Blog

When you don't have anyone to play with, you go to the buddy bench at Willowgrove School. Follow the link to view a 1 minute video on this trauma sensitive approach to playground inclusion: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/buddy-bench-willowgrove-school-1.3505066

Youth Voice leaders (left to right) Katherine, Lizette, Jessica, Adrian, Tatiana, Sienna and Angel Seven youth leaders traveled to San Diego State University last week to explain the science of adverse childhood experiences and the impact of complex trauma, as well as their journey of resilience and transformation to thirty seniors in the university's Counseling and Psychology Department. Youth Voice has created a sanctuary for youth, ages 11 to 20, to share, learn and create messages of...

Last Thursday I was able to participate in San Diego Regional Center’s Training entitled, “ From Biography to Treatment: Supporting Individuals with IDD Who Struggle with the Effects of Trauma.” I was very excited to learn how teams coordinating care for individuals with IDD could use biographical timelines. The timelines allow clinicians to get a better understanding of a person’s journey and the trauma they’ve experienced at different points in their life which increases empathy. Teams are...

A La Jolla man is launching a national effort to help homeless people by practicing yoga. “This is not a new idea,” said Andrew Beinbrink, CEO of SportsForce, a local college recruiting company. “This is already being done in different communities on a small scale, and the evidence of its successful so far is mind-blowing.” Yoga, Beinbrink said, has been proven to reduce traumatic stress, depression, insomnia and addictions. It also has been used to help veterans with post-traumatic stress...

Resilience , a documentary that looks at the birth of the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study and how it spawned a movement across the world, will be coming to your personal screen in April, says Lynn Waymer, KPJR Film’s community engagement strategist. The production team is working out the details to make the documentary, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival to sold-out houses, available to ACEsConnection.com members on Sunday, April 10, at 6 pm PT/ 9 pm...

From Tugg.com, March 17, 2016 Tugg Edu is proud to present the highly anticipated ACEs documentary PAPER TIGERS to the educational marketplace. Directed by James Redford ( THE BIG PICTURE: RETHINKING DYSLEXIA, RESILIENCE ), PAPER TIGERS follows a year in the life of an alternative high school that has radically changed its approach to disciplining its students, becoming a promising model for how to break the cycles of poverty, violence and disease that affect families. With over 450...

Please see this exciting update about upcoming one-on-one sessions available for the District Attorney's Office Request For Statement of Qualifications (RFSQ #7191). They are really working hard to make sure that community partners, mentors, counselors, social services practitioners, small businesses, etc. who are interested can get on the approved “consultant list”. To secure a spot , please send Grace Liu an email ( grace.liu@sdcda.org ) with your times of availability between 2:00 p.m. –...

The UC San Diego School of Medicine has promoted Dr. Deepak Chopra from assistant professor to full professor to reflect his growing work with the campus to explore and explain how such things as meditation, yoga and diet affect a person's health. The promotion does not come with a salary. The 68 year-old physician-spiritualist will continue to interact with the university on a voluntary, unpaid basis. He will continue to be based out of the Chopra Center in La Costa, which he co-founded in...

Community-based organizations and community members were all in attendance at the Live Well Central Region Leadership meeting on Wednesday, March 16. During the meeting, we received updates from the health, safety, and thriving working groups. The Probation Department shared how it would screen clients using the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument. At this point in time hey have screened 40 youth and 4 have been further assessed so that appropriate services could be provided. I thought...

I recently joined the San Diego County Behavioral Health CADRE XVI group. In my first training there was an exercise where three groups (Primarily Alcohol and other Drug, Mental Health, and Child and Family Services….a mix of licensed clinicians, AOD counselors, and para professionals) were asked to list the types of services each system of care provided. I was so pleasantly surprised that each group independently listed “Trauma Informed”. What progress San Diego Behavioral Health has made...

This article, written by Wendy Smith, addresses the challenges created by trauma, and why it's important to address these issues as early as possible. While the article focuses more on the role of social workers, parents, and foster care systems, this same information applies to anyone who works with children, regardless of where we have the opportunity to provide support. ~ Leisa Irwin, ACEs in Education group manager. What Children’s Brains Tell Us About Trauma: Invest Early, by Wendy...

Cherokee Point Elementary in City Heights (San Diego Unified School District) hosted 12 educators from Oregon on Friday, March 11th. The superintendents, principals and teachers spent the day with Principal Godwin Higa and Resource Specialist Patty Wallach to talk about the school becoming trauma informed, and how it functions. They visited classrooms and had lunch with the students, then met with Dr. Audrey Hokoda, Child, Development Department, San Diego State University and Dana Brown to...