Skip to main content

Trauma Informed DC Metro Area Initiative Begins

Dec17TraumaGathering

On December 17, 2014, over 20 people met from across the Washington, DC metro area to begin a dialogue on how to move towards creating trauma informed communities. The event was co-sponsored by the STAR Center, a national technical assistance center working for mental health systems transformation, and The Campbell Center, an education and advocacy group for individuals living with and seeking treatment from mental health and substance addiction challenges.

 

This gathering was initially the brainchild of Chacku Mathai of the STAR Center and Leah Harris of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery. Both Mathai and Harris had been inspired by the growing trauma-informed community movement documented in the Community Resilience Cookbook and ACEs Connection. They were having lunch at an event together, and said, “let’s make this conversation happen.” They reached out to Iden Campbell McCollum, CEO of the Campbell Center, and a longtime trauma awareness advocate in the District of Columbia, who enthusiastically joined the partnership. 

 

Participants represented diverse backgrounds and communities in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia -- including trauma survivors, ACEs educators, child welfare, juvenile justice, domestic violence, parent educators, social workers, peer support workers, legal advocates, veterans, educators, and advocates for youth and adults who are homeless and justice involved.

 

Mathai opened up the discussion by noting the need to break down our silos. “We can’t solve the complex problems we face alone. It will take the creative contributions of many people across systems and organizations. Hopefully this is the beginning of an ongoing dialogue and action oriented network to build community resilience in the Washington, DC Metro Area.”

 

Harris gave a brief introduction to the ACE Study and shared about the initiatives happening in PhiladelphiaTarpon Springs, FL, and Walla Walla, WA, among other places, where people are putting what we know about trauma and resilience into practice on the community level. Said Harris, “As someone with an ACE score of 7, who has personally has experienced the devastating effects of trauma as well as the potential for healing, I feel a deep calling to do all I can to help reduce the prevalence of traumatic stress across the life spanand to promote individual and community resilience.”

 

McCollushared his moving personal story of building resiliency as a trauma survivor, which has included healing relationships, a regimen of holistic self-care, and spiritual practices. He also talked about the particular traumas faced by the transgender community and the traumatic impact of racism and gentrification in the DC Metro area. He announced a two-day Trauma Conference, to be held May 12-13, 2015, sponsored by the Campbell Center, which will include a track on community resilience. 

 

Following Harris’ and McCollum’s presentations, participants shared their ideas for where this initiative could go, including better education for parents on trauma and child development; educating landlords about the trauma histories of their tenants; and training for law enforcement on trauma and resilience.

 

There was strong enthusiasm for the conversation to continue. Next steps will include convening a steering committee and identifying/reaching out to other people and community groups that should be invited to participate. Stay tuned for further updates as this hopeful initiative develops. For more information, email leahharris2 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Attachments

Images (1)
  • Trauma Informed DC Metro Area Gathering: Iden Campbell McCollum shares about his personal journey of building resilience.

Add Comment

Comments (9)

Newest · Oldest · Popular

Yes, this is important work and I am so glad that I was able to get involved.  We are grateful for all those involved with this work at the macro and micro levels.  We are looking forward to continuing this work with other constituents in our community.  Thank you Leah, Elizabeth, Chacku.  Keep up the good work.

 

Michelle J.

Originally Posted by Jim Sporleder:

Leah, please let me know how I can support this critical initiative to begin the implementation process.  we have the "why" we need to change our approach, it is time to implement the "how". We have too many hurting members of our community and too many hurting children not to push forward. Thanks for being a champion in the movement to lead others to resilience and hope. 

Jim, thank you so much for your offer of support and for all you've done in your community to address ACEs. FYI - we are planning on having a private screening of the Paper Tigers movie in May, but hope to perhaps do a bigger public screening later in the year. I went to an alternative high school like Lincoln and would never have graduated if it wasn't for a supportive educator who saw me as a whole, not broken, kid.

 

As for the DC initiative, we are currently doing an "environmental scan" to assess who our potential partners and allies are that aren't currently involved and make a plan to reach out. We are also trying to get the BRFSS data on ACEs in DC organized in a way that makes sense to people. Once that happens, hopefully we can do a report on ACEs in DC that we can share with various networks. Will share updates on our group page. Look forward to staying in touch!

Leah, please let me know how I can support this critical initiative to begin the implementation process.  we have the "why" we need to change our approach, it is time to implement the "how". We have too many hurting members of our community and too many hurting children not to push forward. Thanks for being a champion in the movement to lead others to resilience and hope. 

Brenda, we will be sure to keep you posted. So glad to hear you're interested in potentially supporting this effort.
 
Originally Posted by Brenda Yuen:

It's wonderful to see this happening within my own metro area!  I live in suburban Maryland and desperately want to help educate Montgomery County regarding ACEs and trauma-informed practices.  I am a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University on the Clinical Mental Health Counseling track.  The work you are doing here is to be commended.  We HAVE to move forward and change how we handle traumatized populations.  Please keep me informed as this progresses.  I might be able to come, if my semester ends in time.  I want to support your efforts and hope to hear that others from Montgomery County, Maryland are involved in your work!  Brenda Gregory Yuen

 

I applaud your efforts in D.C., on this initiative. Hopefully, efforts to leverage capital, rehab buildings by creating jobs in high unemployment areas, such as occurred when the first Community Development Credit Union was founded in Anacostia, and the first rehabbed building was converted to safe-affordable housing upstairs and a Children's Day Care center on the street level-where unemployed neighborhood women found jobs, will serve to complement the "Ray of Hope" this trauma-informed initiative is providing for Community Resilience!

 

This is what I hope will be a time of information sharing and educating all who want, need or desire to become more trauma informed. I often hear many of my clinical friends and associates speak about trauma being something we all need to take into consideration when working with various populations. Ok, the time is here, has been here and now let us rally around this effort, gain great strides and momentum in creating a Trauma Informed DC Metropolitan Area, one neighborhood at a time. Wherever one door may close, trust and believe another will be wide open!!! 

It's wonderful to see this happening within my own metro area!  I live in suburban Maryland and desperately want to help educate Montgomery County regarding ACEs and trauma-informed practices.  I am a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University on the Clinical Mental Health Counseling track.  The work you are doing here is to be commended.  We HAVE to move forward and change how we handle traumatized populations.  Please keep me informed as this progresses.  I might be able to come, if my semester ends in time.  I want to support your efforts and hope to hear that others from Montgomery County, Maryland are involved in your work!  Brenda Gregory Yuen

Post
Copyright © 2023, PACEsConnection. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×