November 2019

Most people have heard of post-traumatic stress disorder that afflicts many men and women returning from a war zone. It is characterized by flashbacks, unstable moods, and survivor’s remorse. However, many have never heard of a condition that often develops in childhood and changes the course of the child’s life forever, complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). For a good definition of CPTSD, we turned to Beauty After Bruises, an organization that offers outreach focused on adult...

By Christiane Amanpour, Public Broadcasting Service, November 14, 2019 When Adam Frankel was 25 years old, he discovered something shocking: he wasn’t his father’s biological son, a secret his mother had kept from him his whole life. At the time, he was making waves as a talented speechwriter for President Obama. His debut book “The Survivors” captures his experience, and he sits down with Walter to discuss his powerful story. CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Now we move to an incredible personal story.

By Vandana Devgan, Centering Healthcare Institute, November 15, 2019 Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) is honored to share that its pediatric group care model CenteringParenting®, has been recognized by The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) as an innovative pediatric intervention in its latest study. "Fostering Social and Emotional Health: Common Threads to Transform Everyday Practice and System" , released as part of the Pediatrics Supporting Parents (PSP) initiative, shares...

By Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, November 13, 2019 When the stress in your life just doesn’t let up, and it feels like you have no support to get through the day—let alone do everything you need to do to be the best parent you can be—it can seem like there’s nothing that can make it better. But there are resources that can help, and this kind of stress—known as “toxic stress”—doesn’t have to define your life. In this video, learn more about what toxic stress is, how it...

There's been much talk lately about ways individuals can build resilience. Yoga, meditation, and mindfulness currently the most discussed. Aren't we ignoring the elephant in the room? Aren't parents who engage in parenting behaviors and practices generally recognized as supporting their children's healthy development the most important and most powerful source of a child's resilience? And if this is the case shouldn't we be figuring out how to make better parents? Probably the most resilient...

I was reflecting on another event-packed Resilience Awareness month, with Family Fun Nights, City and County Proclamations, Yard Signs, Banners and flags, sandwich boards, Screenager documentary, resilience tips daily and sheep brains. Wait, what? Sheep brains?? Yes! In partnership with Whitman College's Science Department, we used sheep brains as part of our STEAM events and they were a hit! One grandmom reported it was her grandson's favorite! Another family came back to a second event, to...

I wrote Victim to Victory, healing generational abuse from my bloodline, during a seven-year journey of being very sick. I am not a writer. I am a healer. In those years of losing my ability to walk and having my family abandon me I turned inward, asking why and how do I get out of this straight jacket. I did everything imaginable, but the pain was chronic and my will was losing strength. In my darkest hours, I would hear a voice during my meditations. I had nothing to lose, so I followed...

THIS TUESDAY, November 19, 2019 @ 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EST Please click here to register . Are you looking for concrete guidance about how to make your primary care organization more trauma-informed? If yes, join us as we introduce a new Change Package focused on the most current strategies, tools and resources for launching and growing a trauma-informed initiative in your primary care organization. This resource, the result of a three year initiative between the National Council for Behavioral...

By Casey Gwinn, The San Diego Union-Tribune, November 14, 2019 In 2002, during my tenure as the San Diego city attorney, we opened the nationally acclaimed San Diego Family Justice Center. For the first time anywhere in America, we brought together 25 agencies under one roof to meet the needs of domestic and sexual violence victims. The results were stunning. During our journey from the very beginning of planning the center through 2008, we saw a 90% drop in domestic violence homicides in...

By Stanford University, ScienceDaily, November 14, 2019 Science and policy may not be enough to solve complex environmental challenges ranging from species extinction to water pollution, but actively engaged citizens could tip the balance, according to a new Stanford-led study that provides a blueprint for empowering people to turn the tide of environmental destruction. In Biological Conservation, the researchers outline four key facets of programs that have been successful in motivating and...

By George Washington University, ScienceDaily, November 14, 2019 "Our data indicate girls and boys are more similar than different when it comes to what makes playing sports fun," said Amanda J. Visek, PhD, an associate professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH). "What counts most for girls and boys are things like 'trying your best,' 'working hard,' 'staying active,' and 'playing well...

By Adam Linehan, The New York Times, November 11, 2019 When my grandfather Michael Linehan Jr. arrived in North Africa in December 1943 to begin his tour of duty with the 15th Air Force, the average life expectancy of an Allied heavy-bomber crewman was roughly six combat missions, less than a fourth of what he was required to fly. As the 25-year-old pilot of a B-24 Liberator, my grandfather flew in some of the most decisive engagements of the war, including the Battle of Anzio and the second...