Blog

“ The breath is a tool and can be used in many ways. Some types of breathing exercises definitely improve stress and anxiety. Just cross out “deep” and insert some other modifiers." - Julia Enguland Strait, PhD. I hope this post does not offend people who begin workshops or meetings with "deep breathing" exercises, it is not my intention. When I began zoom trainings during the pandemic, I would often start with a "Hanu/Hā" or breathing in and out to begin the session, for example, "4-7-8"...

80-85% of a child's brain is formed in the first 1,000 days of life. This is the time that we need to take care of our keiki (children), but who is taking care of the caregivers? It is difficult to "grow the field" when the wages earned in early education cannot meet the most basic needs of providers. This HPR link shares potential Hawai'i legislation that will address the challenges that early childhood care providers.

Aloha, In 2021, the State of Hawaiʻi legislature passed a law to create the ACT 209 Task Force. This interagency task force was given the charge to present recommendations that would create a trauma-informed care state. SB2482 , submitted by Ways and Means Chair, Senator Donovan Dela Cruz would create the Office of Wellness and Resilience. This office would carry forward the recommendations of the task force and truly set the infrastructure to perpetuate trauma-informed care practices in...

Connecticut’s Family First Prevention Services plan provides an opportunity to build an array of effective behavioral health treatments and other services for those children most at-risk for foster home placement with the goal of keeping families together. This is a link to an article from Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut that provides insights on the effectiveness of EBT. There are also three solid recommendations in the article including collaboration, training and...

Aloha Kākou! The Kahewai Summit was a success last year and we are pleased to announce the 2nd annual virtual conference! Please spread the word and let me know if you are interested in presenting or if you have a speaker you would like to recommend. The theme of our conference this year is, "Hā" or "breath." We will have a wide range of speakers from Kānaka perspectives as well as western sciences that will speak to the "breath of life." Here is a link to the "Save the Date" info- please...

I hear the expression, "make sure that your cup is getting filled," but that means we might be at a point where our cup is empty or half empty and needs to be filled. The caution is always given that if you are "thirsty in the desert, it is too late you are dehydrated." So in theory, we should always be practicing self-care so that we are pouring out to those we serve because we are "overflowing" from our own "cup." I know optimistic yet ideal target to shoot for in our daily life. One way...

Aloha and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou! Happy New Year! This is a very simple, yet powerful activity that you can do with keiki (children), whole families, staff members, students and clients to help them processes the COVID stress associated with the Omnicron strain. This may also be helpful for those who are experiencing "COVID fatigue," secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue. Simply take a sheet of paper and fold, "hamburger style" and write "COVID" in the middle of the sheet. One one...

This is a sobering article - This should be a kāhea- a call that we need to acknowledge the trauma and stress that we are experiencing and be kind to ourselves, educate and advocate for the protective factors and address community trauma by building community resilience. Please post how you are involved in community resilience projects! Mahalo, Danny

Happy Holidays everyone! This is an excellent article by SAMSHA that highlights the need for us to keep the holiday season in perspective and to make sure that we recognize that the Holiday season can trigger providers, clients and the community at-large. The holiday season can be a joyous and restful time, but it can also be a time of anxiety, stress, binge-eating on all the yummy sweets and for some isolation. Please be kind to yourself this holiday season and Happy Holidays from ACH!

Please join us for our new series entitled: Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice. This monthly virtual Zoom series will feature conversations facilitated by Dr. Porter Jennings-McGarity, PhD/LCSW, PACEs Connection’s criminal justice consultant, with special guests to discuss the need for trauma-informed criminal justice system reform. Using a PACEs-science lens, this series will examine the relationship between trauma and the criminal justice system, what needs changing, and strategies being...

This is an AMAZING conference. The Hoʻoikaika Partnership provides a safe and connected collaborative space and they have been putting on great conferences on Maui over the years. The Hoʻoikaika Partnership connects cultural practitioners, social workers, non-profits and concerned community members to build wellness and resilience in their communities. This virtual conference extends beyond the County of Maui and open to all. To register for this virtual conference follow this link . Happy...

Becky Antle, Ph.D., Professor of Social Work and esteemed University Scholar at the University of Louisville, won The Dibble Institute’s national competition to evaluate Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience in 2019. As a result, Dr. Antle and her colleagues have conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of Mind Matters on a host of outcomes related to trauma symptoms, emotional regulation, coping and resiliency, and interpersonal skills for at-risk...