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Casey Family Programs , a national grant maker in the child welfare field, has launched the Community Opportunity Map, a tool that allows users to see localized indicators connected to community health and maltreatment prevention. “We hope the tool will be used by community members, policymakers, child welfare leaders, city government officials and other stakeholders to build hope and promote well-being for families and children,” said the foundation, in a statement announcing the map. Using...

Hate in America is on the rise. There are currently nearly a thousand known hate groups in the United States—an increase of 4 percent just this past year, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). At the cusp of this are white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, which have surged the most, according to the most recent data . Furthermore, there is evidence that hateful acts have proliferated since Donald Trump began his presidential campaign . How can we make sense of this growth in...

On Wednesday, thousands of students around the United States answered a national call to action by walking out of class. But while the initial ask from Women's March Youth EMPOWER called for students, teachers and school administrators to exit their school buildings for 17 minutes to demand "gun reform legislation, "yesterday's protesters did not rally behind a uniform message. While many students held to a general demand for more gun laws, others went different routes. For example, students...

“I’m going to fail. This is a total sham.” “I’m not smart enough to do this. Why did I ever think I could?” “Why is no one else having this problem? Everyone is doing better at this than me.” Sound familiar? That is what we sometimes say to ourselves when things don’t go well at work and we’re feeling nervous or inadequate. Maybe we’ve missed a deadline, embarrassed ourselves during a presentation, or snapped at a colleague, and these thoughts come up relentlessly, wreaking havoc with our...

Black folks have a gift for complicating the stories that Americans like to tell about themselves. Our presence, for instance, makes it hard to accept the notion that the United States was “conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” It’s a comforting myth and a useful one as well. Abraham Lincoln put it to good use when he spoke those words at Gettysburg, rallying the Union in a time of crisis. But, as history, this foundational myth was...

If you have struggled with depression, anxiety or are taking psychotropic medications, this show is for you! After I read this book I was so blown away about the author’s radical, new way of thinking about depression and anxiety, that I just had to do a book review show on this extremely important topic. The book is all about what really causes depression and anxiety – and how we can solve them. Across the world, Hari found social scientists who were uncovering evidence that depression and...

Studies suggest that 20% of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, yet only half of returning veterans receive needed treatment. Dr. Angela Giles, DBH, LCSW is a Faculty Associate in the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University. Her teaching focuses on the military/veteran culture and the integrated healthcare needs and management concerns related to the population. Her research interests include, PTSD, TBI,...

A recent article by journalist, writer Maia Szalavitz, and author of Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addictions . She co-authored Born to Love : Why Empathy is Essential - and Endangered, with Dr. Bruce Perry)

Press Release: https://walker.wi.gov/press-releases/governor-walker-trauma-informed-care-everyone-has-role-play

A United States District Court in Maryland ruled in favor of a transgender teen whose school was barring him from using the men's locker room, the Washington Post reports . The student, Max Brennan, was initially required to use a gender-neutral restroom . Following a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that sent a bathroom case to the Supreme Court, his school allowed him to use the boys' bathroom, but still forbade him from using the boys' locker room, forcing him at times to choose between being...

A statewide tax on the wealthy has significantly boosted mental health programs, helping to reduce homelessness, incarceration and hospitalization, according to a report released Tuesday. Revenue from the tax, the result of a statewide initiative passed in 2004, also expanded access to therapy and case management to almost 130,000 people up to age 25 in Los Angeles County, according to the report by the Rand Corp. Many were poor and from minority communities, the researchers said. “Our...

Wellness is a key ingredient to building a more resilient workforce and has been a big part of the journey in becoming trauma-informed. I was asked by a police lieutenant last week what our agency, Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) does to promote wellness. I told him about recent activities that I've organized within the CAC TFT Program (Child Advocacy Center Trauma-Focused Treatment Program) that I oversee and about ongoing agency efforts. This conversation got me thinking that...