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America’s growing rate of economic inequality is more than a numerical ratio that worries economists or a trendy political talking point. The phenomenon has been linked to human tragedies ranging from higher murder rates to growing gaps in life expectancy . Add death by opioids to the list. In recent years, social scientists have been debating why more people have been dying from drug overdoses. Does the increased availability of highly addictive opioids fully explain the rise? Not entirely,...

Dissociation, sometimes also referred to as disassociation, is a term commonly used in psychology that refers to a detachment from your surroundings, and/or physical and emotional experiences. Dissociation is a defense mechanism that stems from trauma, inner conflict, and other forms of stress, or even boredom. Dissociation is understood on a continuum in terms of its intensity, and as non-pathological or pathological in regard of its type and effects. An example of non-pathological...

In a growing number of states, patients who get opioids for serious pain may leave their doctors’ offices with a second prescription — for naloxone, a drug that can save their lives if they overdose on the powerful painkillers. New state laws and regulations in California , Virginia , Arizona , Ohio , Washington , Vermont and Rhode Island require physicians to “co-prescribe” or at least offer naloxone prescriptions when prescribing opioids to patients considered at high risk of overdosing.

A third of African American males are outright excluded from many job opportunities before even getting an interview. Tens of millions of Americans, from all places and heritages, experience the same built-in disadvantage in our workforce. They all have a felony conviction. And even more Americans face the same discrimination from a misdemeanor or less. According to a January 2018 report from Pew Charitable Trusts, the number of U.S. residents with a felony record increased significantly in...

How does epigenetics relate to child development? New resource from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child explains. Science tells us that the interactions between genes and environment shape human development. “Epigenetics” is an emerging area of scientific research that shows how environmental influences—including the experiences we provide for children—actually affect the expression of their genes. This means that the old idea that genes are "set in stone" has been disproven. Nature...

CRI hosted a training in Everett recently, focusing on the power of self-love and acceptance. As a branch of our Course Two material- CAREER, an acronym for Celebration, Affirmation, Regulation, Expectation, Education, and Education- we focused the day on Affirmation. Teri brought in arts and crafts, scrapbook paper, and our friends came to participate in making bookmarks. The day started with the song, "How Could Anyone" . How could anyone ever tell you You were anything less than beautiful...

As state and federal lawmakers prepare for the year ahead, there is tremendous momentum for bold ideas that move families toward opportunity. The second Aspen Forum on Children and Families , held this week on February 26-27, will bring together national leaders – policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and philanthropists – to surface big ideas for investing in the full potential of children and families, two generations at a time. While in-person registration for this convening is...

By P. Berman, K. Hecht, & A. Hosack I am so tired of him saying no to me. I am his mom. He should do what I say. What is wrong with him? I could just scream! Claire doesn’t scream. She has been with the Carsons for almost two years and she knows they will come running if they hear she is in trouble. She trusts them more than she has ever trusted anyone else but...Nancy lost her baby when Ms. Alexandra did a home visit and found her high on heroin. This was not going to happen to her, Ms.

Last month, the Aspen Institute’s National Commission on Social Emotional, and Academic Development released a long-awaited report titled “ From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope ,” offering recommendations for further integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) into schools to support the whole student. Written by key educational leaders, researchers, and policymakers, it represents a major milestone in SEL movement. “The promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a...

Detroiter Kyra Sanders moved away when she graduated college in 2000. By 2004, she moved back to Detroit and bought a condo near downtown intent on becoming part of her hometown’s rebirth. Since then, she’s seen an ebb and flow in her quality of life: she pays astronomically high car insurance, saw a Whole Foods store open in her area to national celebration, and her property value tanked, but is now spiking. [For more on this story by Chastity Pratt Dawsey, go to...

As the sister of a brother lost to an opioid overdose, Trump’s claim that we need a border wall in order to keep drugs out is offensive to me on multiple levels. Fact checkers also report that his claims are not true — a border wall would not keep drugs out of our country. After the death of my brother a decade ago, I went looking for answers about drugs and addiction. Gabor Mate, a medical doctor who treated addicts in Vancouver, found that his patients had all suffered severe trauma before...