Blog

The votes are in! America voted in potentially record numbers yesterday for a midterm election season. As a result, control of the House of Representatives has changed, 20 states will have new governors, and myriad ballot initiatives were approved and rejected. Following are some initial notes from Youth Services Insider on how yesterday’s elections could affect youth and family policy on the federal and state levels. Congress The biggest outcome of the midterms is that the leadership of...

He's channeled presidents and other luminaries, but on Nov. 14, master impressionist Darrell Hammond will reveal his greatest role: himself. A documentary by director Michelle Esrick based on Hammond's life as a childhood trauma survivor: Cracked Up will premiere that evening at DOC NYC. One screening is already sold out; a second has been added. Hammond wrote about his struggles overcoming a terribly traumatic childhood and his resulting addiction in the New York Times best selling God if...

In the first two installments of this series, we addressed promising approaches for buffering the impact of racism on health—learning cognitive and emotional strategies, known as self-regulation , for coping with stress and building cultural connections that buffer the impacts of toxic stress. Both of those arenas are born out of social science research showing a connection between these elements and improved health outcomes, even in the face of significant adversity. But these individual...

Understanding WHY a child behaves as he/she does provides you with the answer as to what the child needs to willingly and capably improve his/her behavior. Communication is a behavior, and all forms of behavior are ways of communicating. The child who resists bedtime is communicating something, and the message goes beyond merely saying, “I don’t want to.” The same is true for the child who refuses to turn off the TV or turn away from the video game. The child who speaks to you...

We know babies inherit genes from their parents but they don’t tend to be environmental factors carried on from parent to children. But a new study shows that sperm can pass traumas that men have experienced in their lives, as well as other lifestyle choices such as diet to their kids. Sperms carry ‘epigenetic’ marks the determine how a child’s cells develop, according to researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Their research comes after a study showed that sons of Union...

See attached useful fact sheet on Child Trauma and Opioid Use by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

W hat causes traumatized children and families to get stuck and unable to move forward? How can we change the outcome of impossible cases? Over a 30-year career in mental health, I’ve set forth to answer these questions. I know I’m not alone. I often hear in my workshops and webinars that impossible trauma cases are commonplace and challenge even the most experienced trauma therapists. After eight years of research in 15 states with more than 1,000 families, we developed the FST | Family...

A diverse group of community leaders unveil another education + affordable housing 'win'. Pictured, from left, Brandon Riddick-Seals, Interim CEO, Atlanta Housing; Tammie Workman, Assistant Superintendent, Student Services, Atlanta Public Schools; Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO, Invest Atlanta; Marjy Stagmeier, Partner, TriStar Real Estate Investment; Anyeé D. Payne, Principal, Cleveland Avenue Elementary School; Audrea Rease, Executive Director, Star-C; and Duncan Gibbs, also of...

An ambitious initiative unveiled this week by British Health Secretary Matt Hancock may soon enable the country’s doctors to prescribe therapeutic art- or hobby-based treatments for ailments ranging from dementia to psychosis, lung conditions and mental health issues. Writing for the Times , Kat Lay explains that this unconventional strategy, described by the U.K. government as “social prescribing,” could find patients enrolled in dance classes and singing lessons, or perhaps enjoying a...

I’m delighted to share that my new book Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools: Your Guide to Creating Safe, Supportive Learning Environments for All Students will be released in early 2019 and is now available for pre-order from Brookes Publishing. This book is really about one word — hope. It’s about cultivating hope for all students, including the many who have been affected by childhood trauma. And, it’s also about kindling hope for educators who want to make a positive difference but may...

What if the we could stifle the School to Prison Pipeline by simply creating a culture of belonging and inclusion in elementary school? The need for caring classrooms that promote a sense of connectedness and belonging is essential and must begin the day a child begins their educational experience. In many, not all, underserved communities, minority students are being taught by less experienced teachers who have emanated from culturally and economically incongruent backgrounds. Furthermore,...

The Wrestling Ghosts team has 3 free tickets for the DOC NYC screening of our film at Cinepolis Chelsea tonight! If you are interested in attending, please email charlotte@wrestlingghosts.com. First come first serve!