Blog

By Laura Newberry, Illustration: Jim Cooke/Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2023 I’ve written quite a bit about disconnection in this space: the loneliness of being immunocompromised , the dearth of intergenerational relationships in Western culture, and why the need to belong is so human (and what can happen when we feel like we don’t). What I haven’t acknowledged fully, though, is that how we relate to others is profoundly shaped by our social conditioning, or what we’re...

Springfield High School Mariachi Del Sol performed at the Siuslaw High School football game on Sept. 23, 2022. Will Yurman via Mariachi del Sol, Springfield High School By Jilian Fama, Danielle Librizzo, Kandis Mascall, and Laura Machuca Pacheco, ABC News, October 6, 2023 Mariachi has always been an instrumental part of Hispanic culture, and now a new generation is discovering the joys of the music at school, thanks to the growth of specialized mariachi music programs. At KIPP Sol Academy in...

High school students in Chicago head down the stairs between classes, June 2023. (Getty/Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service) By Paige Shoemaker DeMio, Center for American Progress, October 4, 2023 Across the country, students, parents, and teachers face the realities of a student mental health crisis. Many look to schools for solutions, yet on their own, schools often do not have the resources necessary to provide comprehensive mental health services. This issue brief outlines...

Three burdensome happens learned in trying to cope with adverse childhood experiences can be changed. Efforts to drop and replace these troubling habits can be extremely liberating.

John Briere, Ph.D. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California wrote, “If we could somehow end child abuse and neglect, the eight hundred pages of the DSM would be shrunk to a pamphlet in two generations.” I wonder why leading figures in psychology and psychiatry haven’t proposed an entirely new kind of parenting education that reaches everyone, everywhere? It seems like such an obvious way forward.

By Lauren Weber , Dan Diamond and Dan Keating (The Washington Post) Oct. 3 , 2023 ASHTABULA, Ohio — Mike Czup unspooled the hose to wash his hearse. It was time to pick up the body of yet another neighbor who had died in the prime of life. Since he started working at 15 in the funeral business, Czup has seen plenty of tragedies. But the 52-year-old said he’s still coming to grips with a disturbing fact about the bodies he washes, embalms and entombs: About a quarter of the people he buries...

In this Thursday’s episode, Agnes Woodward uses her knowledge of historical trauma and the healing power of the arts to raise awareness of the adversity Indigenous women face. She also discusses how indigenous women can heal themselves, their families, and future generations. About Agnes Woodward: Beginning in 2013, Agnes Woodward often awakened in the middle of the night to check that all doors in her house were locked and her five children were safe. Thanks to knowledge about the science...

October 10, 2023 is recognized as World Mental Health Day. According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are over 650,000 adults and 245,000 children suffering with mental illness (SAMHSA, 2019). On this day, we are reminded to be informed of how to be both mentally and physically healthy. We observe this day to remind those who are in need to take the proper steps to improved mental wellness. This may include reducing the stigma about mental health...

I 'm a small girl, with Big dreams, and an even bigger God on her side!😍 See that phone in my hands? That's where I restarted my Online Counseling practice. I had to give up on my dreams about 4 years ago, because my husband didn't believe in them and told me to choose between my dreams and our marriage. Eventually, I had to choose myself. I did my second counseling certification course on that phone. Then last year in May 2022, I started offering my Online Counseling Services using that...

I was blessed to have had the opportunity to speak at the Joint Citizens and Legislators Committee on Children last week here in Florence, S.C. I was given three minutes to testify on a topic close to my heart, trauma-informed systems, particularly schools. Here's the gist: My name is Jamie Matthews and I'm an elementary educator and school counselor turned trauma informed consultant and adverse childhood experiences advocate. I have been partnering with schools and organizations for over...

November is National Family Caregivers Month (NFCM), celebrated annually, a time to recognize and honor unpaid family caregivers across the country. It offers an opportunity to raise awareness of caregiving issues, educate communities, and increase support for caregivers. In recognition of NFCM, Courage to Caregivers is hosting its fourth annual Caring for the Caregivers Virtual Summit on Wednesday, November 1, and Thursday, November 2. The Caring for the Caregivers Virtual Summit is free...

If true, it would help explain why I, among other debilitating traits of core shame, have always felt oddly uncomfortable sharing my accomplishments with others, including those closest to me; and maybe even explain my otherwise inexplicable almost-painful inability to accept compliments. I’d always attributed it to extreme modesty. And the list goes on.