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Firefighters Firefighters are another group of first responders who can easily become victims of a substance use disorder. It takes a special kind of person to run into a burning building, and it seems that those types of people are more vulnerable to the dangers of drugs and alcohol. This study of firefighters focused on the mental health of these individuals, examining a wide range of issues from sleep deprivation to depression to anxiety because substance use tends to be correlated with...

When you have Childhood PTSD, there is nothing worse than being in some crucial conversation or some big moment, and some little thing triggers you. And even though you know it’s not worth getting upset about, it happens anyway. It’s like you can feel it spreading through your body -- the feeling of adrenaline and dyscombobulation, feeling numb (perhaps) in your hands or your face, or having trouble expressing your thoughts. Or you might feel flooded with emotion like panic or rage... have...

By Nick Cliolino, August 28, 2020, DPM. Delaware is collaborating with other states to study Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs. The First State, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wyoming were chosen by the National Governors Association to be mentored by California, Tennessee and Alaska on how to be more trauma informed. The collaboration seeks to share and analyze data on ACEs, offer training for state agencies and create collaborations with the public sector. [ Please click here to read more. ]

From Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, YouTube, September 15, 2020 Prevent ACEs Now explains early childhood adversity and gives simple actions to support families and help make a better future for all children possible in their community. [ Please click here to watch video .]

As a result of the pandemic and the national and international awakening to racial justice issues, ACEs Connection has seen an explosion of interest from members wanting to start local, organizational, and state-wide ACEs initiatives . If you’re seeking to bring healing to your communities, we can help you start new or grow existing ACEs initiatives by using our Growing Resilient Communities framework , and we’ve produced a series of videos to get you started or to provide a refresher. After...

In 2014, Corey and Ronda Paulson signed up to take the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) Path Training in order to become foster parents. They never expected this to become a life-changing journey by what would soon unfold. As part of their training, they attended a class at the Washington County Tennessee DCS office where they were informed that when children are removed from their homes, they often were brought to the office to wait for placement. Hearing this, Ronda looked around...

Now - Sept 25th: Please spread the word about this community-based initiative for adults who are important to young children. Our next inquiry drops on Monday, Sept 21st: Sensation, the Nervous System, and Why This Matters in Early Childhood Learning & Wellness. Join us, or invite someone who might benefit / contribute well. Many thanks!

By Douglas Rushkoff, Medium, September 2, 2020 The economy needn’t be a war; it can be a commons. To get there, we must retrieve our innate goodwill. The commons is a conscious implementation of reciprocal altruism. Reciprocal altruists, whether human or ape, reward those who cooperate with others and punish those who defect. A commons works the same way. A resource such as a lake or a field, or a monetary system, is understood as a shared asset. The pastures of medieval England were treated...

By Shira Ovide, The New York Times, September 10, 2020 We’ve all seen social media used to shame people we disagree with . Those milliseconds of tsk-tsking might feel good, but I doubt they’re helpful. Then my colleague Natasha Singer told me about pandemic shaming I can get behind. College students are using TikTok, Twitter and other apps to embarrass their universities when they fail to care for people who have been isolated in special Covid-19 dorms or are in quarantine units because of a...

From Education Week, September 14, 2020 The education field has been criticized for focusing too narrowly on a set of academic skills and disciplines, reinforced through standardized assessments, accountability measures, and other policy levers, but with the rise of the pandemic this spring and the national fight for racial justice, schools were forced to evolve quickly. At the same time, young people have been encountering death, food insecurity, trauma, and unemployment in their own homes...

By Emily Dixon, September 14, 2020, Marieclaire.com. Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer , spoke to the Sunday Times about the trauma he and his sister experienced following their parents' separation in 1969. "Our father was a quiet and constant source of love, but our mother wasn’t cut out for maternity," he said. Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, said Diana would wait on the doorstep for her mom to visit—"but she never came." Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, opened up about the...

Self-care is the stuff you should do to ensure you're healthy, happy, and strong. But for me, it became for me a chore. It was one more thing on the endless list of "to do's" I had to get done before falling exhausted into bed for a fitful night's sleep. As a caregiver, my responsibilities kept me busy every available moment. The only alone time I found was in the bathroom, door locked until someone needed me and realized that's where I went (usually within 5 minutes). Professionally I...