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'The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places." —E. Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms. 4 Essential Goals that could help create and foster a safe, nurturing environment during one's childhood. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/essentials_for_childhood_framework.pdf

Love from California The Adverse Childhood Experiences Conference got underway tonight in San Francisco with many of the 450 participants attending a meet-and-greet at the Park Central Hotel. The conference focuses on moving from “Awareness to Action”, and includes representatives from education, early childhood, juvenile justice, child welfare, pediatrics, and many other dedicated professionals committed to the ACEs movement. (Left to Right) Michelle Allen; Vanessa Jackson (Parents...

Reflections of Racing ACEs 2016: an exploration of how racial justice – its values, investments, strategies and practices – must be centered at the heart of trauma-informed work.

For many people, Instagram is a place where we share moments from our daily lives that bring us joy. But it's also a space where people share their innermost thoughts and, sometimes, cries for help. Instagram is launching a support tool which allows people to do something if they feel people are in danger of self-injury. [For more of this story, written by Rachel Thompson, go to ...

Attorney General Loretta Lynch this week announced the Justice Department's new online mental health initiative. Speaking at the International Association of Police Chiefs' annual conference in San Diego, Lynch announced the new Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit, which will give law enforcement departments resources on how to police people in mental health crises. "This toolkit is designed to be a one-stop learning center to help departments craft comprehensive responses, offering...

“Do parties or social situations ever make you uncomfortable?” “How would you categorize your stress level?” “How often would you say you feel overwhelming anger or irritability?” These are some of the questions that greet students at Colorado State University when they log in to the university’s new online mental health portal, You@CSU . Created through a partnership with Grit Digital Health and officially launched this semester, You@CSU acts as a virtual counselor, asking students...

This article explains how scientists are working towards tapping into the neuroplastic capabilities of the teenage brain with the intent of re-opening the doors that may enable our adult brains to change. Another study connecting neuroscience and behaviors related to childhood trauma. Exciting possibilities towards a healthier and healing human community. Return to the Teenage Brain

A Bridgespan Group report projects returns of more than 8:1 for philanthropy focused on reducing criminalization in schools and overall incarceration rates

Suspensions cost America an enormous amount — almost $36 billion for the graduating class of 2004, according to a new analysis from researchers at the Civil Rights Project at the University of California–Los Angeles. In recent years, many teachers and principals have tried to suspend kids less often. They’re turning instead to other fixes , such as peer juries and community service assignments, when middle and high schoolers egregiously break school rules. The new study highlights why those...

Charlotte. Baton Rouge. Tulsa. Minneapolis. Los Angeles. Ferguson. The violence explodes on your television set. You seethe. “This is 2016 — not 1968. Does the U.S. now stand for ‘Under Siege?”’ you fume. Your anger is righteous. Racism is prevalent in the United States. And, yes, there are racially tinged police officers infecting American police forces. But is your anger misplaced? Amidst the over-the-top headlines and screaming protests, a fundamental question remains: What can be done to...

On any given day, pediatrician Lindsay Irvin estimates a quarter of her patients need psychiatric help. She sees teens who say they are suicidal, and elementary school children who suffer chest pains stemming from bullying anxiety. Though she does her best, she doesn’t consider herself qualified to treat them at the level they need at her practice in San Antonio. She doesn’t have the training, she said, to figure which medications are best suited to treat their various mental health...

Parents and teachers are worried. They believe that today's kids are growing up in an unkind world and that learning to be kind is even more important than getting good grades. But, when it comes to defining "kind," parents and teachers don't always agree. That's according to a new survey of some 2,000 parents and 500 teachers from the educational nonprofit behind Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop. Kindness is well-trod territory for Sesame. Here's actor Mark Ruffalo trying to teach a Muppet...