Many of you may be familiar with the “Pair of ACEs” from the George Washington School of Public Health and the natural question that comes from this model – “What’s in your soil?” (If you aren’t familiar, learn more here .) Communities across the State of Kansas are starting conversations around, not only the impact of ACEs, but also the larger issues of Prevention, Health Equity, and Trauma-Informed Systems of Care. In June, the TISC team at WSU CEI had the opportunity to facilitate and...

I can’t believe that this month (…year…decade?!) is nearly over. Like many others this week, I’m doing a lot of reflecting about what I’m thankful for. In the month of November, our TISC team has had the privilege of talking to and learning from people across Kansas who care about building resilient residents, organizations, and communities. In a time when the world seems more than a little chaotic, intolerant, and just plain unkind – I’m grateful to be in a position to have witnessed the...

May 12-18 is National Prevention Week, an observance dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health. An essential strategy in building individual, organizational, and community well-being is self-care. Alive and Well Communities is hosting #AliveandWellfor5 on May 15 at 10:15 a.m. CDT (and throughout the day), encouraging everyone to take a 5 minute pause wherever you are to practice personal self-care. For more information about...

As a follow up to last week's post from the Barton County Health Department, Shelly Schneider shares their journey to move the work into the community through RiseUP Barton County. "Barton County is experiencing an exciting opportunity with community members uniting together as a group of unusual voices meeting weekly to develop and launch an effort for not only building but executing a Trauma Informed Community of Resilience. Our efforts started 2 years ago when the Barton County Health...

Some of you who know me, know that I am a huge fan of seeing movies in the theater. This week, I had the opportunity to see The Best of Enemies - which focused on the question of school integration in 1960s era North Carolina. As interesting as the true story was of the unlikely friendship that developed between community leaders with polarized opinions - I was particularly fascinated with the process that they used to get there. Here at CEI, we have the opportunity to work with a wide...

October 31 kicks off a three day celebration dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed. Halloween, in particular, can be a challenging time for those who have experienced trauma. To learn more about how to manage triggers this Halloween and be more trauma aware, check out this article from Promise Behavioral Health in Tennessee. Halloween can also be a great time to build positive relationships with your own children and children in...

Before we can make progress on any issue that affects the health and well-being of those who live in our communities, people must be aware that an issue exists. In this installment, of our series dedicated to the CDC’s Essentials for Childhood Framework , we are going to highlight ways that some communities in Kansas are working toward achieving Goal #1: Raise awareness and commitment to promote safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments and prevent child abuse and neglect. In...

As our team works with communities across the state, we have had the privilege of meeting a significant number of educators who are working to respond to the growing number of behavioral health needs their students are presenting. To support those efforts , the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has just released Student Assistance: A Guide for School Administrators . The purpose of this guide is to provide school leaders and administrators with key...

School districts across the state (and country) are working to find ways to become more trauma-aware, trauma-sensitive, and trauma-responsive. Many have started the process by implementing a variety of programs and practices school-wide from Restorative Justice to Capturing Kids' Hearts . Others are making small changes, one classroom at a time. All of it is good work – and the best way to make it sustainable is to have a written plan developed by leaders at all levels within the school or...

Last week, our state hosted its annual Governor's Conference on Public Health in Manhattan, KS where trauma-informed practices are increasingly coming to the forefront of efforts to support healthier people and communities. Along with our valued partner, Shelly Schneider, Administrator of the Barton County Health Department, I had the opportunity to discuss with public health practitioners ways that they can make their organization the "go to" place to receive care in their communities...

In our travels across this beautiful state, we often talk to folks who say they've heard of "ACEs" or "Trauma-Informed Care" but don't know where to begin to learn more or to initiate change in their organizations and communities. Here at the WSU Community Engagement Institute, we have a team of professionals from a variety of backgrounds who can provide education, facilitation, and technical support to organizations, coalitions, or communities who are interested in starting a conversation...

The past few months have been a challenging time for everyone. New "norms" at home and at work continue to evolve while people balance all of the issues that relate to keeping our families, workplaces, and communities safe and healthy and attempting to address the many system inequities related to poverty and race that the pandemic has shone a light on. As things move forward, I hope that our team can share some of the resources that we see along the way. By themselves, these tools won't...

WSU Community Engagement Institute is excited to announce the Rising to the Challenge Virtual Workshop Series! This series includes six interactive, FREE workshops centered on navigating challenges with resilience and intention. Our 60-minute sessions are open to anyone. See our ACEs Connection Calendar for information on how to register for one, several, or all of these events! Topics include: July 14 - Navigating Conflict & Difficult Conversations July 21 - Leading through Uncertainty,...

A Kansas-licensed social worker, Vanessa Lohf was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, where she still lives and works in public health by facilitating the Trauma-Informed Systems of Care Initiatives (TISC) team at the Wichita State University Community Engagement Institute. She also manages the Kansas ACEsConnection network , where she regularly posts about news and resources for communities and organizations throughout the state. Lohf says that Wichita is known as the “Aircraft Capital of...

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...

This week, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new advisory on Addressing The Health Care Workforce Burnout . The advisory highlights the urgent need to address the burnout crisis impacting health care workers across the country. Notably, the Biden Administration emphasizes the mental health and wellbeing of health workers as a priority and promotes it as a core objective of the President’s National Mental Health Strategy . Some of the recommendations in the advisory include...