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Originally published on Rise to Resilience on June 6th. Last week in one of the preschool-related Facebook groups I was in (and subsequently was kicked out of for challenging homophobia and transphobia), there was a post asking if people celebrate Pride Month in their classrooms, and if so, what they do. Cue a flood of teachers expressing their significant opposition for such inclusion, including ones who claimed to be allies. Motivated by this, I decided I would start...

A few months ago, an adult survivor of childhood sexual assault called me from under a table, where she had been huddled for the last hour and a half. Her story, which she will tell herself, and in her own words, is one of almost unimaginable trauma: she was abused by her own father and then trafficked internationally to pedophiles. Investigators – lawyers and former officers from all branches of law enforcement and the military – have been interviewing the survivor for the past year. They...

When people hear about the mental and physical health risks of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress, one of the first questions is, “What do we do about this?” Awareness of the prevalence of adversity and the impact of stress on the brain and body leads to the possibility for prevention and response. Whether you are acting within a family, agency, organization, business or community, the next steps should be taken knowing that we will all work together to bring about change.

Registration for the June Rise to Resilience workshop Unlearning Ableism for Educators is now available! In this workshop, we will dive into what ableism is, how it manifests within classrooms and the education system, and identify ways to challenge ableism in our practices. Register here: www.bit.ly/risejune You can watch past workshop recordings by clicking here and learn more about Rise to Resilience on the website www.risetoresilience.org. Image Description: A light pink background with...

Join Melissa McPheeters of Rise to Resilience with special guest and parent, Janise Cross, for this interactive workshop! Click here to register! Schedule: During this 3-hour interactive workshop, Melissa and Janise will facilitate a presentation, time for personal reflection, and voluntary activities to solidify learning and growth among participants. Two fifteen minute breaks are provided. There is no expectation that you have your camera to participate. We encourage you to show up in...

The Rise to Resilience May workshop registration is now available! Our topic is Trauma-Informed Care for School Leaders. In this workshop, learn how to integrate practices of trauma-informed care within policy and practice as school leaders. Click here to register! You can join the Rise to Resilience Community Group on Facebook and help select future topics! Follow the page on Facebook and Instagram . Image Description: A blue-green background with flowers and leaves in a border on the right...

As someone who focuses on trauma-informed leadership and self-care as well as trauma-informed care, I've been working hard to get the idea of a Recovery Plan out there into the world. I wanted to share a training description with the PACEs community, not as an advertisement but what I think people need to be focusing on in this crucial time. I have just finished my first series with the United Way here in Denver and it went great and was well received by leaders. Few periods in recent...

It has been approximately one year since leaving my position as the Waupaca County Health and Human Services director, reminding me how quickly times passes. So much has happened over the past year… good, bad and indifferent. The world has changed, and we’ve changed with it — we’ve learned so much about doing things differently, and that sometimes different is better. It is hard to believe that we can go back to what we knew as ‘normal’. In fact, I would say it is our moral obligation to not...

In this episode, Nathan Gerbrandt joins Matt to discuss the importance of trauma-informed workplaces and organizations. www.traumainformedlens.org

Achievement and success can mask underlying pain in such a way that it festers and continues to hold power over us.

Hi Folks, The latest edition of the Surviving Spirit Newsletter is posted at the website - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/index.php Once again I've tried to create a mix of articles, videos, music, books, podcasts, resources, etc, that offer Hope, Healing & Help. As the saying goes, “ Take what you like and leave the rest. ” or here's the PDF - http://newsletters.survivingspirit.com/pdfs/2021-04-The_Surviving_Spirit_Newsletter_April_2021.pdf To sign up for an e-mail copy, please...

Today, we know that approximately: 1/10 individuals will be challenged by their substance use 4 people will be directly impacted by an individuals substance use 1/6 children are challenged by a parent's active addiction. As health professionals and first responders, we are ideally positioned to provide the compassionate and trauma-informed care needed to dismantle the stigma that prevents families from receiving adequate care while simultaneously supporting families ability to heal. Visit...