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Activists concerned about disciplinary policies that force students out of school and into the justice system will gather in cities across the country this week to make their case for reform. In Boston, they plan to fan out to ask their peers about their experiences with school discipline, results they will pass on to city school administrators. In Miami, the community will gather for a Forum on Black Lives focused on local county and school board races to ensure school discipline is on the...

The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACEs), conducted by Dr. Vince Felitti of Kaizer Permanente and Dr. Robert Anda of the Center for Disease Control, was a groundbreaking study when it’s findings were released in 1998, and it confirmed what nonviolence advocates, social service and health care providers had witnessed for decades–violence is bad for your health. ACEs provided a wealth of information to illustrate how deeply our individual and community health is impacted by trauma. [For...

Household dysfunction or any adverse event in childhood may have a short-term affect on a child’s health and weight in early days as well, finds a study. The study suggested that children exposed to early adversity also have increased risk for asthma, infection, somatic complaints, and sleep disruption. Maternal mental health issues are associated with elevated cortisol levels, and maltreatment is associated with a lower cortisol profile. [For more of this story go to ...

“This delightful, pun-filled allegory tells the story of a neglected boy who is convinced that he has no worth. ...the book is fast-moving and funny, with a touch of sadness. It will appeal to adults as much as YA readers, reminding all that average is not easy since everyone is special in his or her own way.” —BookLife Prize for Fiction

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative , won a U.S. Supreme Court case banning mandatory life sentencing without parole for anyone age 17 or younger. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, a state that officially celebrates Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King, Jr., day together , the Harvard-trained lawyer has dedicated his life to serving the poor, the incarcerated, and children prosecuted as adults. Stevenson keynoted the final day of the 2016 Conference on Adverse Childhood...

Repeated ‘fight, flight or freeze’ brain-use causes Maria’s natural, neurobiological defenses to develop into deeply ingrained pathways in her young, developing brain — after the immediate threat is gone, the dysfunctional, anti-social behaviors can linger, can frustrate, can be retriggered over many years. Trauma-Informed adults CAN make a difference.

https://www.wakeahec.org/datafiles/49330brochure.pdf ScIence of ResIlIence: Building Adult Capabilities to Promote Early Childhood Mental Health The North Carolina Infant and Young Child Mental Health Association was founded five years ago with a mission to “promote a strong foundation for infants, toddlers, young children and their caregivers through public awareness, advocacy and professional development.” This year’s conference will focus on building adult capabilities – of parents and of...

If there's one problem in the United States more pressing than the staggering number of adults suffering from mental illness, it's the fact that nearly half of them aren't getting treatment for it. According to Mental Health America's recently released annual assessment , about 20% of U.S. adults — or 43.7 million people — have a mental health condition of some kind — and less than half of them are receiving the care they need. Among children and adolescents, the news is worse: Though the...

A group of researchers recently published a commentary in theJournal of the American Medical Association on one of the ways that implicit bias about persons diagnosed with 'mental illness' creeps into the seemingly neutral space of patient electronic health records. They focus on the group of clients who tend to be high utilizers of services at emergency departments and psychiatric crisis centers who “often have financial problems and present with chronic or untreated comorbid psychiatric...

When meeting new people, I'm often asked what I do for work. Depending on how I phrase my answer, I receive very different reactions."I'm a doctor specializing in mental health" elicits fascination. People's faces brighten and they say, "Very cool!" But If I instead say, "I'm a psychiatrist," the conversation falls quiet. They get uncomfortable and change the subject. Mental health has made great strides in recent years. Every week , people across the country participate in walks to support...

Considering the high levels of violence throughout the Northern Triangle (countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras) in addition to poverty, food insecurity, political turmoil, and domestic violence, unaccompanied children and families alike leave their countries in search of safety and improved lives. As many of them have ties to relatives and communities in the United States… Central American refugees will continue to try to make their way to the United States…the flows can be...

The first full day of the Adverse Childhood Experiences 2016 Conference, hosted by the Center for Youth Wellness (CYW) and sponsored by the California Endowment, Kaiser Permanente, and Genentech, took place October 20 at the Park Central Hotel in downtown San Francisco and began with an exuberant welcome from the CYW's executive director, Mark Cloutier. "Let's have fun," he shouted, and the 450 participants -- teachers, therapists, doctors, lawyers, and other trauma-informed professionals --...