Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (www.traumainformedoregon.org)

Christine Cissy White 9/30/169:45 AM

As a Certified Prevention Specialist for Wasco County, I am often asked at what age should a parent start talking to their child about the risks of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. My answer to that question has dramatically changed over the last several years and it has to do with a combination of 6 letters . . . SEL and ACEs.

SEL stands for Social Emotional Learning and ACEs stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. These two acronyms are receiving attention individually but YouthThink believes that the real power is in connecting them through awareness, education, and action.

When you team SEL and ACEs together there is the potential to create a magical word known as RESILIENCE. I love this word and love to think of it as the “bounce back effect.” But what does this all have to do with my original question, when do you start talking to your child about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs? My answer, the sooner the better but don’t stay focused on talking about risky substances and instead focus on building resiliency within yourself and child.

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Christine Cissy WhiteIt's not trauma-informed unless it's informed by trauma survivors.

Gail Kennedy posted:
Thank you for posting this great article by Debby Jones from Trauma-Informed Oregon. It's terrific that the tools are targeted to creating emotional literacy in young children. In my community we struggle with drug and alcohol use in our teens. We also are struggling with lots of causes of toxic stress - ACEs, academic, parental and social pressures. By the time these youth reach junior high and high school we have missed many opportunities to support them and to better equip them to support themselves.
With a teenager in high school, i am focused on what behaviors I am seeing and hearing about in/from teens but when I read this article it reminds me to take a breath and think about shifting to what can be done in much earlier years (and the opportunity to support parents - the ultimate prevention!). The behaviors we are seeing in teens are responses to the stressors these young people have been experiencing all along the road.

Hi Gail:

It's such a hopeful approach. I like how at the end there's a focus as well on the healing of future generational trauma and not only focusing on the present and the past. That means what can seem slow going now can continually be positive for generations and generations. I find that hopeful.

Cis

10/5/1610:04 AM

Gail KennedyMember

Thank you for posting this great article by Debby Jones from Trauma-Informed Oregon. It's terrific that the tools are targeted to creating emotional literacy in young children. In my community we struggle with drug and alcohol use in our teens. We also are struggling with lots of causes of toxic stress - ACEs, academic, parental and social pressures. By the time these youth reach junior high and high school we have missed many opportunities to support them and to better equip them to support themselves.

With a teenager in high school, i am focused on what behaviors I am seeing and hearing about in/from teens but when I read this article it reminds me to take a breath and think about shifting to what can be done in much earlier years (and the opportunity to support parents - the ultimate prevention!). The behaviors we are seeing in teens are responses to the stressors these young people have been experiencing all along the road.

10/2/1612:27 PM

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