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Thoughts to share - I'm grateful for all those trying to make the world a better place. I'm mindful that the holidays and days of remembrances can be a blessing or time of turmoil for so many...so please be kind to yourself and those you love in your circle of life. & finally, sharing a song of Joy & thanks to all in my life who have left lasting impressions upon me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by4tWjowZVo Thank you & take care, Michael Skinner.

We also know that how we responds matter. There needs to be a concerted effort to create a space for children to feel safe enough to share their experience with a trusted adult. That starts by adults who are initiating safe conversations around these topics.

“On Thanksgiving Day, we at PACEs Connection believe it is appropriate to recognize the genocide and land theft endured by the indigenous people of the Americas,” said PACEs Connection chief executive officer Ingrid Cockhren and co-host of the History. Culture. Trauma podcast. Cockhren also created the PACEs Connection Historical Trauma in America Series of webinars exploring, by geographic region, generational and collective trauma in the U.S. “The historical trauma of colonization should...

ACE Resource Network | Sacramento Community Coordinator ABOUT US | The ACE Resource Network is a philanthropic initiative with a goal of reducing childhood adversity by raising awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, promoting healing, and advancing research and policy. Our team worked closely with the first California Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, to develop and launch the first national awareness and education campaign, NumberStory.org and...

This is an awesome journey through the meaning of self as reflected in mental dysfunction.

By The HOPE Team, 11/23/22, https://positiveexperience.org/category/blog/ The HOPE framework begins with honoring, celebrating, and understanding different cultures, backgrounds, and histories. That includes the experiences of Native American peoples. This month, we are honoring, celebrating, and learning throughout Native American Heritage Month. Understanding the impact that history has on Native American peoples and communities is important to supporting access to Positive Childhood...

This adult book study will meet virtually Wednesdays from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. for 10 sessions beginning January 18 , 2023 to discuss the book What Happened To You? by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey. You can check your local library, Amazon or local bookstore for a copy of the book or listen to it on Audible. This book study will be facilitated by Sarah Steffes with Circle of Care. On page 9, A Note from the Authors, Dr. Perry and Oprah invite us to be in control of our own reading...

By Richard Sima, Illustration: George Wylesol/The Washington Post, The Washington Post, November 17, 2022 Here’s an antidote to an ever-stressful, busy and uncertain world. Try finding and savoring little bites of joy in your day. I call them “joy” snacks. By mindfully tuning into the pleasant, nice and sometimes routine experiences of every day, we can transform an otherwise mundane moment into something more meaningful and even joyful. Lunch with a co-worker. Walking the dog. Texting with...

By Thomas Rutledge, Photo: Thomas Rutledge, Psychology Today, November 20, 2022 Traumas constitute the most difficult experiences in life. Assaults, severe accidents and injuries, natural disasters, life threatening diseases, and the loss of loved ones comprise just some of the most frequent types of traumas. Tragically, traumatic events are also common, with at least half of adults experiencing one or more major traumas according to the best survey research. Although the mental health...

By Zach Mortice, Photo: Zach Mortice/Bloomberg CityLab, November 22, 2022 When the Ruth Ellis Center , a Detroit nonprofit that helps support LGBTQ youth, began a foster care program 10 years ago, they kept it very quiet; no press release, not even a sign on the door. “We were so afraid of how the community would react,” says Mark Erwin, Ruth Ellis’s co-executive director. Now things are different. In October, the nonprofit held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new permanent supportive...

Greetings. This is another open thought piece. It's not fully finished out, in part because the words haven't been ever been written for me. Not in quite this way. I had to build it myself. Not as a "hobby". It is an act of survival against oppressive forces. It's taken a lot for me to, conceptually, free myself from standard notions of mental health. Notions that I was taught for years by both experts and lay communities. I now feel ready to state the following as a position statement. I...

“I feel like all my textbooks in elementary school glossed over reality and today's session leaves me wanting to read ‘what really happened,’” said one attendee during the most recent session of the PACEs Connection Historical Trauma in America series . Nearly 80 people attended the webinar on November 17, 2022. Focused on Historical Trauma in the Northeast, this most recent event was facilitated by Ingrid Cockhren, PACEs Connection’s chief executive officer, and supported by St. David's...