Social and environmental factors contribute to a person’s mental health and well-being. There are many determinants but here is a closer focus on the lack of opportunities for education and traumatic childhood experiences as the main social risk factors of mental health. Education A study by Kondirolli & Sunder (2022) on the role of education as a determinant of mental health showed that, “an extra year of education led to a lower likelihood of reporting any symptoms related to...

Brains aren’t just formed and its structure for development in early childhood is determined by more than just our genes, they are also built based on our experiences. Early childhood experiences can affect the development and physical architecture of our brain, which provides the foundation for future learning, behavior and health. Think about building something that will last through time. We would usually focus on a strong foundation and connect the rest of the structure from that...

There is something very powerful about being able to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, stress or pain. Resilience has been defined and used to describe a person who bounces back from intense difficult circumstances. More often than not, with resilience comes deep personal growth that prepares a person for what’s ahead. Resilience drives us to stand strong; it is a process of adapting & moving forward. Trauma can be debilitating. It is life altering. But there is another truth...

Baan Romyen is our center for women here in Northern Thailand. It is for women & children who are at risk , vulnerable or physically/sexually exploited either through the commercial sex industry or sex trafficking. We are situated in the red light district and the name means "a protective space or home that is safe". Working with women who have been through complex trauma through exploitation needs me to be extremely trauma informed. But, I am learning more everyday that while having...

Adversity can be a powerful word especially when you are a Trauma Counsellor aware of ACEs. This revolutionary study on the impact of our Adverse Childhood Experiences has provided us with so many answers as to why we are the way we are. At least it did for me and the people I work with every day. It has also raised many important questions. One being, how can one build resilience through past adversities? How did I do it? Having done the ACE test and getting a maximum score of 10 on it, I...