Blog

Aided by a presidential initiative, the Casa Pacifica agency has doubled admissions to a program that prepares psychologists to work with abused, neglected and emotionally troubled youth. Brian Bantel, 33, is a member of this year's class. The intern from Arizona plans to specialize in the treatment of children who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect, a specialty of the Casa Pacifica Centers for Children & Families. "I do best with a trauma population or a lot of conduct-related...

We have finally completed our trauma informed education seminar. Scheduled for February in Los Angeles, Early March in New York and April in Michigan. We have put together an excellent review of current evidence based approaches, with specific, easy to implement strategies for developing and improving your trauma informed approaches. Hope you can make it!!

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is seeking applications for funding under the fiscal year (FY) 2017 Safe and Thriving Communities: Planning and Collaboration initiative. This program furthers the Department’s mission by strengthening community capacity to stem violence and reduce youth offending and victimization, improving the response to children’s exposure to violence, and enhancing public...

A survey of 2,000 U.S. physicians released in September found that roughly half believed they had met criteria for a mental health disorder in the past but had not sought treatment. The doctors listed a number of reasons they had shunned care, including worries that they’d be stigmatized and an inability to find the time. But they also voiced a troubling reason for avoiding treatment: medical licensing applications. After graduating from medical school, doctors must complete residency...

From banning conversion therapy for gay and trans youth to eliminating solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons, President Obama issued a slew of executive orders designed to protect at-risk youth over the past eight years. Now, advocates are worried that new executive orders will undo all that’s been done. “There were a number of very favorable moves that came out under the Obama administration and under his leadership. Some of those can surely be undone by a President Trump,”...

Susan Dreyfus, president and CEO of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, prepared this blog post on a recent journal article on ACEs co-authored by Jennifer Jones of the Alliance. The compelling issue of how race and income are related to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) was examined in a recent article published in Health & Social Work , a journal of the National Association of Social Workers, co-authored by Jennifer Jones of the Alliance for Strong Families and...

When Samantha Wagner and her colleagues at the Winona Area Learning Center watched the documentary “Paper Tigers,” their first thought was: “That’s our school.” The film traces a big change in a small town, Walla Walla, Wash., where the community capitalized on new science to help turn around the lives of struggling students. When Winona State University (WSU) Professor Ruth Charles gave a presentation on that science in Winona, a girl in the audience exclaimed: “Me! This is me!” After using...

The baby bottoms of Americans born before the 1980s likely never touched a diaper-changing station in a public restroom. Prior to the ‘80s, when parents, and mothers in particular, went to shop or go out to eat, they usually had to fold themselves into the back of a car, balance their wriggling infant on a toilet seat , or crouch on a dirty bathroom floor to change their child’s diaper. In the decades since, changing tables have grown more common, but they still can be hard to find,...

While for many of us the New Year is the time for resolution-making and goal setting, whether you realize it or not, everything you do — all year long — starts with a goal. And, how you approach goal setting determines how you experience life each and every day. The better you are at goal setting — whether your skill is innate, deliberately practiced, or newly learned — the greater fulfillment and happiness you will experience, and conversely, the less able you are, the more frustration,...

For the past 18 years, every 4-year-old in Oklahoma has been guaranteed a spot in preschool, for free. These kids are learning their letters, numbers, colors and shapes. They’re also developing arguably more important social and emotional tools--how to make friends, feel empathy, solve problems, manage conflict. These are the kind of building blocks children need to become thriving adults . Nearly 75 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled in Oklahoma’s pre-K program. That's one of the highest...

he relationship between Physical Health and Mental Health plays a significant role in our lives. It has been found that staying physically fit actually helps our mental health as well. When our physical health is poor it puts a great strain on our mental health. Eating healthfully , exercising regularly and getting a good night’s sleep are all important elements in a mentally and physically healthy life. Lifestyle interventions with a combination of psychotherapy and medications are all...

Herbert Manown is a self-described “jack-of-all-trades but master of none.” A Harley Davidson-riding Vietnam War Navy veteran, he has worked in construction, at the post office, and with the United States Census Bureau . At 62, he’s still fit and healthy, with a strong handshake and grandfatherly eyes framed by black glasses and thick, bushy brows. Life was stable for Herb until 2013, when he “got lazy” and neglected to renew his truck-driver license. He didn’t realize the severity of his...