Can a game of peek-a-boo change the world? Yes, it can. In this engaging TED Talk , 7-year-old Molly Wright explains how and shows that even the youngest of us can learn, understand, and communicate about brain science. Now, my question is…who will you share a world changing game with?

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on a number of mental health and wellness issues across the globe and left many struggling to effectively cope, including an increasing number right here in Kansas. Kansas: Stronger Together is a crisis counseling program developed to provide mental health and wellness support to all Kansans during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is funded by Federal disaster relief dollars that are administered by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management and the Kansas...

2020 was a year of many things – a year of fear and hope, a year of illness and health, and a year that has shined a light on many issues in our communities that have been hard to talk about. Issues like racial and other health disparities, mental health, and addictions. Bringing these issues out into the open means vast opportunities for conversations and healing – but how do we do this in safe, healthy ways? And how do we explain all of this to our kids so that they can learn...

This is a repost of information originally posted to PACEs Connection by Robbyn Petters Bennett, a Psychotherapist from Portland Oregon. Thanks to Robbyn for the resource! Putting the pieces together! Join an upstream approach to ending violence against children! This is an ACEs & Spanking INFOGRAPHIC that helps parents understand the connection between ACEs and the importance of not spanking and instead, using positive parenting techniques. For a free webinar series to support parents:...

The Wisdom of Trauma, Featuring Dr. Gabor Maté - global digital film premiere June 8-14. In addition to the film, Dr. Maté will host 7 days of learning with trauma experts from around the world, including Dr. Peter Levine, and Dr. Dan Siegel. See the trailer and learn more about the film, workshops, and filmmakers here . "Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you, as a result of what happens to you". - Gabor Maté About the film: Trauma is an invisible force that...

The Kansas Prevention Collaborative (KPC) is about prevention AND the promotion of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs). The KPC is in the midst of celebrating National Prevention Week (NPW) with communities across Kansas and the United States. NPW is a national educational campaign that promotes prevention year-round through providing ideas and resources to help individuals and communities make substance misuse prevention happen daily. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services...

Regulate. Relate. Reason. These “3 Rs” (developed by Dr. Bruce Perry) are an easy way to remind adults of how the brain is structured and develops and how communication is impacted when we are under significant stress. But how do you explain this in a way that kids can understand? Enter Nathan from Walnut Creek Elementary School in Austin, Texas. Walnut Creek has been working to implement the Neurosequential Model in Education as part of a pilot project in the Austin Independent School...

Every young person deserves to be safe from suicide, and the Kansas Partners in Empowering Youth for Suicide Prevention believes that the best way to reach every youth in Kansas is to provide opportunities for youth to talk to other youth. This is your opportunity to help state agencies shape suicide prevention messages that will go out to youth across the state! The goal is to raise awareness of the possibility of hope and healing while working to provide enough support to Kansas youth so...

In the past year, many of you may have been hearing more and more about “mindfulness” and instantly think of someone sitting cross-legged on the floor in flowing white clothes, with long hair and peace signs around their neck. Even the Oxford Dictionary describes mindfulness as “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations…” Pretty “new agey”, right? Well, maybe, but it...

Anyone else feel exhausted lately? Sure, we are in the middle of a global pandemic, waves of civil and social uprisings, and we just survived the dreaded holiday season…but besides that, most of us are just plain TIRED. Our TISC Initiatives team has spent much of the past year talking to folks about things they can do – like adjusting expectations and setting boundaries – to increase their ability to manage all that life has to throw at us. However, the one thing that we all seem to struggle...

For 12 days in a row starting Dec. 20, we will post videos on our social media to encourage Kansans to stay safe, take care of their mental health, and reach out if they need help. You are not alone during this COVID-19 season. At the Kansas Prevention Collaborative, we are feeling what everyone is feeling and want to express our hope for the new year by encouraging our fellow Kansans to celebrate the lessons learned as we adapted in 2020 and to look forward to 2021. Help us expand our reach...

Today is World Kindness Day. A global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world. Goodness knows, it seems like we don't see or hear much kindness right now. Our world seems to be full of fear, anxiety, and doubt (also read as "survival" or "self-protection"). I've spent most of the last 6 months talking to partners across the state about ways to practice more compassion with ourselves and in our organizations and one thing that I hear pretty...