History. Culture. Trauma. Blog

A special thank you to Lorilee Binstock for her publication and re-publication of my posts. In her online journal, Authentic Insider , she share a myriad of articles on trauma and its amelioration. Well worth perusing regularly. In her May issue, linked here, she shares an article I wrote (and illustrated) on trauma art and the many ways it leads to healing. I often do art when working with groups. See:...

Last month, Elon Musk endorsed “Bad Therapy,” a new book written by a reporter that places blame on mental health therapists and trauma-informed care as the cause of the children’s mental health crisis. The book proposes that children’s mental health professionals are taking advantage of their clients by intentionally keeping them in a therapy loop to make money. The author also posits that the trauma-informed movement is the catalyst of the children’s mental health crisis and is...

As we continue to honor women in the worldwide PACEs movement, this week our guest is Beth Tyson. Beth Tyson is a childhood trauma consultant and author. Our discussion will center on the state of infant and child mental health post-Covid. Beth Tyson, MA , is an international childhood trauma consultant, acclaimed author, CASA volunteer, and co-chair of the PA Child Abuse Prevention Team. With a background as a family-based trauma therapist, she honed her expertise in stabilizing mental...

The current conversation about anxiety and depression is lacking a vital dimension: emotions education. We are now learning that many instances of anxiety and depression are actually symptoms of buried core emotions. These types of symptoms could be prevented with more education surrounding emotions and trauma.

This week, in honor of Women's History Month, we will speak with Elona Washington . Elona is the founder of The Author’s Journey , an award-winning marketing agency. Elona is a childhood trauma survivor who understands firsthand the challenges of revealing life's most intimate, personal moments. After self-publishing her memoir, she was catapulted in the public eye as a #metoo activist, appearing in the USA TODAY, Canadian Broadcasting Network, and other major outlets. A 3x bestselling...

As we close out Black History Month, we must reflect on the vital role of Black non-profit leaders. Often lacking in funding and support, Black non-profit leaders are driving the work to liberate Black communities and bring in an age of equity and reconciliation. This week, we welcome Travis Claybrooks , founder and CEO of the Raphah Institute. Raphah Institute envisions a cradle-to-homeownership pipeline that has replaced the cradle-to-prison pipeline. Through partnerships and programming,...

There's much to follow on the current health equity radar, from advancement of the HHS’s Equity Action Plan to concerning data validating the high incidence of discrimination by the health workforce toward patients. The onset of stress and vicarious trauma for staff witnessing these events was also identified. Each of these actions will provide pause to even the most seasoned health equity warrior.

We are excited to announce an encore episode of History. Culture. Trauma. ! Our next conversation is an encore episode featuring an excerpt of an interview with best-selling author and developer of the Neurosequential Model, Dr. Bruce Perry . As our nation celebrates Black History Month, we at PACEs Connection believe it is appropriate to recognize the history of enslavement, discrimination, Jim Crow and domestic terrorism that Black people have endured. The resulting historical trauma of...

We are excited to announce another episode of History. Culture. Trauma. ! Our next conversation is with author of the upcoming book, The Trauma Informed Pediatric Practice: A Resilience-Based Roadmap to Foster Early Relational Health, Dr. Amy King . In this week's episode, we are excited to have Dr. Amy King. Amy King, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who provides training, consultation and education to professionals and organizations. She specializes in trauma-informed work and resilience...

This week's episode focuses on how grief and mental health issues can be exacerbated by the holiday season. As we are emerging from the collective trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have lost loved ones. And, even pre-pandemic, the holiday season was often a time of grief, loss and sadness. Our host Ingrid Cockhren will welcome former PACEs Connection team member and Grief & Wellness consultant, Gail Kennedy, and Yolo Cares for Kids Grief Specialist, Elisa Stone to discuss effective...

Since 2003, I have led a cartoon initiative called Cartoon Storytelling in which participants use real life experiences as prompt for a new story. Through a variety of creativity and writing exercises, participants learn about the art of cartooning while also creating a new story driven by a personal search to understand something about themselves. The stories are often motivated by a personal pain -- a response to being bullied, grappling with self-esteem issues, healing a damaged...

As we wind down the year, let's reflect on the success of our podcast. In the last year, HCT has reached over 30,000 people. We are grateful! Here is an encore of our very first episode. Long-time health, science and technology journalist and PACEs Connection founder Jane Stevens joins PACEs Connection CEO Ingrid Cockhren to do a deep dive into why people aren’t getting an accurate picture about violence in their communities in this encore episode — our first episode, in fact — which was...