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When Officer John Hampton of the San Bruno Police Department in San Bruno, CA, first heard that mindfulness training was being offered to him and his fellow cops, he had two reactions. John Hampton “I think my major reaction was: ‘Oh, there’s some hippy thing that they’re trying to get cops to do,’” he said. “When I say that, it’s funny because that’s not my voice. It’s the caricature of a police officer-like voice. In the back of my mind, I was interested and open to it, but that police...

By Madeline Drexler, Harvard Public Health, Winter 2020 In 2007, pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris, MPH ’02, set out on an idealistic mission: to deliver quality medical care to one of San Francisco’s poorest and most underserved neighborhoods—Bayview-Hunters Point, in the isolated southeastern corner of the city. Before Burke Harris arrived on the scene, only one pediatrician was serving the neighborhood’s 10,000 children. The community’s plight was starkly apparent in its ZIP code. In 17 of...

By Miriam Bevis, Judy Atkinson, Leisa McCarthy, and Michelle Sweet, Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety, February 2020 This report sets out the findings of the research project, “Kungas’ trauma experiences and effects on behaviour in Central Australia”, a pilot project run under the Kunga Stopping Violence Program (KSVP), which is based in Alice Springs. This practitioner-requested research was initiated by the KSVP Manager Miriam Bevis, and is the result of a...

By Kimberley Burrowes, Housing Matters, February 19, 2020 The effects of discriminatory policies limit opportunities for people of color and their communities. The lingering effects of redlining and racial covenants have left many historic, once-thriving Black neighborhoods in need of revitalization as hypervacancy, blight, and neighborhood social and economic distress restrict opportunities for residents to build wealth for future generations. New investments can revitalize neighborhoods...

From Emerging Minds, February 2020 This toolkit contains information, advice and practical tools for individuals and professionals who work with, or care for, children who have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are very stressful events or circumstances that children may experience during their childhood. They can have significant impacts on children’s physical health, mental health and social functioning during childhood, adolescence and later life. The resources in this...

From the Victoria State Government, February 2020 The safety and wellbeing of young people and staff is paramount in providing residential care in Victoria. Attention needs to be directed at ensuring young people placed in residential care receive the necessary support to enable them to achieve the same outcomes as their peers in the broader community. A significant proportion of young people in residential care have experienced extensive abuse and neglect. The impact of this trauma may lead...

On February 18, 2020, nationally recognized experts discussed policy and advocacy strategies on local, state, and national levels using evidence from studies they have conducted with legislators and the general public. Speakers shared advocacy and messaging "how to’s" including communicating the effects of structural racism as an ACE, fostering equity as an essential component of resilience, and leveraging the power of community-based ACE, trauma and resilience networks to inform policy.

In response to an overwhelming demand for information about ACEs science, screening tools, and guidance on how to implement ACEs screening, CYW has developed a suite of online courses in order to make our training more accessible to a broader audience. Developed by a team of pediatricians, research scientists, public health experts, and clinical quality improvement experts, these courses are the first of four online courses that will aid medical providers/practitioners in understanding and...

Measuring Trauma-Informed Care: Overview of Series Federal, state, and local governing bodies are increasingly mandating trauma-informed care (TIC), requiring organizations, schools, and service systems to demonstrate they are advancing TIC in their settings. Yet, organizations and schools have little guidance about how to do so. For example, the Family First Services Prevention Act requires Qualified Residential Training Programs (QRTPs) to demonstrate effective use of a TIC framework, but...

By Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 23, 2020 The Tale of Two Boys Growing Up in Cleveland Let’s ask two hypothetical 9-year-old boys a question: What is it like to grow up in Cleveland? Each boy attends school, and enjoys riding his bike and playing with Legos. Both live in Cleveland. Beyond these similarities, their life experiences are—and will continue to be—starkly different based on multiple, complex factors that lie within their neighborhoods. [...

By Kathleen Brown-Rice, The Professional Counselor, February 2020 The theory of historical trauma was developed to explain the current problems facing many Native Americans. This theory purports that some Native Americans are experiencing historical loss symptoms (e.g., depression, substance dependence, diabetes, dysfunctional parenting, unemployment) as a result of the cross-generational transmission of trauma from historical losses (e.g., loss of population, land, and culture). However,...

From Christine Stone (Department of Human Services, Communication, Trauma-Informed Oregon, January 31, 2020 The Department of Human Services (DHS) is building a new three-story, 96,000-square-foot building in Gresham. But it’s not just another government-looking edifice. Trauma-Informed Design The building, planned for 22200 S.E. Stark Street, will have a trauma-informed design. This means creating a physical environment that promotes a sense of safety and calm for our clients and our staff.