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By Dani McClain, The Atlantic, November 21, 2019 Jessica Black is a Pittsburg, California, mother of two black teenagers, both of whom have been disciplined multiple times at their middle and high schools. Her daughter has been suspended more than once, and teachers often deem her son’s behavior out of line, reprimanding him for not taking off his hoodie in class and for raising his voice. In observing her own family and others, Black has noticed a pattern: Behaviors that many black parents...

By Cara Natterson, The New York Times, December 3, 2019 As long as I have been a pediatrician, boys have told me — usually in not so many words — that they feel the exact same body pressures girls do, just in different directions. This body-sense emerges earlier than we might expect thanks to the younger onset of puberty, which has moved squarely into the elementary school years, yes for both boys and girls. The difference is that female body changes tend to be obvious from the start; not so...

https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2019/11/17/paula-smith-utahs-mental/

Are you looking to make your clinical practice safer and more supportive for those affected by trauma? Do you need concrete guidance about how to make your primary care organization more trauma-informed? If yes, be sure to access the newly released Fostering Resilience and Recovery: A Change Package for Advancing Trauma-Informed Primary Care Change Package ! This resource, from the National Council for Behavioral Health and supported by Kaiser Permanente, is a field-informed guide, developed...

“…Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding…. And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy; much of your pain is self-chosen. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self….” – From The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran There are many kinds of loss that we can encounter in life. However, losses surrounding addiction can be particularly confusing; they tend...

A remarkable coping mechanism helped me survive the ACE parts of my childhood, and I find I need to give a heads-up about it to anyone who treats me in a medical setting. While chatting at last year’s ACEs Conference in San Francisco, Dr. Vince Felitti asked me to write an article for The Permanente Journal about my experiences with the medical community, as a person with a childhood-trauma-related, but mostly invisible, mental health disorder. And, of course, who can say “No” to Dr.

Talk Therapy. When people visualize talk therapy, they usually conjure thoughts of a therapist sitting in a chair beside their client who is reclining on a couch beside them. While lying down and speaking to a therapist is not disallowed, it usually isn’t what happens. Instead, the therapist and client typically sit facing one another at a comfortable distance.

Cultivate Change Leadership Skills for a “Trauma-Informed” Approach January 16-17th, 2020 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM EDT Please join us for this two-day deep-dive workshop. Most people working in schools and social services are saying things just got harder. Mental health issues, disruptive behaviors, and addiction are adding stressful new challenges for families and institutions already feeling overwhelmed. We try to address these issues one-by-one - by “referring out” - hoping a doctor or mental...

Addiction and substance abuse is a widespread issue that generally has many underlying causes. This problem can come from a number of reasons including environmental factors, emotional behavior, genetics, family history, and mental health. While mental health has become more and more talked about in recent years, many people still don’t realize the full impact that your mental health can have on your body and your behavior. Unfortunately, oftentimes with people who have certain mental health...

By Samir Soneji and Hiram Beltran-Sanchez, JAMA Network, December 4, 2019 Key Points Question: Is receipt of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children benefits during pregnancy associated with preterm birth and infant mortality among low-income expectant mothers in the United States? Findings: In this cohort study of 11 148 261 pregnant women with Medicaid coverage between 2011 and 2017, the proportion who also received Women, Infants, and Children benefits...

By Steffan Chirazi, Metallica, December 3, 2019 From the moment Cat Cvengros bounds out to meet us in the lobby of the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose, there is an enthusiasm about her which is both unique and enormous. She has a dazzling smile, excitable voice, and is instantly both engaging and impossible to dislike. Cat Cvengros is someone whose passion for giant boxes of oranges or huge palettes of potatoes is bordering on incredible. Either she is one of the greatest marketing...

By Michael S. Lockett, Juneau Empire, December 4, 2019 Just as a house built on a shattered foundation won’t stand straight, mounting research points toward a child’s earliest years as setting a pattern that will last their whole life. “What happens early in your life has really big and dramatic impact on the later parts of your life,” said Alex Newton, the counselor at Glacier Valley Elementary School – Sít’ Eetí Shaanáx. “All development for kids starts with their early caregiver...