May 2016

When U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp arrived mid-way through the May 25, 2016, congressional briefing on the Science of Trauma, she delivered her remarks (starts at 27:48 through 41:45) with passion, humor, and most of all, a sense of urgency to the room full of Capitol Hill staff and a smattering of advocates. Her message was macro as well as micro—change national policy to incorporate what the science tells us about trauma, and see and respond to the needs of those you encounter in everyday...

What if one area of research could prevent some of society's biggest problems? Researchers say an ever-expanding pool of data on the effects of childhood trauma—and how to counteract those effects—might be the key to alleviating countless societal problems. These include criminality, substance abuse, mental health problems and some of the leading causes of death. Those who work with children, in health care and with incarcerated populations in Crow Wing County are seeking to bring local...

In January ‘77, I was old enough to be allowed to watch grown-up TV with my sister, brother, and parents. During our viewings, I would either sit in Mama’s lap, or on the floor, my back resting against her legs because it was comfortable, and because she could easily clasp her hand over my eyes if something was too intense for me to see. On one of those nights, we were all engrossed watching a man named Kunta Kinte try to escape slavery again and again. Suddenly, in one scene, we saw an ax...

Rahil Briggs, a child psychologist, is walking the corridors of the Pediatrics department at the Montefiore Comprehensive Healthcare Center . We’re in the South Bronx, New York. It’s one of the poorest urban areas in the country. Crying babies don’t faze Briggs. She looks serene — like she’s just finished a yoga class. Briggs says babies’ brains are “sticky.” “Their brains are disproportionately receptive. So whatever we throw sticks. That’s why they can learn Spanish in six months when it...

Mel Atkins has spent most of his life with Grand Rapids Public Schools in Michigan. He graduated from Ottawa Hills High, where he played baseball. But his real love was bowling. He says he's bowled 22 perfect games. He's been a teacher and principal in the city's public schools. And now he works for the district, overseeing just about everything related to students. One more thing you need to know about him: Mel Atkins is a number-cruncher. Three years ago, the superintendent came to him...

Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Friday that a sentence of life without parole for juvenile offenders convicted of first-degree murder amounted to cruel and unusual punishment under the state’s constitution. Here’s the ruling , in part: In sum, we conclude that sentencing courts should not be required to make speculative up-front decisions on juvenile offenders’ prospects for rehabilitation because they lack adequate predictive information supporting such a decision. The parole board will be...

The plight of families is deepening with the affordability crisis. For the most vulnerable families in the U.S., however, help is getting even harder to find. The past decade has seen federal support for very low-income families with children slide, even as their ranks have skyrocketed. A new report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities finds that housing aid for families with children is at its lowest point in a decade. Even as the number of families with children with worst-case...

In my last column , I wrote about how getting lost in a good book can help students hang on to academic advances they made during the school year. What I didn't talk about then is how reading offers an equally crucial benefit to young people by developing what are known as "soft skills" — the emotional intelligence we need in life to feel confident, make good decisions and endure bad things. This is especially critical in Alaska, a state where too many children are victims of society's dark...

"My experience with violence is very brutal...I grew up with violence as if it were my sibling." - LC participant (youth) "We know we can't run the city- it's too complex- but our experience and our voices should count, especially because we're the most effected ." - LC participant (youth) "Our city's problems are shared by us all; we are all part of the problem AND the solution. Listening is a key component to healing." - LC Share Out partici pant (adult) Three years ago, RYSE Center in...

It's always great news when people working to spread the word about ACEs science, and the trauma-informed and resilience-building practices based on ACEs science, are acknowledged for their great work. And so it is that Melissa Charbonneau, Peggy Slider and Rhonda Crooker were given an Excellence in Nursing Practice award from the Inland Empire Nurses Association.

I do not have the ability to visualize, never had. But I didn't know I was different until a few years ago. When I first learned about my aphantasia I was shocked, saddened and confused. How could this be and me not know it for most of my life. Then I wondered was this caused by my cumulative childhood traumas? Could I learn how to visualize in my minds eye? My answer was no. My husband once asked me how I could write the story of "Julie & The lost Fairy Tale and not see the attic stairs...

The Montgomery County Veterans Treatment Court has been active for a full year as of this month. Providing an alternate path through the legal system for some military veterans under the guidance of state District Judge Kathleen Hamilton, the court currently holds a docket of 15 participants. The court held a celebratory ceremony Wednesday before its regular proceedings, recognizing the assistance provided to veterans by the court over the past year. “If it weren’t for our participants’...