Blog

On a wall at Santa Rosa Junior College’s newly expanded Dream Center is a framed, whimsical drawing of a woman with her eyes closed and hair windswept, surrounded by dozens of monarch butterflies. Above her head, white letters read: “My dreams are not illegal.” For many of the 1,800 students at the college who are undocumented, monarchs, which migrate thousands of miles between Mexico and Canada, symbolize hope. “When students walk into the center, I hope that they see the empowerment and...

Our next workshop will be on March 5th 5:30PM at Cook Middle School - Rm. 44, Santa Rosa. We welcome anyone interested to join us regardless of your experience, passion and you do not need to be a parent, but a child advocate!! ¡Reserva la fecha! Nuestro próximo taller será en marzo 5 en la escuela Cook Middle - salón 44 en Santa Rosa. Damos la bienvenida a cualquier persona interesada en unirse a nosotros, independientemente de su experiencia, pasión y usted no necesita ser un padre, ¡sino...

On January 30, 2019 the County of Sonoma took a significant step towards becoming a more trauma informed organization by delivering a 1 hour over-view of ACES science to newly hired staff. With this framework now embedded in NEO training we hope to give staff a solid foundation on the key concepts behind trauma informed care. We are re-focusing our efforts towards educating all staff on the link between toxic stress and health outcomes and behavior. This training is the result of...

Homelessness is one of Sonoma County’s most intractable problems. Despite the efforts of local activists, nonprofits, and government agencies, the number of people living on the streets, in vehicles, and in improvised shelters remains largely unchanged from year to year. The problem has been going on for decades and the situation has only grown worse as housing prices continue to rise. An annual federal report on homelessness found that Sonoma County had the third largest homeless population...

“There is no better investment we can make today than in the next generation of adults who will be the workers, parents, leaders, and caretakers of the world,” Treasurer Ma said. The deadline for counties to apply for grants is Thursday, February 28, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. Non-profit corporations also are encouraged to contact their counties to apply jointly. The California Health Facilities Financing Authority (CHFFA), chaired by Treasurer Ma, will distribute the funds through the Investment in...

To some people the word “tapping” may no longer involve dance steps or metal taps on shoes. Tapping now also refers to a holistic technique that relieves pain, stress and anxiety. Those interested in learning more can attend a workshop on “Tapping,” which will be held at Presentation School on Feb. 28 as part of the school’s yearly Speaker Series. “The school has been introducing students to ideas such as growth mindsets and mindfulness and stress reduction for years,” said Scott Parker,...

Robert Florez doesn’t mind talking about his troubled childhood, or his run-ins with the law as a young man that struggled to be heard. When he was a freshman at a high school in Grass Valley, living in Nevada City after years of causing a ruckus in his hometown of Watsonville, he stole a car with some friends and lit a small fire on school grounds. The local school board was ready to expel them, but the superintendent stuck his neck out and went against the board, granting him one final...

Understanding what goes on inside the teenage brain has been a preoccupation of parents from time immemorial, but over the last 20 years, neuroscientists have made real progress in understanding how the adolescent brain differs from the brains of both younger children and adults. Two local teachers, Andrea Schmitz and Mary Fitch, are on a mission to bring this knowledge to local parents and teens in hopes of increasing their understanding of the promise and vulnerability of the teenage...

Tucked away from the cross-town traffic, off Fulton Road in West Santa Rosa, is a dedicated mental health hospital and Outpatient Program Center situated on 10 grassy, tree-lined acres. Since 2013, when Aurora Santa Rosa [ASR] opened, the facility has offered a full range of mental health services including 95 available beds for those in need. Thirty-eight of those beds are dedicated to adolescent-only units. This is a very nice facility. CEO, Susan Rose , has been at Aurora since 2015. She...

Our state is leading the way in addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)! This year, California will become the first state to require and pay for ACEs screening for children under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment program, per recommendations from the Trauma Screening Advisory Workgroup created as part of Assembly Bill 340 . The Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services hearing on Monday, February 25th will discuss the recommendations from the AB 340...

Dr. Diane Suffridge, a clinical psychologist and director of the University Counseling Services at Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif., has been interested in trauma for many years. But last summer that interest took a sudden and interesting turn. A student counselor she advised had written a research paper on the link between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) health and mental health outcomes in foster youth, and it gave the student a new view of the patients she counseled at the...

Growing knowledge and networks for professionals working with families The third Sierra Learning Community in the four-part Building Resiliency Series focused on: Promoting Resilience using a Trauma-Informed Approach, Emphasizing P artnerships with Behavioral Health Systems. Together we explored successful approaches to support the behavioral health needs of children and families living in rural communities. View the recording of the event by clicking here: 2.7.19 Sierra Learning Community...