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Therapy dogs are used in a wide variety of environments and circumstances but, broadly speaking, they are dogs whose presence is designed to help alleviate stress, promote feelings of well-being and sometimes help with a process of rehabilitation or healing in humans other than their owners.

Liberty House has played a powerful role in the community since 1999 as a child abuse assessment center and agent of change serving Marion and Polk counties in Oregon. They provide high-quality assessment services to children who may have been hurt by sexual abuse, physical abuse or neglect special assessment services in a safe, comfortable, child-friendly environment and child-focused, With compassion and expertise, medical providers conduct complete medical examinations for the children...

All of us at ACEs Connection have experienced ACEs during our childhoods, either in our own families or vicariously through friends; some of us accumulated pretty high ACE scores, with not enough resilience factors, and we’ve suffered the consequences. That history propels us up and out of bed every single morning to grow this network of amazing people (that’s you!) to reach even more people so that kids don’t have to repeat what we went through. We want more of our taxes to go to such...

"So many teachers take home loads of work each night, yet others somehow find themselves going home empty-handed. What’s the difference? While you may be tempted to say this is due to laziness or a lack of effort (which, unfortunately, is sometimes the case), that’s not always true. Some teachers have really learned the art of being ultra-efficient while they’re at work…..so they can take less home." "6. Focus on efficiency, not speed. If you’re anything like me, when you try to rush &...

Hi ACEs Connection community -- I know most of you are well familiar with the meaning and history of ACEs science. I thought you may find this video helpful to place it in a wider context, for connecting "ACEs" with conditions that in some contexts are more commonly understood (and with which many people identify). READ MORE AND WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

May 14, 2019 and May 15, 2019 there is a Behavioral Health Conference hosted by the United Way in Broward County. Be sure to stop by the Children's Services Council/ ACES Broward table to sign up to be a part of the ACE's Broward Community. At the conference, CSC President/CEO Cindy Arenberg Seltzer will be giving a brief introduction about ACE's. https://www.drugfreebroward.org/events/behavior-health-conference/

I recently had two events that caused me to think purposefully about what a responsible approach to the upcoming holidays of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day may be for a church that is seeking to be sensitive to the trauma histories that their worshipping community may have. The first was an invitation to preach at a church in my community that has done a great deal to advance the faith communities awareness to the effects of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and mental health needs within...

Perhaps the biggest problem afflicting America is its widening geographic divide between the winners and losers of the knowledge economy. A raft of studies has documented the growing divergence between places based on their ability to attract, retain, and cluster highly educated and skilled workers and to develop high-tech startup companies. Talented and skilled Americans are the most likely to move by far. While the overall rate of mobility among Americans has declined over the past decade...

Vera Institute of Justice’s Initiative to End Girls’ Incarceration aims towards getting girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming (gender expansive) and youth of color out of confinement by 2029. Juvenile incarceration rates have decreased in recent years; however, many reforms focus on boys in the system and may not be geared to girls and gender expansive youth. The number of girls in the system has been reduced in recent years to less than 46,000 annually nationwide.

Doctors give a lot of very good advice. Over the years, my primary care doctors have suggested better eating habits, more exercise, improved sleep hygiene, not carrying such a heavy shoulder bag, even exercises to improve my posture. The problem is, I am not sure I have ever made any changes in my behavior as a direct result. That would not come as a surprise to Ken Resnicow, a professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “Finger-wagging doesn’t work,” he said. “There’s...

As a trauma survivor, you may worry that the attachment style you learned is less than ideal. Please know that any attachment style can change to become more secure. Attachment styles aren’t set in stone! Learning about attachment can begin a journey of self-compassion, healing, and a deeper understanding of secure relationships.

Clinic and park partnerships for childhood resilience: A prospective study of park prescriptions. Razani N, Niknam K, Wells NM, Thompson D, Hills NK, Kennedy G, Gilgoff R, Rutherford GW. Health Place . 2019 May 3;57:179-185. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.04.008. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:31060017 Family Resilience And Connection Promote Flourishing Among US Children, Even Amid Adversity. Bethell CD, Gombojav N, Whitaker RC. Health Aff (Millwood) . 2019 May;38(5):729-737. doi:...