July 2016

Two people died in a mass shooting in Florida this week , after the worst mass shooting in U.S. history happened at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando just 43 days ago, which itself was the 15th mass shooting in Florida this year. The frequency of mass shootings, while horrifying, obscures the banality of everyday gun violence in the U.S. Specifically, that far more people are killed in gun suicides and accidents than in homicides. Guns are primarily suicide machines. There were 21,334 firearm...

For individuals entering the criminal justice system, the experience of incarceration can lead to disconnection from supportive relationships, weakened self-esteem, and additional trauma and violence. Those with behavioral health conditions have a particularly difficult time in jail and prison – not only do these environments impede recovery, they can make life even more challenging after release. Many justice systems, including police, corrections, and courts work closely with behavioral...

The 2900 block of Webster Avenue in the Hill District doesn’t look like it’s suffering. Most of the properties are in decent shape, and day in and day out, it’s fairly quiet. Rhonda Lockett, a lifelong resident except for a stint in Washington, D.C., said most of her neighbors go to church and many are educated and employed. Yet 75 percent of the block — 36 households — have agreed to open their doors and their lives to community organizers, medical and behavioral health professionals and to...

I begin this channel to talk about maternal health & provide access to dialogs, conversations and education to people around the world. Motherhood is not perfect! Taking care of a human is hard! If you would like to contribute to the channel with a video. Please contact me here or visit our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Jawresearch/ ) page to leave a voicemail message! Wishing you wellness in life & business Jaw;)

COMPARING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN IN G20 COUNTRIES Children born in 2016, the Chinese year of the monkey, are said to be playful, clever and curious. A wonderful combination for any child. Yet, the lives and opportunities for these children depend critically on the choices made by our political and economic leaders .And, a key forum for this leadership is the G20. As the host nation for this year’s G20, China has put prosperity for all on the agenda. The Chinese President has said the...

When Joan was an undergraduate, in the 1970s, she asked her boyfriend why one of his roommates was finishing up a Ph.D. while another, in the same department, still had several years left. “Barbara’s rigid,” her boyfriend said. His other roommate, Karen, had slept with her advisor, but Barbara refused to sleep with hers. Chuckling with approval, the boyfriend recounted how Karen had asked to use his waterbed, and left a pair of sexy underwear scrunched in his sheets. Today, this kind of quid...

Last year, my previous employer threw a very thoughtful, generous appreciation dinner for our creative leadership team. The dinner was scheduled for 6:30pm on a weeknight. I’m a single mom living in downtown Boston, which meant that I’d have to arrange for a sitter from about 6pm-midnight at $20/hour. Add in some Tasty Burger for my son and the sitter, her tip and Uber home, and this appreciation dinner was going to end up costing me about $200. So when I received the invite, I couldn’t just...

Seanna Crosbie, chair of the Trauma-Informed Care Consortium of Central Texas (TICC) , laments that Texas is too often in the national spotlight for less than positive reasons—one example being its ranking next to the bottom among in states in spending on mental health services—and not often enough for its achievements. As she leads the TICC, she envisions a statewide collaboration across diverse sectors—including health, education, law enforcement—that turns around some of the most...

Eight years ago I wrote a brief review of The Whole Parent: How to be a Good Parent Even if You Didn't Have One by Debra Wesselmann. It was, and still is one of the few titles on this important topic. While the article is older, and geared towards adoptive parents, the content is still useful and this book can help any of us who are Parenting with ACEs. Here's an excerpt: This book is fantastic because it manages to be non-shaming about our weak spots while stressing the importance of...

When Lindsay Abt was pregnant with her first child, she remembers reading a book for expectant mothers that cautioned against making too many big life changes at once. She went ahead and made three anyway. “I broke all of the rules,” she said. Not only did she take on a job with greater responsibility — she is a partner at the accounting firm Ernst & Young — she had to move her family to Florida from New York to do it. She moved in July 2014 while her husband stayed behind to sell their...

July 12 marked one month since the horrific mass shooting that claimed the lives of 49 LGBTQ people and allies at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Most were young and Latinx. Those who lost loved ones are just beginning to try and make sense of the senseless and start the healing process. While the initial shock experienced so acutely by LGBTQ people and people of color may have started the process of grief, the collective trauma lives on. The need for inclusive LGBTQ-specific health centers...

Doyou believe that positive thinking can help you achieve your goals? Many people today do. Pop psychology and the $12 billion self-help industry reinforce a widespread belief that positive thinking can improve our moods and lead to beneficial life changes. In her book The Secret Daily Teachings(2008), the self-help author Rhonda Byrne suggested that: ‘Whatever big thing you are asking for, consider having the celebration now as though you have received it.’ Yet research in psychology...