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IF survived, early-life child abuse left unchecked typically causes the brain to improperly develop. It can readily be the starting point of a life in which the brain uncontrollably releases potentially damaging levels of inflammatory stress hormones and chemicals, even in otherwise non-stressful daily routines. It can amount to non-physical-impact brain-damage abuse: It has been described as a continuous, discomforting anticipation of ‘the other shoe dropping’ and simultaneously being...

Workshop after workshop asks people to check off their ACE's. Then, presenters tell you about your odds of having all sorts of adverse, unhealthy, or worrisome outcomes. You face doom without mitigation, as the story is told. As a clinician and behavioral scientist, one needs to take a sip of water and some steady breathing before resigning one's self or to affected individuals to the dung heap of life. I recall the first time I heard a breathless clinician talking about ACE's about...

Highlights of my year include time spent and powerful discussions with CRC Accelerator and Fellowship participants. Insight shared by our dedicated participants, graduates, and fellows about what they learned about trauma-informed awareness, resilience building, and PACEs science as a result of the CRC will continue to inspire the movement.

By The HOPE Team, https://positiveexperience.org/blog/ The HOPE National Resource Center (NRC) offers training options at all levels, from introductory workshops and courses to advanced certifications, that will help you expand your practice of HOPE and promote positive childhood experiences (PCEs) in your community and organization. We continually develop and update our training opportunities using feedback from our HOPE community members and partners. It is important for our trainings to...

In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, I was invited by Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI) to be a guest contributor to their newsletter. After careful consideration I wrote Centering the Black Feminist Perspective: Supremacy Culture is the Barrier Black Maternal Health Never Needed.

Though technology can be helpful for children, too much screen time can be a problem for some families. However, it can be difficult to get your child to reduce their screen time to create more positive childhood experiences. One of the best ways to do this is to entice kids with more exciting opportunities. Provide your children with indoor and outdoor activities that interest and engage them. This fosters creative play, which in turn helps children develop coping skills that will serve...

Next Sunday the zoom conference "Sunday with Gopal" will take place (for free). More information and Zoom-link: https://www.sundaywithgopal.com Everyone is invited who is interested in solving actual problems and who wants to understand what lies at the heart of all our problems and suffering. You are most welcome to attend this meeting. You will see how it is possible to deal with deep and unresolved attachment trauma that lead to all the problems we have in everyday life. For more...

Last month, Elon Musk endorsed “Bad Therapy,” a new book written by a reporter that places blame on mental health therapists and trauma-informed care as the cause of the children’s mental health crisis. The book proposes that children’s mental health professionals are taking advantage of their clients by intentionally keeping them in a therapy loop to make money. The author also posits that the trauma-informed movement is the catalyst of the children’s mental health crisis and is...

The National Collaborative on Trauma-Informed Health Care, Education and Research (TIHCER) presents: Utilizing Trauma Informed Care Principles to Enhance Care for Refugee and Migrant Populations Migrants at the U.S.-Mexican border suffer from some of the most insidious health crises imaginable. This year alone, hundreds have died or been seriously injured from heat-related injuries, wall-falls, drownings, and neglect. Thousands suffer mental health crises because of their experiences;...

In an ideal classroom setting, students would leave their worries at the door alongside their backpacks as they step into a space conducive to learning. However, the reality is far from this utopian vision. Issues from home, conflicts in relationships, anxiety over assignments or exams, and broader concerns from the world beyond the school gates often accompany students throughout their day. This persistent background noise of stress undermines their ability to concentrate on academics,...

Overcoming Adversity is excited to announce the launch of the GRIT Growing Resilience - Informed on Trauma Podcast! Join me as I shine light on the challenges and successes of implementing fully trauma-informed schools. Don't miss the opportunity to lean in as I give a real-life account from my with years of experience working with kids from hard places in the education setting as an early childhood educator and school counselor. #TraumaInformedSchools can stop the education landslide. The...

Trauma treatment is difficult even on our best day and relapse is normal. Without troubleshooting resources, we risk setting up our traumatized families for failure again and again. I hope you will join us at the Family Trauma Institute for this month's free webinar to learn how to sustain change in family systems. DATE: April 10, 2024 TIME: 12:00 PM to 1 :00 PM EDT FREE REGISTRATION: Click here. Register to watch live and receive the link to watch on-demand. Scott P. Sells, Ph.D., MSW,...