December 2018

Highland councillors yesterday committed to following the principles laid out in a new report on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) by NHS Highland. The council is the first local authority in the UK to commit to becoming ‘ACE Aware’, and working with NHS and third sector to embed the principles into frontline children’s services. The report sets out to change traditional ways of thinking about children and adults who have had a poor start in life due to ‘toxic stress’ in their surroundings...

To call Williamson, West Virginia, a town is to exaggerate. It is a pinprick settlement of 2,800 people in Mingo County—yet over a decade two pharmacies there pumped out 21m pills of addictive opioids. Unscrupulous clinics staffed by negligent doctors issued prescriptions to throngs of patients attracted by the lax procedures. These “pill mills” were an open secret, so much so that the town acquired the nickname “Pilliamson”. In “American Overdose” Chris McGreal of the Guardian looks...

Parents struggling with food insecurity can experience heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. These pressures may negatively affect their parenting, which may in turn affect the behavior of their children. In this study, we investigated the parenting aggravation levels of parents who experienced food insecurity in the aftermath of the Great Recession. We also explored the extent to which such aggravation may be responsible for the link between food insecurity and children’s...

(click to download) We love science at Echo. It has been my greatest pleasure to share the science about the impact of trauma, including the changes that happen to the various systems of the body in our Trauma and Resilience trainings . The list is pretty exhaustive, and to try to make sense of it all, we’ve developed another of our popular infographics. Nervous system: This is where we focus a lot of our attention in trauma and recovery. The nervous system takes a beating when we live with...

Update, Dec. 13, 2018 at 8:15 p.m. ET: On Thursday evening, the Senate unanimously passed its version of the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act, sending it to the president to sign. Congress moved a big step closer on Tuesday toward addressing one of the most fundamental problems underlying the maternal mortality crisis in the United States: the shortage of reliable data about what kills American mothers. The House of Representatives unanimously approved H.R. 1318 , the Preventing Maternal...

Every child deserves to grow up with a strong connection to a caring adult and a loving family. But for one in four kids in Shelby County, a supportive relationship with a parent figure isn’t so easy to come by. The legacy of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — ranging from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; physical or emotional neglect; the loss of a parent through illness, death, divorce, or incarceration; or domestic violence or substance abuse within the family — places barriers...

To prevent and treat trauma, we all benefit from receiving a basic education in how emotions work in the mind and body. Sadly, we don't get this education in our formal schooling. So we must take it upon ourselves to learn.

Crawford and Erie County in Northwest Pennsylvania joined together again this fall to host the 5 th Annual Trauma Informed and Resilient Communities Conference at Edinboro University . This entirely free conference was well attended with approximately 355 total participants (system, youth, family, community, and faith partners) who sold out the venue in less than one day. Our morning plenary promoted building community resilience at the neighborhood level. It began with a brief welcome by...

I was excited to engage in this powerfully healing conversation with Belinda Farrell - Reconnective Healing Practitioner, Huna Consultant, and Public Speaker - about her personal journey from trauma to triumph. What a fascinating life lived by a beautiful soul.

Engaging webinars that will equip you with new tools to empower kids. Learn how to use creative expression to help kids develop important social-emotional learning skills and build resilience.

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of migrants seeking asylum at the southwest border, according to new statistics released by the Department of Homeland of Security on Monday (December 10). According to the findings , announced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and reported by CNN , “92,959 claims of credible fear” were made by migrants at the southern border in 2018, “compared to 55,584 claims made in fiscal year 2017.” That represents a 67 percent jump in the number of...

This year has been one of the most transformative years in history for New York’s juvenile justice system. Just a month after one of New York’s most groundbreaking juvenile justice reforms, Raise the Age, became a reality, New York City took a wrecking ball to the decades-old Spofford Juvenile Detention Centers in the Bronx. For too long, Spofford served as a symbol of misguided approaches to juvenile delinquency. The demolition of Spofford along with the implementation of Raise the Age...