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W hat causes traumatized children and families to get stuck and unable to move forward? How can we change the outcome of impossible cases? Over a 30-year career in mental health, I’ve set forth to answer these questions. I know I’m not alone. I often hear in my workshops and webinars that impossible trauma cases are commonplace and challenge even the most experienced trauma therapists. After eight years of research in 15 states with more than 1,000 families, we developed the FST | Family...

A diverse group of community leaders unveil another education + affordable housing 'win'. Pictured, from left, Brandon Riddick-Seals, Interim CEO, Atlanta Housing; Tammie Workman, Assistant Superintendent, Student Services, Atlanta Public Schools; Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO, Invest Atlanta; Marjy Stagmeier, Partner, TriStar Real Estate Investment; Anyeé D. Payne, Principal, Cleveland Avenue Elementary School; Audrea Rease, Executive Director, Star-C; and Duncan Gibbs, also of...

An ambitious initiative unveiled this week by British Health Secretary Matt Hancock may soon enable the country’s doctors to prescribe therapeutic art- or hobby-based treatments for ailments ranging from dementia to psychosis, lung conditions and mental health issues. Writing for the Times , Kat Lay explains that this unconventional strategy, described by the U.K. government as “social prescribing,” could find patients enrolled in dance classes and singing lessons, or perhaps enjoying a...

I’m delighted to share that my new book Building Trauma-Sensitive Schools: Your Guide to Creating Safe, Supportive Learning Environments for All Students will be released in early 2019 and is now available for pre-order from Brookes Publishing. This book is really about one word — hope. It’s about cultivating hope for all students, including the many who have been affected by childhood trauma. And, it’s also about kindling hope for educators who want to make a positive difference but may...

What if the we could stifle the School to Prison Pipeline by simply creating a culture of belonging and inclusion in elementary school? The need for caring classrooms that promote a sense of connectedness and belonging is essential and must begin the day a child begins their educational experience. In many, not all, underserved communities, minority students are being taught by less experienced teachers who have emanated from culturally and economically incongruent backgrounds. Furthermore,...

The Wrestling Ghosts team has 3 free tickets for the DOC NYC screening of our film at Cinepolis Chelsea tonight! If you are interested in attending, please email charlotte@wrestlingghosts.com. First come first serve!

Researchers followed a group of kids from childhood into adulthood to track the link between trauma in early life and adult mental health. fzant/Getty Images When public health officials get wind of an outbreak of Hepatitis A or influenza, they spring into action with public awareness campaigns, monitoring and outreach. But should they be acting with equal urgency when it comes to childhood trauma? A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests the answer...

To join this webinar, register here . Trauma-informed schools: a conversation with Jim Sporleder, former principal of Lincoln High School, featured in the documentary Paper Tigers Date: Monday, November 19, 2018 Time: 3:00-4:00 pm PDT /6:00-7:00 pm EDT Jim will answer some prepared questions followed by an open question and answer period with participants. Topics that Jim will discuss include: How do you increase staff and community buy in for a trauma-informed school? How do you determine...

As promised, here is the monthly update about the growing numbers of ACEs Connection members and geographic, interest-based, organizational, and international communities. Total Number of ACEs Connection Communities: 160 Link to All Communities Types of Communities Geographic: 109 Interest-Based: 28 Organizational: 16 International: 7 Newest Communities Douglas County (WI) Fostering Futures Douglas County Fostering Futures supports and advances trauma informed principles by enhancing efforts...

Twitter has opened up a world of possibility to build a network of colleagues across sectors. After Parkland I became much more outspoken on social media about the issue of gun violence as a public health crisis. In my social media activism, I connected with a group of physicians who were also speaking out about gun violence prevention. I am honored to have been asked to write a blog from the perspective of a school nurse on the impact of gun violence in school for AFFIRM Research. Here is a...

The percentage of Americans who say that crime is an extremely or very serious problem in the U.S. dropped to under 50 percent in 2018, the first time respondents have been below that threshold since 2005, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed said that the problem of crime was extremely or very serious, a drop of 10 percent from last year and one of the sharpest decreases on record. The percentage of Americans who say crime is increasing...

On Tuesday, an amendment to the Florida constitution restored the voting rights of more than a million people with felony convictions. Amendment 4 needed sixty per cent to pass and won sixty-four, reflecting bipartisan support in a famously divided state. That leaves only two states, Iowa and Kentucky, that place lifelong voting bans on all citizens with felony convictions. Steve Phalen, who is thirty-six and works at an hvac distribution center in Florida, has not voted since he was a...