Tagged With "Tips for Supporting College Age Students"
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ACEs Science Champions Series: Training future counselors to integrate ACEs science in the classroom
Nemia with peacock used in therapy with children. Talking with an animal is often easier than talking with an adult for a child who's experienced abuse. _________________________________________ Toni Nemia, program and clinical director for the University of San Francisco Child and Family Center's School-Based Family Counseling, says that her graduate students are often surprised to hear that ACEs science (adverse childhood experiences) has an international reach. In fact, Scotland is an...
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Tuition or Dinner? Nearly Half of College Students Surveyed in a New Report Are Going Hungry (nytimes.com)
In the coming weeks, thousands of college students will walk across a stage and proudly accept their diplomas. Many of them will be hungry. A survey released this week by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice indicated that 45 percent of student respondents from over 100 institutions said they had been food insecure in the past 30 days. In New York, the nonprofit found that among City University of New York (CUNY) students, 48 percent had been food insecure in...
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Unbroken: Accepting who you are and what you need (SDSU Student Health 101)
Different kinds of minds come with different kinds of strengths (as well as challenges). Many unusual thinkers and innovators - people who may have been considered mentally ill, disabled, or eccentric - have made critical leaps in the sciences, arts, and technology. The concept of neurodiversity acknowledges and helps us accept these natural human differences. "Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general," wrote journalist Harvey...
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What Children’s Brains Tell Us About Trauma: Invest Early
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...
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What Having Mental Illness in College Is Like for Me (themighty.com)
M ental illness in college can be a silent battle. Mental illness in college is channeling my intense emotions into each new experience. I can inspire people with my passion. It’s making connections with the best friends I’ve ever had. It’s having a roommate who researches my illnesses when I’m in the hospital. Or the friend who gets me out of bed to go for a walk with her when it’s pretty outside. The friend who comes to be with me when I say I’m fine, because she knows I’m not OK. 1 And...
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What I Realized After Being Hit With Suicidal Thoughts After Finals (themighty.com)
This past December, I hit a rough patch. I entered into a terrifying depressive episode, full of thoughts and feelings I couldn’t handle. Life with mental illness necessitates these moments on occasion, but there are still things I can do to try to prevent big collapses into depression . I had not been taking care of myself, and I fell apart. What was remarkable about this particular depressive episode was its timing in my life. It was exactly one day after finals ended, my first day of...
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What It Was Like to Talk About My Mental Illness in Front of Students (themighty.com)
My psychologist (I’ll refer to him as Dr. F for this post) is amazing. He has helped me tremendously over the last six months. I’m quite sure I wouldn’t be here anymore if it wasn’t for him. A month ago, he asked me if I would like to speak to the psychology class he teaches at a local college. At first, I wasn’t sure. My anxiety is horrible and even the thought of speaking in front of people terrifies me. The idea I would be talking to people about my depression and mental disorders made me...
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What Success Looks Like: On-Campus Resources and Support for Foster Youth (socialjusticesolutions.org)
After identifying a statewide need for support services for foster youth, the Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) was created in 2006 through a collaboration between the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), the Foundation for California Community Colleges and numerous partners and stakeholders. According to Jessica Smith, the statewide liaison for FYSI, the “network of support” provided by FYSI includes assistance with academic needs, financial aid, physical and...
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What Success Looks Like: On-Campus Resources and Support for Foster Youth (socialjusticesolutions.org)
After identifying a statewide need for support services for foster youth, the Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) was created in 2006 through a collaboration between the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), the Foundation for California Community Colleges and numerous partners and stakeholders. According to Jessica Smith, the statewide liaison for FYSI, the “network of support” provided by FYSI includes assistance with academic needs, financial aid, physical and...
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When Being a Prepared Student Is Really Anxiety in Disguise (themighty.com)
I have always been the prepared one — maybe even too prepared . The girl who analyzed project and assignment rubrics extensively to make sure the submitted work was perfection. The girl who had normalized excessive anxiety and stress for far too long. It sent me into a major depression , stripped me of my personality and my happiness. It made me ill. Nothing had prepared me for an illness which made me convinced suicide was the answer. Four years ago, I thought I would be graduating this...
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Youth Voice students introduce SDSU college seniors to ACEs
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...
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LGBT+ Voices: A Cultural Experience
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Poetry and Convo with Queer Indigenous Poet TOMMY PICO
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Resilience documentary: Key Speaker - Dr. Vincent J. Felitti
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5 Tips for Supporting College Age Students' Mental Health [blogs.psychcentral.com]
By Andrea Schneider, PsychCentral, February 7, 2020 Did you know that the second leading cause of death in people ages 15-22 is suicide (ACHA, 2020)? Those are some sobering statistics. After a recent move from S CA to N Ca, I am currently serving in a new role in which I am the Lead Counselor on a college campus for this age range. Unfortunately, those statistics don’t lie. I am deeply involved in creating new programs, strategies, and direct clinical support for the students my campus...
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A New Documentary About Breaking the Cycle of Trauma is Launching This Fall!
We are thrilled to announce the premiere of Wrestling Ghosts , a documentary about breaking the cycle of trauma, at the LA Film festival on Sept. 27th. “Incredible. Haunting and strange and beautiful and incredibly moving.” -Dan Cogan, Founder Impact Partners Wrestling Ghosts follows the epic inner journey of Kim, a young mother who, over two heartbreaking and inspiring years, battles the traumas from her past in order to create a new present and future for her and her family. In this...
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ACEs Connection Network Confab -- Southern California, May 10, 2016
(l to r) Sienna, one of the teens from Youth Voice from City Heights; Dana Brown, ACEs Connection Network regional facilitator and co-founder of Youth Voice; Francisco Mendoza, CEO, Mendoza Consulting; Jessica, Youth Voice; Lizette, Youth Voice; Talitha Thompson, Youth Voice co-facilitator; Joshua Aguirre, RISE Up Industries board of directors; Stephanie Linderman, Youth Voice mentor; Arturo Soriano, Youth Empowerment co-founder; (in front) Adrian, Youth Voice.
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Advance Practice at the ACEs 2016 Project Showcase
From the organizers of the 2016 ACEs Conference , San Francisco, CA, October 19th -21st, 2016. Please consider submitting your project today! We know building connections and learning across fields is the best way to advance practices that support children. That’s why we’re very excited to invite you to submit your work to the 2016 Conference on Adverse Childhood Experiences Project Showcase . We’re looking to highlight research, programs, tools or other initiatives that: Highlight the role...
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Balancing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) With HOPE*
New Insights into the Role of Positive Experience on Child and Family Development *Health Outcomes of Positive Experience Abstract This report presents evidence for HOPE (Health Outcomes of Positive Experiences) based on newly released, compelling data that reinforce the need to promote positive experiences for children and families in order to foster healthy childhood development despite the adversity common in so many families. These data: Establish a spirit of hope and optimism and make...
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Berkeley Media Studies Group (BMSG) Blogging Tips and Talking about Trauma
Berkeley Media Studies Group facilitated a southern and northern California Strategic Communications Workshop in October 2015. Attached, please find their powerpoint, created by co-facilitators Julieta Kusnir and Pamela Mejia, titled "Talking about Trauma: Tips & Tools for Communicating Effectively" and "Blogging Tips for Media Advocates" articulating tips on content, headlines, length and tone of blogs.
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Broadening Your Network and Identifying Partners for More Resilient, Healthier Communities
Who should you partner with to create lasting change through resilience in your community? The Building Community Resilience (BCR) initiative aims to address, prevent, and reduce the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adverse community environments (ACEs) on children’s health and wellbeing ( The “Pair of ACEs” ). An essential element of the successes of BCR’s five test sites around the country has been strategic collaborations. In your work to build resilience, identifying...
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Bystander intervention goes professional: 4 tips for stepping in on the job (SDSU Student Health 101)
Here’s something most of us know, and the research backs up: Small actions make a big difference, especially when it comes to preventing sexual harassment and assault. If we see something that doesn’t feel right, we can act. This is bystander intervention: stepping in to reinforce our community values and prevent harm when we see something that looks like disrespect or pressure. Many of us already do this, like when we disrupt a conversation that seems uncomfortable or speak up when people...
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Concordia University Launches Trauma & Resilience Curriculum [businesswire.com]
PORTLAND, Ore.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--More than 25 percent of American youth experience a serious traumatic event by their sixteenth birthday, and many children suffer multiple and repeated traumas, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. This trauma affects children learning in the classroom. Beginning January 2018, students in Concordia University-Portland’s College of Education can complete an MEd in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Trauma and Resilience...
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Consideration of Personal Adverse Childhood Experiences during Implementation of Trauma-Informed Care Curriculum in Graduate Health Programs (thepermanentejournal.org)
We designed a curriculum to help students become comfortable addressing typically uncomfortable topics, practice listening and collaborating skills, and ultimately form confidence to implement their knowledge of ACEs and TIC in clinical practice. Using a model of teamwork and collaboration, we sought to better understand future health care practitioners’ consideration of the lifelong effects of trauma and violence, and ways to combat resistance to such understanding. We hypothesized that...
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Count your way to calm: A simple breathing technique to help you stay present (SDSU Student Health 101)
One of my favorite things about meditation is how uncomplicated the practice is. When my life gets hectic or my mind feels overrun with racing thoughts, the simplicity of meditation can be a huge relief. There’s a scientific basis for this feeling: Meditation reduces activity in parts of the brain associated with mind-wandering and unhappiness, according to a 2011 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . When I teach meditation, I try to keep my instructions concise so as...
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Echo Conference Spotlight: Mental Health of Undocumented Students
Echo's conference this year is packed with great workshops for teachers, parents and anyone who works with children and their families. In addition to the not-to-be-missed keynotes (such as Susan Craig ), we are proud to present: Jose Ivan Arreola-Torres Workshop Spotlight: Holistic Healing for Immigrant & Undocumented Youth In this important workshop, Jose Ivan Arreola-Torres will talk about an often overlooked aspect of student mental health - the mental and emotional...
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From Convict to College Student (theatlantic.com)
California’s public universities are starting to embrace a program that helps transition people from prison to campus. A program at San Francisco State University has quietly been helping former prisoners earn college degrees for decades. Now, it’s gaining wider attention as schools around the state begin to look for ways to help formerly incarcerated men and women gain access to higher education. In 1967, John Irwin, who had been incarcerated before becoming a sociology professor at SF...
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How to Help Students Believe in Themselves [greatergood.berkeley.edu]
“She’s just going to be a maid anyway.” This was the reason given to me by a fifth grade teacher as to why I, a student teacher at the time, shouldn’t give extra help to a child who was working hard to improve her reading. Once my shock at this disturbing statement wore off, I realized that the teacher’s beliefs and assumptions were potentially jeopardizing the quality of life and future aspirations of this student. Bar none, reading skills are essential to life. And while there is...
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How to Succeed in College and Life [GreaterGood.Berkeley.edu]
You should get some exercise, eat healthy, and sleep enough. You should be supportive of your friends. You should do what you’re passionate about. We’ve all gotten such well-meaning advice, and it’s good advice. But there’s one problem: People rarely tell us how to achieve these worthy goals. Luckily, there is a new book that gives you the “how,” and will help you not just survive, but thrive. U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life) by Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter—two New York...
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Legislation Signals Growing Support for Significance of Trauma Indicators [CaliforniaHealthline.org]
As a college student, Rob Bonta had a summer job working as a counselor for troubled kids. Now, two decades later he is bringing legislation to address some of the needs he saw then. “I worked with some of these kids as a counselor out of college, and I’d walk them home and hear some of these stories,” Assembly member Bonta (D-Oakland) said. “Shootings they heard. Or shootings they witnessed the night before.” It was the summer of his junior year at Yale, when...
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LGBTQIA OUTreach hosts a Workplace Inclusivity Workshop
San Diego State University’s LGBTQIA OUTreach organization on campus hosted a Workplace Inclusivity Workshop on Friday, February 10th, 2017 in Conrad Prebys Student Union theater from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm. The audience was warmly welcomed by OUTreach ’s Co-Vice-Presidents Amber McKinney and Sam Put, before the LGBTQIA organization’s Co-Advisors, Silvia Barragan and David Engstrom were honored and appreciated for supporting the imperative event on campus. Sergeant Daniel Meyer , San Diego Police...
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Life in College After a Life in Foster Care [NYTimes.com]
Being an extrovert is a double-edged sword. I can speak confidently in my college classes and in front of large groups. But everyone seems to think I’ve got it all under control, and I rarely feel that way. There’s a ticking clock always in the back of my mind. I need to graduate and become financially independent before the support I get from the foster care system disappears. [For more of this story, written by Noel Anaya, go to ...
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Meditation on Campus [HuffingtonPost.com]
When the University of North Texas designed and planned their new 130 million dollar student union, all possible options and ideas were on the table. And why not? You only get one chance to build a facility like UNT’s new union, so you better get it right. As the master plan evolved, one idea that made the cut was a dedicated space for introspection. The process was student driven, and the students had spoken. They wanted a meditation room. As unusual as that request may have sounded to...
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Movement-Making in Buncombe County (NC): Opportunity-Based Narrative and Creation Spaces
Mobilizing action can be intimidating. Creating a movement even more so. John Hagel provides the following definition of a movement: “an organized effort mobilizing a large number of independent participants in a grassroots effort to pursue a broad agenda for change.” He indicates that there are two key ingredients in movement making: 1) compelling narratives and 2) fostering creation spaces. In Buncombe County, we are experimenting with both of these notions. Opportunity-based Narrative A...
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Number of university dropouts due to mental health problems trebles [TheGuardian.com]
The number of students to drop out of university with mental health problems has more than trebled in recent years, official figures show. Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) revealed that a record 1,180 students who experienced mental health problems left university early in 2014-15, the most recent year in which data was available. It represents a 210% increase from 380 in 2009-10. The figures have prompted charities, counsellors and health experts to urge higher...
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Paper Tigers screening logistics ~ parking info. and campus map
Please find the logistics for this Friday's screening of the Paper Tigers documentary. Thank you for your support of the trauma informed schools movement! With gratitude to Melissa Sanchez with her support of the amazing Silvia Barragan, School of Social Work, who is the catalyst for Friday evening's opportunity to raise awareness and spark more individuals sharing with others. Please know we look forward to seeing you at the Trauma Informed Resource Fair from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm in Templo...
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Parent and Youth Leaders Educate Policymakers on ACEs in Sacramento on July 11th
Twelve parent and youth leaders, reentry and educational leaders, and community organizers represented the region of San Diego in Sacramento on July 11th. Aligning with about 80 other community members and professionals statewide, everyone met with and educated legislative staff on the impact of ACEs, community trauma, community healing and resilience building. Organized by the 4CA steering group led by Center for Youth Wellness, Children Now, and ACEs Connection Network, the ACEs science...
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Ph.D. Students Face Mental Health Challenges
Science By Elisabeth Pain Approximately one-third of Ph.D. students are at risk of having or developing a common psychiatric disorder like depression, a recent study reports. Although these results come from a small sample—3659 students at universities in Flanders, Belgium, 90% of whom were studying the sciences and social sciences—they are nonetheless an important addition to the growing literature about the prevalence of mental health issues in academia . One key message for scientific...
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Project FORECAST - Becoming a Trauma-Informed Workforce
TRAINING THE WORKFORCE BY INCREASING KNOWLEDGE AND BUILDING SKILLS Project FORECAST uses simulation-based learning experiences to develop trauma-informed critical thinking skills. Take advantage of this free opportunity to become a FORECAST facilitator and join us in developing a trauma-informed workforce. If you train students or child-serving professionals in the fields of: � Child protection � Law enforcement � Juvenile justice � Mental or behavioral health � Healthcare Join Project...
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San Diego State Revives Aztec Language Course as Mascot Debate Continues (ww2.kqed.org)
San Diego State is reviving a course on the indigenous Aztec language, Nahuatl, next semester. The announcement comes as faculty and students revive a decade-long debate on campus about the appropriation of the Aztecs as a mascot. “This is a reaction to respect, to notions of respect,” said Center for Latin American Studies Director Ramona Pérez. “It’s a reaction to doing things right.” She said the university had offered a course on the language in the early 2000s, when concerns about the...
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Social support: The most overlooked self-care routine (SDSU Student Health 101)
I began feeling pretty out of it when I was 18. I had just started college after moving away from a tight-knit friend group in my hometown and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I’d come back from class, stuff my face with junk while binge-watching Netflix, and consciously try to shut out the world. It felt like I was slogging through mud just trying to get through each day. Despite how I was feeling, when family and friends would call to ask how I was doing, I always responded...
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Stopping Suicides on Campus [Blogs.ScientificAmerican.com]
When I was a sophomore in college, our campus looked like a prison. My classmates and I walked to class between eight-foot tall chain-linked fences. Security guards patrolled bridges around the Ivy League school. It was 2010 and, in the last academic year, six students had killed themselves at Cornell University . Two jumped off bridges into the Ithaca gorges on consecutive days in March. Classmates anxiously checked in on one another. Parents panicked. The administration scrambled to...
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Suffering from a setback? How to take advantage of failure (SDSU Student Health 101)
Failure and setbacks are painful, whether you flunked a paper or course, didn’t exactly excel at an internship, or missed some other goal. You’ve probably been there. In a survey by Student Health 101 , 67 percent of student respondents said that they had experienced a failure that seriously rocked their self-belief. Yet, as counterintuitive as it is, we all need failure and setbacks. Some of the world’s most creative and notable people (think empire builders such as the late Steve Jobs)...
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Taking ACEs to School: Trauma-Informed Approaches in Higher Education
“What happened to you?” isn’t just a question for therapists to ask their troubled clients. It’s a question that should inform the work of physicians, nurses, lawyers, educators, social workers and public health advocates from the time they are learning their professions to each real-world encounter. That’s the hope of the Philadelphia ACE Task Force (PATF) , whose workforce development group released a toolkit to help faculty across a range of disciplines weave content on adverse childhood...
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Talk it out: The science behind therapy and how it can help you (SDSU Student Health 101)
New class expectations, new living situations, and navigating newfound independence can give us all the feels—from super psyched to super stressed. Even if you’re loving your student life, dealing with all the stressors that come with college can be a lot to handle. According to experts, the best time to handle that stress is now. “If we don’t take care of our mental health, we may not be able to reach our goals, maintain good relationships, and function well in day-to-day situations,” says...