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The Sesame Workshop hopes the friendly faces of Sesame Street characters will help refugee children navigate the complex social and emotional effects of trauma and displacement. The organization is teaming with the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian organization, to "deliver transformative early learning and social-emotional support to millions of refugee children in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria," it said in a news release Thursday: "Of the 65 million displaced people...

Do you have a history of trauma (i.e., abuse, neglect, psychological or emotional chaos growing up, etc)? Trauma can include a host of experiences, too many to name here. But trauma is a powerful consequence of emotional and psychological chaos. What I mean by this is that despite whatever the traumatic situation entailed, the result is often chaos in the mind and emotions of the person who experienced the traumatic event. In fact, our perceptions of the event itself could lead to symptoms...

You’re anxious. You have been dealing with anxiety for a long time and you are starting to wonder whether or not you need to talk to a counselor about what you are experiencing. You feel that talking to a counselor would help, but you don’t want to blow your issue out of proportion. You don’t want to seem weak or incapable of handling your own business, but this is really bothering you. How do you know when it’s time? Don’t worry, there are a lot of people who are or have been in your shoes.

As a couples’ therapist specializing in anger and resentment, I was overwhelmed with distress calls during the recent election cycle. The vitriol and pervasive negativity of the campaigns, amplified by 24-hour news and social media, created a level of stress and resentment that intruded into many people’s intimate relationships. I even named it: “election stress disorder.” Yet, as bad as it seemed in those days, there was an end in sight: Nov. 8. Alas, from Nov. 9 onward, we’re now having to...

Young people who have grown up in care are far more likely to die in early adulthood than other young people, Freedom of Information figures reveal. They show 90 people who left care in the UK between 2012 and 2016 died in the years when they would have turned 19, 20 or 21. Care leavers make up 1% of the population at these ages, but make up around 7% of the deaths. The government says it is investing £10m in support for those leaving care. While an exact comparison is difficult, the...

Children spend hours in school sitting at their desks, learning lessons, taking tests. There's often not much time for everyone's favorite part of the day: recess. Yet the Centers for Disease Control recently released a report that is urging schools to provide 'more' time for recess. State Impact Ohio's Mark Urycki reports on the resurgence in recess. [For more go to ...

The percentage of students at Washington, D.C., public schools who graduate from high school in four years is at an all-time high. But at 69 percent, the district’s graduation rate is well below the national average, which is north of 80 percent. So in a move that mirrors a broader national conversation about how to help kids who have more than a few obstacles in front of them succeed, the district this year put what it’s calling “pathway coordinators” into its schools to make sure kids at...

Just over a year ago, Wikipedia was at a crossroads, although the company didn’t yet know it. As a business and institution, the online encyclopedia was doing quite well: On January 15th, 2016, Wikimedia Foundation, the parent company of Wikipedia, celebrated its 15-year anniversary with a conference and party at its San Francisco headquarters. With more than 38 millions articles in 289 languages, the website once regarded by academics as a morass of sort-of facts had now become the world’s...

Every faculty job advertisement at Holy Cross College at Notre Dame, Indiana, comes with this statement: Physical Demands Repetitive movement of hands and fingers — typing and/or writing; occasional standing, walking, stooping, kneeling or crouching; reaching with hands and arms; talking and hearing. Ability to lift and carry up to 20 lbs. NOTE: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the person assigned to this job. They are not...

Adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system are commonly referred to mental health services in order to address the behaviors that led them to legal involvement in the first place. These services are offered via individual therapy, group therapy, substance abuse treatment, family preservation services, residential placement services, etc. Each modality of service has its own unique advantages and disadvantages for various clients. However, all modalities generate a basic treatment...

Documentary explores the effects of secondary trauma on professional caregivers Philadelphia - # NationalCaregiversDay is this Friday, February 17th. It was begun just last year in an effort to draw attention to, and honor, the health care professionals that serve those who require long-term or hospice care. "Caregivers who work in long-term and hospice care are vital," said Vic Compher co-producer of Portraits of Professional Caregivers: Their Passion. Their Pain . “I hope that people take...

Do We Know Everything About Empathy? Today the world is all abuzz about the science of empathy . It’s one of the most celebrated subjects of psychological and neuro-psychological enquiry; empathy has everybody talking. The blogosphere is full of commentary about this or that latest piece of research, powered by cutting-edge brain-imaging devices. And this has begun to make a wonderful difference in our lives. Schools are incorporating units on empathy and emotional intelligence in their...