The two biggest myths about ACEs science are: MYTH #1 — That it’s just about the 10 ACEs in the ACE Study — the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study . It’s about sooooo much more than that. MYTH #2 — And that it’s just about ACEs…adverse childhood experiences. These two myths are intertwined. The ACE Study issued the first of its 70+ publications in 1998, and for many people it was the lightning bolt, the grand “aha” moment, the unexpected doorway into a blazing new...

On April 10 and 11, 2019, the Lake County ACEs and Resilience Coalition partnered with Northwest Indiana Community Action and the Northwest Indiana Reinvestment Alliance to host the reimagine conference. The first of its kind in Northwest Indiana, the reimagine conference provided an opportunity for groundbreakers and community leaders to explore the truth about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), to forge new partnerships, to create actionable recommendations, and to build a resilient...

Friday, April 12, 2019 marked an exciting, auspicious, and perhaps pivotal day in the history of Monroe County, Indiana. That’s a lot of adjectives—and pressure—to pile onto just another glorious spring day in Bloomington. But I think many folks who virtually congregate on a site that supports communities implementing trauma-informed and resilience-building practices grounded in ACEs science would agree that a county’s first-ever ACEs conference deserves a little ballyhoo. But this ACEs...

“What our students really crave the most is predictability from the adults interacting with them,” says Roger Sapp, a student success teacher at KIPP. For that reason, the one-on-one session is not a reward for being “good” or withheld if something bad happens. The kids who need it can count on it – every day. The scene is from a video by Edutopia (aka the George Lucas Educational Foundation), which has produced a series of more than 20 powerful, engaging shorts on how children learn in...

I'm excited to announce the newest ACEs Connection geographic community for my region, the Midwest & TN: Ardmore OK Behavioral Health Collaborative . This community is a partnership of local organizations taking a trauma-informed stance on behavioral health in Carter County, OK. Their goal is to build a healthy, connected and resilient community. The community manager is Ashley Godwin . Ashley Godwin joined Ardmore Behavioral Health Collaborative in March 2017 as the Director where she...

Becoming a trauma-informed organization requires clear communication about the transformation process, and support from staff at all levels of an organization. Often these efforts are spearheaded by “trauma-informed care champions”— individuals committed to raising awareness regarding the health effects of trauma and toxic stress and improving care for people who have experienced trauma. This week, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) invites you to recognize people around you who...

Tufts University medical professor Dr. Robert Sege directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that address social determinants of health. He is also the principal investigator for the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences).The HOPE framework is based on research that shows how positive childhood experiences can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Sege and colleagues...

Tufts University medical professor Dr. Robert Sege directs the Center for Community-Engaged Medicine and is nationally known for his research on effective health systems approaches that address social determinants of health. He is also the principal investigator for the HOPE framework (Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences).The HOPE framework is based on research that shows how positive childhood experiences can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Sege and colleagues...

A bill to provide mental health care for Indiana students narrowly passed the Senate this week. The legislation was written in response to school safety. Bill author, Sen. Michael Crider (R-Greenfield), says the creation of an integrated mental health system is a key step in preventing school violence. "Every recent incident in Indiana that I’m aware of has not been a total surprise," says Crider. " Someone knew that student was having issues." [For more on this story by JILL SHERIDAN, go to...

Understanding the long-term impact of developmental trauma, how trauma impacts the brain, and the science of resiliency is a powerful first step toward change. It is exciting to watch people begin to let this knowledge soak in… and even more exciting when they begin to ask “Now what?” As I have worked with organizations across the state, I have found that often what they are really looking for is the curriculum or recipe book that they can follow for their clients or students. Even those...

Words like trauma-informed and resiliency get thrown around a lot these days. And for many, the visions they call up are a bit too glossy. You see resiliency and trauma-informed aren’t always pretty. Resiliency can look like closing the bathroom door and collapsing in tears… but then washing your face and going back into the world, carrying the belief that you can survive and the hope that things will get better. It looks like begrudgingly going on that walk with a friend, when the little...

What if I told you that I was a victim of child sex abuse? As a survivor of child sexual abuse , I have a clear understanding of the importance of addressing stigma and shame as it pertains to sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape. Victims, especially young children, often do not disclose sexual abuse. Those who are witnesses of child sexual abuse, or who are trusted by survivors enough that they confide in them, are often ill-equipped to handle the responsibility. And, many times, parents...

Laura, your blog post is SO exciting! I am so hoping this is where we are heading in Lake County. Thank you for sharing your community's journey in becoming trauma-aware/sensitive and most of all active.

Karen Clemmer, the Northwest community facilitator with ACEs Connection, was already deeply interested in the CDC/Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study when she and a colleague from the Child Parent Institute were invited to lunch by ACEs Connection founder and publisher Jane Stevens in 2012. But that lunch meeting changed everything. Karen Clemmer “Jane helped us see a bigger world,” says Clemmer. “She came with a much wider lens. She didn’t look only at Sonoma County, she...

The 2020 reimagine conference is an opportunity for everyone to explore the truth about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) , to forge new relationships, to envision new possibilities, and to build a resilient community. The objective of the conference is to inspire collaborative initiatives in communities that take a trauma‐responsive approach to community development and public health efforts . This conference is designed to deepen participants’ understanding of Adverse Childhood...

Be sure to check out this impressive line-up of speakers and sessions planned for you at the upcoming reimagine conference!

The 2021 reimagine conference will take place on October 12 and 13, 2021. We are planning for a hybrid event this year with in-person events and activities taking place tentatively at the Dean and Barbara White Community Center in Merrillville, Indiana. Online aspects of the conference will be hosted on the Socio app. We hope the hybrid structure will allow us to reach a wide and diverse audience while creating the opportunity for face to face engagement with the conference content as well.

Northwest Indiana Community Action is planning the 3rd annual reimagine conference addressing the intersection of trauma and community development. We are so excited to announce this year's keynote speakers. We will welcome both Dr. Christina Bethell , from Johns Hopkins University and Laura Porter of ACE Interface will join us virtually. For the past 35 years Dr. Bethell has built her work and career around an intentional goal to catalyze health care and public health transformation at the...

A webinar offered by the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) Thursday, September 30, 1:30 - 3:00 pm EDT Register today . Addressing the mental health needs of child care providers and children in care is vital in the face of the pandemic, a population-level traumatic event. CTIPP is offering a "plug and play" framework to ease the process of developing a continuum of training, reflective coaching, and consultation to build the capacity for supporting relational health...

Join us for the 4th annual Reimagine Conference featuring keynote speaker, Becky Haas.

We are seeking engaging and interactive workshop proposals that will provide our attendees with skills, tools, and strategies to recognize, care for, and support survivors of trauma and toxic stress.

Former PACEs Connection employees Dana Brown (L) with Vincent Felitti, MD, co-author of the 1998 Adverse Childhood Experiences study, and Carey Sipp (R) in San Diego in January, 2024. The last few months have been quite challenging, but we pushed, persevered, and didn’t give up hope. The “we” is Carey Sipp and Dana Brown. We were long-time staff members of PACEs Connection determined to reinstate the website and the resources and information we provide to communities after the platform went...