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In my opinion we as ACEs/trauma educators must be very mindful that whether we talk about ACEs in front of a large group of people or one on one, it’s not just information. We are giving people an experience, an experience that may rock them to their core especially if they have never heard the information before.

"Many Westerners, when they come to dharma practice, come looking for psychological healing—but this is not what meditation was designed to do. As meditation has become mainstream, it has been marketed as a way to address physical and emotional ailments as well as a way to improve performance at work, reduce stress, and rewire the brain. I’ve been a psychotherapist for nearly twenty-five years, working with meditators and non-meditators alike; I have also taught meditation in the Theravada...

On April 23rd, 2019 from 12:00pm-1:30pm PST the National Pediatric Practice Community on ACEs (NPPC) , an initiative of the Center for Youth Wellness, will be hosting a webinar to support efforts to screen all children for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and additional adversities. This webinar will summarize the findings of a state advisory group assigned to review tools and protocols for screening children for trauma, and provide an introduction to two tools the advisory group...

"Although people believe they like to have lots of choices, in fact, having too many choices can be discouraging. Instead of making people feel more satisfied, a wide range of options can paralyze them. Studies show that when faced with two dozen varieties of jam in a grocery store, for example, or lots of investment options for their pension plan, people often choose arbitrarily or walk away without making any choice at all, rather than labor to make a reasoned choice." ~The Happiness...

While Mindfulness is a powerful way to foster calm and awareness, it can also trigger trauma. Here's what I learned through my meditation practice.

If you have been following and enjoying Claire's story, you may be interested in this video our team made to promote the blog. Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading and commenting as we continue sharing Claire's Story. Your support means the world to us!

By K. Hecht P. Berman, A. Hosack I am so lonely. My only friend is in prison. The Carsons don’t even know I am writing him; they wouldn’t like it but….. I don’t know why I am writing him. He has hit me so many times. The Carsons say I am not a punching bag. But...I am so lonely! Claire realizes her bus stop is about to come up. She wipes the tears off her face and slowly gets off the bus. Looking around what is now “her neighborhood” she looks at the beautiful trees and well-cared for...

The vast majority of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants who could be affected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule to tighten SNAP work waivers are in deep poverty and live alone, according to a new analysis conducted by Mathematica. The analysis, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, examines a proposed rule from USDA, issued last month, which would make it harder for states to receive federal time-limit waivers for SNAP...

On Monday, at an unexpectedly-packed meeting held at the City of Carson Community Center, the members of LA County’s Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC) voted to pass a budget plan that many youth advocates are calling “historic.” The plan lays out how LA County will spend the approximately $28 to $31 million in Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act funds that Los Angeles receives each year from the State of California. Yet, the priorities embraced by this budget plan are...

When the Supreme Court struck down school segregation 65 years ago in Brown v. Board of Education, it overturned the doctrine that separate institutions for black and white people were constitutional so long as they were equally funded. Yet in the White House and in the halls of Congress, the old approach has shown enormous staying power. For decades, federal lawmakers have poured far more money into racially and economically segregated schools than they have invested in trying to integrate...

Derek Clark was recently a keynote speaker at the 34th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment. His story features a traumatic past of child abuse and neglect, to a story about resilience, renewed relationships, and hope. Clark now travels the world to inspire educators and professionals to continue to foster positive and consistent relationships with children and teens who may seem "difficult" or "troubled". He emphasizes the importance of one single...

Our community was fortunate to have Dr. Dayna Long, the Medical Director for the Department of Community Health and Engagement at USCF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, as the Keynote Speaker for Early Childhood Brain Science: Nurturing Strong Mental Health on Monday, April 8th. Dr. Long guided a packed room of attendees through the current science and best practices for addressing adverse childhood experiences and reducing toxic stress to improve the health of all children. The work...