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Hi folks, Please visit my You Tube Channel. I am a musician, writer and an advocate addressing the impact of trauma, abuse and mental health challenges & injuries. I believe there is Hope, Healing & Help for all of us who have been affected. My aim is to share resources and lessons I have learned of how trauma, abuse and the challenges of mental health have consequences for not only us as individuals but our families, friends, colleagues and society. I am not a doctor or a therapist...

By Anna Cooban, CNNBusiness, October 4, 2022 It wasn’t hard for Samantha Losey, managing director of Unity, a public relations firm in London, to convince her team to work fewer hours for the same paycheck. But it was an uphill battle to persuade her own board to join the world’s biggest pilot of the four-day work week. “I had to fight very hard for us to do this as a business… nobody was willing. Everyone was very traditionalist,” Losey told CNN Business. [ Please click here to read more .]

Establishing safety at work is one of the most important aspects of creating a trauma-informed workplace, but creating safety is easier said than done. When we discuss trauma-informed beliefs, practices, and values, we often explore big-picture concepts and systems. While this is an essential piece of the work, sharing specific, actionable steps can often improve our understanding better than big-picture ideas can. Here are some concrete and relatively simple ways to create safety at work,...

The well-timed choice to forgive deep injuries from childhood, though difficult, can greatly improve psychological wellbeing and free us to move ahead. Four keys to forgiveness lay the foundation for cultivating healing forgiveness skills.

The last 24 hours have reminded us of our individual vulnerability, as well as the vulnerability of our community and our state. Hurricane Ian is an example of a traumatic event in the third realm of ACEs that can bring about increased stress and strong emotional reactions. We acknowledge that this can be an incredibly challenging time for many and we encourage people to stay connected, reach out for help when needed, and support each other as you are able. This is how we can build...

By Elaine Miller-Karas MSW, LCSW Building Resiliency to Trauma Psychology Today, September 30, 2022 Mental health can suffer after extreme climate events. KEY POINTS Mental health conditions exacerbated by natural disasters include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. After a disaster, the number of people needing assistance from the mental health systems strains or exceeds community capacity. There are simple strategies helpers can use to help survivors restore...

Trauma-informed leadership is crucial if you want to accomplish trauma-informed change in your organization. Here’s some expert advice on how you can become a trauma-informed leader. 1. Acknowledge that cultural change is just as important as technical change Our problem-solving brains often focus on technical change when we talk about organizational change. We ask, “ What processes can we put in place to prevent this issue?” when we should ask, “What cultural norms are contributing to this...

Peer Workers United is a support group for peer workers and for others who are interested in learning more about peer work. Together, we share the ups and downs of our daily lives and the trials, tribulations and achievements of peer support work. Phillip Fleming, Tishna Lopez, Meesha Dyson & Judith Berman are inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Please consider reviewing the s resource titled “Trauma-Informed Approaches to Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Brief”. It can be found attached to this post . The purpose of this resource is to describe the connection between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and tobacco use; share how cessation service delivery can adopt and implement trauma-informed approaches; and provide recommendations and strategies for how cessation programs can apply the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services...

When we discuss implementing trauma-informed change, the conversation largely surrounds how we live trauma-informed values. How does our behavior reflect our values? What about our lifestyle choices, how we engage in relationships, or our attitude toward life’s challenges? When we reflect, we recognize that there are many ways we live trauma-informed values, but there are also many areas where we can improve. So, once we’ve identified the areas we’d like to change, the question becomes, how...

When we discuss implementing trauma-informed change, the conversation largely surrounds how we live trauma-informed values. How does our behavior reflect our values? What about our lifestyle choices, how we engage in relationships, or our attitude toward life’s challenges? When we reflect, we recognize that there are many ways we live trauma-informed values, but there are also many areas where we can improve. So, once we’ve identified the areas we’d like to change, the question becomes, how...

Brains aren’t just formed and its structure for development in early childhood is determined by more than just our genes, they are also built based on our experiences. Early childhood experiences can affect the development and physical architecture of our brain, which provides the foundation for future learning, behavior and health. Think about building something that will last through time. We would usually focus on a strong foundation and connect the rest of the structure from that...