By Morgan Noll, Hello Giggles, December 20, 2019 There’s a common belief that love and relationships should be unconditional and all about compromise—but in reality, love should be conditional. Boundaries are important to maintain healthy relationships and there are many things you should never have to compromise, such as your consent, safety, physical and emotional well-being, and mental health. In a healthy relationship, these boundaries should be clear and defined. But in the context of...

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2019 The children who experience a school shooting but live to see their parents and friends again are often called survivors. But by at least one measure of mental health, they too are among a gunman’s victims, new research finds. In the two years after a fatal school shooting, the rate at which antidepressants were prescribed to children and teens rose by 21% within a tight ring around the affected school. The increase in antidepressants...

Seeking input on the ACEs in Education community As curator of our community site, I am seeking input from the community on what we would like the future of the ACEs in Education site to be. I would like to first understand how you currently use the site and then get feedback on your vision for ways to maximize its usefulness. Please take a moment to fill out this brief survey and help guide our shared learning forward! You need to be signed in to access the survey. You can find the survey...

Also available at: https://conta.cc/2Sgc2Ia LOOKING FORWARD ... 2020 vision Mobilizing Action for Resilient Communities (MARC) has exciting projects underway, including a national survey of ACEs/trauma/resilience (ATR) networks in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago and a website redesign to create a searchable digest of resources for networks, by networks. In the new year, we aim to unlock the power of networks to inspire and accelerate trauma-informed change across the...

Wonderful Infographics shared from the Center on the Developing Child (Harvard).

Sue Fort White, Ed.D. will be the special guest on the "Breaking the Silence with Dr. Gregory Williams" radio program this Sunday evening at 8:00 pm Central Standard Time. Sue Fort White, Ed.D. has been the Executive Director of Our Kids for almost fourteen years. Sue has devoted her career to creating access to information, resources and services for underserved populations such as teens and families in crisis, victims of child sexual abuse and domestic violence, women in prison, refugee...