Blog

By Cassandra Willyard, The New York Times, July 21, 2020 Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, one of the founding fathers of developmental psychology, spent hours each day observing his children as they grew. He recorded his observations in a raft of notebooks. Lore has it that his wife even carried a notebook on her necklace to jot down observations that Piaget himself missed. One day, in 1925, his 7-month-old daughter, Jacqueline, was playing with a plastic duck in her crib. She tried to grasp...

Thursday, July 30th Education Upended Join us for another week as Lara Kain, ACEs Connection Community Facilitator, presents a new question around the future of schools. Kain leads the discussion along with different weekly cohosts and guests. Past subjects include the PolyVagal Theory, Notions of Safety, and the Return to School. This week's topic is to be announced! Friday, July 31st Trauma-informed Policing ACEs initiative participants in communities where there is tension between the...

From Latino Health Forum, July 2020 The LATINO HEALTH FORUM is one of the bay area’s premier educational conferences. Our goals include: Inform professionals about some of the most relevant problems facing the Latino population in Sonoma County; Enhance access to health services; Encourage students and individuals to pursue careers in health and medicine; Facilitate networking among healthcare providers. Dates & Speakers: Please note: There are no presentations on Saturday 8/1 or Sunday...

When an affirmation works, we gather real-life examples our brain can use as evidence that success IS possible, which changes the way we think. In my work with children, I find that this tool can work magic at home and in school! When we challenge our thoughts with evidence that a positive result is possible, it can stop negative thinking in its tracks.

By Yael Meshulam, July 19, 2020, The Dad. There are certain things we know about raising kids. We know roughly how much to feed them ( one million snacks per day ), how much they need to sleep, we know to take them to the doctor when they get sick – but there is so much about raising kids that we genuinely don’t know. Sure, we can do our best to set good examples, but there is no textbook way to help kids grow into strong, resilient, confident, kind, adults. Since there is no one concrete...

With the blessing of my editor, and as Covid19 rules our timelines, here is a peek into Chapter 7 of #VeiledThreat. Curiosity. The who, what, why of Pk Hill I am a soul in the process of metamorphosis. I hear the tiny voices in my head. They are so young and although muffled they are so very wise. What is the meaning and purpose of my life? Why do I write about torturous sexual memories and horrific episodes that used to silence and shame me? Why am I now willing to publicly rip off the...

Are we living in a direct-to-video movie? This morning it feels like the nation is trapped in the 2018 film by Johnny Kevorkian called Await Further Instructions. In the film a Christmas reunion takes a very disturbing turn when the family awake to find themselves trapped inside their home. Since wifi is down, the only source of information from the outside world is the television, which prompts the family members to do exactly as it says. Its first message is “await further instructions.”...

Play is the language of children — which is why play therapy can help kids speak the unspeakable. Dee Ray doesn’t learn how children feel by listening to their words. Ray, a researcher and counselor in Texas, learns by watching them play. She directs the Center for Play Therapy at the University of North Texas and often works in schools, where she sections off a 10 feet by 10 feet area in a classroom and fills the space with toys — a child sized kitchenette, puppets, a bop bag that a child...

ACEs initiative participants in communities where there is tension between the community and law enforcement will want to join Becky Haas in a compelling conversation on law enforcement, ACEs science, COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. Haas is a nationally recognized adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) science initiative builder and trainer. She and colleagues Renee Wilson-Simmons, the head of the ACE Awareness Foundation of Memphis, Tennessee, and Maggi Duncan,...

Approximately half of all individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorder also meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. See how the two diagnoses can become dangerously intertwined and how it can be treated.

Privilege comes in many forms. Those with privilege must provide a leg up to those without. I recently had a conversation with some professional colleagues that didn’t go well. I’ve been disturbed by it since and thought it might be useful for all of us to use the experience as a teachable moment. I was asked to talk about my work, and I ended up focusing on the difficulties I’ve had experiencing repeated rejection from mainstream colleagues. I didn’t start out intending to express my...

Supporting School Mental Health in the Context of Racial Violence is a two-part learning series intended for students, families, educators and school mental health professionals who are navigating the impact of racial violence on student mental health. Each 1.5 hour learning session will feature a moderator who will engage advocates, leaders and the school mental health workforce in a conversation that focuses on: Strategies for supporting students’ mental health while navigating racial...