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Many of you have probably seen friends post “#metoo” on Twitter, Facebook and social media. In the wake of recent allegations of multiple sexual harassment and sexual assault per Harvey Weinstein , actress Alyssa Milano started the #MeToo campaign on for victims of sexual assault to break their silence and share their stories, . As a therapist who is passionate about the destigmatization of mental health issues, I love that the #metoo campaign is helping survivors of sexual trauma and abuse...

Healthy people who are forced into solitary confinement in prison may develop mental illnesses due to their isolation, but the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) deliberately ignores the problem, according to a brief filed in federal court last week by the SPLC. “Subjecting prisoners with mental illness to solitary confinement only makes their conditions worse, and it can even cause mental illness in previously healthy prisoners,” said Maria Morris, senior supervising attorney with the...

PAPER TIGERS & RESILIENCE BUNDLE 20% OFF OCTOBER DISCOUNT CODE KPJR Films announces the long-awaited PAPER TIGERS & RESILIENCE Bundle package. Now you can get both films to use together or separately at a discounted price. During October, we are offering a 20% discount off of both films or a single film. You can use the discount code "PTResilBundle20" - this will give you 20% off any orders that include the bundle. Simply go to http://edu.tugg.com/products/resilience and order your...

In this episode, Byron and Esther talk about intelligence, jobs, her experience in being a backup cosmonaut and more. Byron Reese: Today, our guest is Esther Dyson. Esther Dyson is a living legend. She has been an angel investor, and sits on the boards of a number of companies. She is also a best-selling author, a world citizen, and a backup cosmonaut for the Russian Space Program. Now, she serves as the Executive Founder for a non-profit called Way to Wellville. Welcome to the show, Esther.

When considering implementing trauma-informed practices in your school, you might find yourself asking: How do I know which students have experienced trauma, so I can teach those students in a trauma-informed way? While it’s important to identify students in need of extra support, we can use trauma-informed practices with every single student because they benefit them all. Think of a wheelchair-accessible ramp to a building: Not every single person needs it, but it significantly removes...

Columbine survivor Heather Egeland-Martin said it took more than a decade for her to fully address the trauma she experienced during the mass shooting at her Colorado high school on April 20, 1999. She wasn’t hurt in the shooting but said the psychological trauma festered and influenced her actions for years before she learned to “advocate” for herself. “The idea that survivors are not worthy of feeling [trauma] kept me from getting help,” Egeland-Martin said. “Survivor’s guilt is a thing.

When Emerie Lukas was hired to develop and teach a STEM Foundations course to middle school students at the Dayton Regional STEM School , she was starting from scratch. The stated goal of the course was to prepare students for more rigorous work in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes in high school, but Lukas knew that meant far more than academic preparation. She needed to teach her students how to give and take effective feedback, how to solve conflicts, how to...

While there is an abundance of research supporting the benefits of mindfulness , the term “mindfulness” is incredibly broad. Some people cultivate mindfulness in order to hone their attention and focus, while others see it as a tool for a kinder attitude and more intentional behavior. While seemingly simple, practicing mindfulness actually involves a variety of skills. In a study published in the journal Emotion , researchers from Germany aimed to differentiate how specific components of...

The abuse and neglect that Dave Reichert (D-Wash.) experienced as a child led him down a path to help kids through his law enforcement career. As a lead detective on the infamous Green River murder case in Washington, Reichert witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of foster care, neglect and abuse that led young girls into prostitution and ultimately into the hands of a serial killer. Since 2004, he’s used his experience to affect change in Congress. He counts passage of the...

America is as divided, as ever, by race, sex, class, religion, politics, urban/rural. Not surprising, since historically our laws were designed to separate us, and our media has stoked fears to keep us that way. Feminist bell hooks used the term “Imperialist White-Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy” to describe the interlocking systems of domination that are foundational to our nation’s institutions: criminal justice, education, healthcare, housing, and many of our policies—particularly...

Walla Walla Public Schools is teaming up with a local nonprofit to ensure every employee in the district better understands childhood trauma and how it affects students. The all-employee training slated to take place over a two-year time span is a first such effort for the district and for Teri Barila, co-founder and head of Community Resilience Initiative. The organization strives to reduce childhood trauma and help build resilience through educational, health and other community systems.

After stepping down from her position as principal at Science Hill High School in May, Melanie Riden-Bacon set out to transform what was once known as the Alternative Center into what is now Topper Academy. Riden-Bacon, now the Topper Academy director, said in July that it was time for a “culture shift.” Part of that shift involved instituting trauma care training and rewarding good behavior and academic achievement, rather than using the center as a “punitive” place for students struggling...