Tagged With "mental health"
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ACEs Connection Overview
ACES CONNECTION NETWORK OVERVIEW ACEs = Adverse Childhood Experiences 2 SITES ACEsTooHigh.com A solutions-oriented news site for the general public that covers stories on ACEs, trauma, and resilience. ACEsConnection.com An action-based...
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AG Grewal and Education Commissioner Dehmer Announce Statewide “Handle With Care” Program
TRENTON – Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer today announced a new Statewide “Handle With Care” Program to support schoolchildren throughout New Jersey who have experienced traumatic events in their lives. “Handle With Care” (HWC) is designed to promote partnerships between law enforcement and schools to help provide a safe and supportive academic environment for children exposed to traumatic events known as “adverse childhood experiences,” or...
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School ‘wellness centers’ could be an answer to soaring mental health needs in California
Responding to a surge in student anxiety and depression — exacerbated by the pandemic — a state commission has called for California schools to move quickly to become “wellness centers” addressing mental and physical health needs among K-12 students and their families. Through agreements with nonprofits and government health agencies, schools would offer psychological services, basic medical care and other services to help families navigate trauma and other challenges, according to a...
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Whole People Watch Weekend on ACEs Connection (Dec. 11th - 13th)
The Transform Trauma with ACEs Sciences FREE Film Festival continues this weekend. Please join us to watch parts 1, 2, and 3 of the PBS Whole People series at your convenience, on ACEs Connection, by clicking play on the videos below: Whole People | 101 | Childhood Trauma | Episode 1 (27 min) Preview: Whole People | 102 | Healing Communities | Preview | Episode 2 Whole People | 102 |Healing Communities Episode 2 (27 min) Whole People | 103 |A New Response | Episode 3 (27 min) This is one of...
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New Event! Strategies for Mending Our Wounds: Recovering from School Crisis through Art and Ritual
Supporting students, educators, school staff, and school-based clinicians to effectively implement trauma-informed crisis recovery and renewal strategies. January 7, 2021 9:30 a.m. PT – 12:30 p.m. PT / check start time in your time zone Participants eligible to receive up to 3 Continued Education Hours* Access the event flyer (PDF) here REGISTER TODAY! The School Crisis Recovery and Renewal (SCRR ) project is pleased to offer a half-day virtual institute for educators centered on sharing and...
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ACES Science 101 (FAQs)
What are ACEs? ACEs are adverse childhood experiences that harm children's developing brains so profoundly that the effects show up decades later; they cause much of chronic disease, most mental illness, and are at the root of most violence. ...
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What's your ACEs Score? What's the most hidden ACE? Mental Health Check-Ins with Alison Cebulla
Every Monday and Thursday since the pandemic started in March I do a video "Mental Health Check-In" on Facebook Live. The goal is to increase mental health literacy and to end the stigma of discussing mental illness. Additionally, I'd like for us to move away from the term "mental illness" and towards trauma-informed language in which we understand that illness of the mind, body, and spirit are deeply intertwined with the physical and emotional experiences—not just events we remember—but the...
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As the Pandemic Rages on, a Conversation about Stress and Coping
As California’s first-ever surgeon general, how do you hope to shape the position? Dr. Nadine Burke Harris: Governor Newsom established the position of California Surgeon General with the understanding that some of the most pernicious, but least-addressed health challenges are the upstream factors that eventually become chronic and acute conditions that are far more difficult and expensive to treat. As the first California Surgeon General, I have prioritized early childhood development,...
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Mental health hotlines for first responders, health care workers, cops goes live in N.J.
By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com For nearly 10 months, police officers, firefighters and medical professionals have reported to work risking exposure to the coronavirus, enduring the emotional toll of witnessing so much suffering. To meet the unique needs of first responders and health care workers, the state Department of Human Services and Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care announced this week it will operate helplines staffed by crisis counselors. Law enforcement...
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ACEs: What They Are and How They Relate to Toxic Stress
A survey across 25 states reported that about 61% of adults had experienced at least one type of adverse childhood experience (ACE) (1) . Exposure to ACEs can have lasting and adverse effects on health, well-being, and opportunity. ACEs can increase the risks of injury, transmitted infections, maternal and child health problems, and leading causes of death, like heart diseases, diabetes, and suicide. ACEs and associated conditions can also cause toxic stress, altering an individual’s brain...
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New Intervention to Help Children With Trauma Will Treat the Whole Family
As California’s new program to screen Medi-Cal patients for adverse childhood experiences (which are termed “ACEs”) gets underway, experts at UC San Francisco are trying to ensure that the adults and children who report trauma get the help they need. Experts now believe it’s most effective to treat the whole family when traumas occur. But any successful program would need to overcome fragmented payment systems, which usually dictate separate and poorly coordinated care for children and...
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Chronic Disease Among African American Families: A Systematic Scoping Review
Chronic diseases are common among African Americans, but the extent to which research has focused on addressing chronic diseases across multiple members of African American families is unclear. This systematic scoping review summarizes the characteristics of research addressing coexisting chronic conditions among African American families, including guiding theories, conditions studied, types of relationships, study outcomes, and intervention research.
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Who Helps the Helpers? SEL for School Counselors’ Mental Health
By Justina Schlund and Amanda Fitzgerald Stress is nothing new to school counselors . But as they continue to shoulder the tremendous responsibility of helping young people heal from the momentous events of the past year and ongoing traumas, education leaders need to renew a focus on school counselors’ well-being. Although nearly all educators are experiencing heightened stress and anxiety, school counselors are often the first ones called in to help address crises and traumatic experiences.
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6 Exercises to Get to Know Your Students Better—and Increase Their Engagement
Hindered by video screens, fluctuating schedules, and health regulations, teachers are up against the odds this school year when it comes to getting to know their students. “It’s hard to really get to know your students through a webcam," @mark_bevacqua wrote on Twitter, while @cheri_cheralex shared her struggles of seeing students in masks or “with eyes only.” While get-to-know-you activities are typically earmarked for the first weeks of school, they shouldn’t end there, say educators and...
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ACEs Action Plan to make New Jersey a “trauma-informed/healing centered state” launched on February 4 by Governor Phil Murphy and other key officials
Growing up with trauma inextricably linked to racism in southern Illinois, working as a state employee in Minnesota, training folks about ACEs and diversity and equity in several states—these are just a few of the life experiences Dave Ellis brings to the work he is now doing as Executive Director of the New Jersey Office of Resilience. Seven months ago Ellis took the job to head the Office of Resilience with the assurance that there would be a deep and meaningful focus on community...
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3 Tips for Anxiety Attack Prevention
3 Tips for Anxiety Attack Prevention Sweating, shaking, irritability, nausea, and a rapid heart rate are all common symptoms of an anxiety attack, according to Verywell Mind. And while symptoms can vary from person to person, anxiety attacks often stem from an underlying anxiety disorder such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or social anxiety disorder. Prescription medications and psychotherapy can help treat anxiety, but coping strategies such as exercise, meditation, and...
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Students’ social-emotional skills have suffered since the pandemic started and some predict it will only worsen.
Dallas-area children and teenagers are struggling with their social-emotional skills more since the pandemic started, but summer programs gave some a chance to connect with others their age, according to a new report. The finding was among several in a new report by the nonprofit Big Thought and Southern Methodist University that gave insight into how students are feeling during the public health crisis as the two examined the impact of their Dallas City of Learning initiative in summer...
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Schools, Not Teachers, Must Reduce Stress and Burnout—Here’s How Educators’ health and well-being should be prioritized in school culture; school leaders can help create the conditions for that.
School counselors are “shouldering the tremendous responsibility of helping young people heal from the momentous events of the past year and ongoing traumas,” write Justina Schlund and Amanda Fitzgerald for ASCD’s In Service blog , and school leaders, they say, should prioritize counselors’ wellbeing. But there’s no doubt that the stress of this disrupted school year is impacting all educators, and even under more normal circumstances, teachers are besieged by stressful, taxing conditions...
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What We’ve Learned About The Child Brain: Damien Fair, recently named MacArthur Genius, on the counterintuitive way the brain develops and how that relates to child welfare and juvenile justice practices
Since he first began studying the brain in stroke patients using functional magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, cognitive neuroscientist Damien Fair has become a star in the field of pediatric and adolescent brain development. His work has led to a greater understanding of mental health disorders and the impact of trauma, including intergenerational trauma, on the young brain. Last fall, Fair was named as one of the 2020 MacArthur “genius” award winners for his work in mapping network...
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Normalizing Men as Caregivers Helps Families and Society
When we imagine a caregiver, we often picture a woman: a mother caring for young children, spouse, and the daily household chores, a daughter nursing a father with disabilities, or a female child care provider. Historically, women have been expected to serve as primary providers of “caretaking” work, whether it’s parenting or caring for an aging family member or paid work in positions typically associated with women such as child-care providers, nurses, or health aide. Alternativley, men are...
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Mental Health Facts & Figures
On behalf of the mental health and substance use treatment organizations we support across the country, we are proud to recognize Mental Health Month in May and support behavioral health care all year long. We hope these resources will help you now and in the future! Mental Health Facts & Figures Here are some data points you can use to speak to the scope of mental health: 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year. 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each...
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PACEs Champion Dwana Young navigates community-driven ACEs healing centers in New Jersey
In 2020, New Jersey, a state with about 9 million people spread over the rural countryside and dense urban areas like Newark, launched a new entity: the NJ Office of Resilience (NJOR). The NJOR is unusual because it is a public-private partnership. It brings together three private foundations as well as the NJ Department of Children and Families to provide community-driven strategies for preventing, treating, and healing from ACEs. Like a ship’s navigator laying out a course on charts, Dwana...
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Me & My Emotions: A New, Free Resource for Teens
The pandemic has had a lasting effect on youth mental health. Moved by a desire to reduce youth’s toxic stress and increase their resilience, The Dibble Institute, in partnership with a team of students and alumni from ArtCenter College of Design and author Carolyn Curtis, PhD, is releasing Me & My Emotions —a new, free adaptation of our beloved Mind Matters Curriculum. The mobile-friendly Me & My Emotions website features engaging graphics and bite-sized lessons teens can access and...
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MAINTAINING MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON (AND A PANDEMIC)
The holidays can be a joy-filled season, but they can also be stressful and especially challenging for those impacted by mental illness. A NAMI study showed that 64% of people with mental illness report holidays make their conditions worse . “For many people the holiday season is not always the most wonderful time of the year,” said NAMI medical director Ken Duckworth (in an interview before the pandemic). For individuals and families coping with mental health challenges, the holiday season...
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Highly-honored school nurse and nurse educator Robin Cogan calls PACEs Connection her ‘north star’; urges each member’s support!
Note: PACEs Connection is in dire financial straits. We are asking for support, from you, our 57,505 members, to help cover the loss of foundation funding that was promised and did not come through. Pay and hours have been cut for our staff—most of us will be laid off for the month of December. Another grant will pick up in January. Since sounding the alarm this summer, we’ve raised about $24,000 . To get a sense of who your fellow members are, who is donating and why, please enjoy and share...
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World Mental Health Day: Mobilizing the Human Family Through the CRC & the PACEs Movement
Awareness about health outcomes are as much about the long-term impact caused by adverse childhood experiences as they are by positive childhood experiences. By providing education on trauma-informed awareness and resilience building frameworks, the CRC Accelerator certification is a tool for both.
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CRC Accelerator Hiatus Reminder & April “Hour of Power” to Support CRC Participants With Only One Event to Completion Learn CRC Fellowship Next Steps
As we’ve recently announced, the CRC Accelerator is taking an indefinite hiatus, but this moment of growth is anything but goodbye. Two years into this unique program, we are aware of the incredible impact access can have on PACEs initiatives and we now have a CRC Fellowship that grows with each CRC graduate.
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EXCITING NEWS – PACEs Connection is BACK!
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...