May 2019

Our recently published book, Trauma-informed Healthcare Approaches was written to share basic principles of trauma-informed care and ACEs science with general medical practitioners and administrators. As the recent #METOO movement has demonstrated, interpersonal trauma is widespread. A growing literature has demonstrated the impact of traumatic experiences on mental, physical health and wellbeing. Trauma survivors commonly access healthcare but their histories and needs are commonly...

Abstract below and link to open access article written by Christina D. Bethell , Nangerel Gombojav , and Robert C. Whitaker and published in Health Affairs Link to open access article written by Christina D. Bethell , Nangerel Gombojav , and Robert C. Whitaker .

Schools are experimenting with new ways to address behavior issues and support students who are struggling emotionally. By Elizabeth Chuck and Marshall Crook May 20, 2019, 11:24 AM EDT YAKIMA, Wash. — Instead of going outside for recess on a recent Friday, fifth-grader Thomas Stevenson walked down a hallway in Ridgeview Elementary School and entered a dimly lit room. Inside, lavender aromatherapy filled the air, spa-like music played and a projector broadcast clouds onto a screen. Passing by...

Members of The Living Well Theater perform at the Good Food for All Conference at the Free Library/Parkway Central Library. Photo courtesy of Marie-Monique Marthol. ________________________________ Marie-Monique Marthol handed out the cards to older adults at meetings of her local civic association. With the pastor’s permission, she left some at a neighborhood church. She stacked them in restaurants, community centers and even at the laundromat. On the front, the cards read, “Time never runs...

Maurice Stewart had never heard of ACEs before he came across a YouTube video explaining the term. Once he understood it, though, he realized he had lived it. The acronym stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences, and it refers to traumatic events that elevate children’s stress over time as well as how children react to that trauma. ACEs can be as severe as physical abuse or as commonplace as parents going through a divorce. “Living in poverty, having a sibling go to prison, experiencing...

Just this morning, Sesame Street in Communities announced its initiative to support foster children, foster parents, and the providers who serve foster care. Further, more trauma related topics will be addressed soon. The upcoming programing is detailed in today’s The Atlantic article “For-Now Parents’ and ‘Big Feelings’: How Sesame Street Talks About Trauma: ‘The Muppets can often do what humans can’t. They’ve got this special power.’ ” “ "Through its Sesame Street in Communities...

To build a Culture of Health, we must first ensure everyone has the basics to be healthy. And when it comes to expanding opportunities for health, thinking the same approach will work universally is like expecting everyone to be able to ride the same bike. Download and share this image to #PromoteHealthEquity, and help create a shared vision of better health for all. [To read more, please click here .]

Nearly 60 years ago, a handful of 3- and 4-year-old black children living in a small city outside of Detroit attended a preschool program known as the Perry Preschool Project. The children were part of an experiment to see if a high-quality educational experience in a child’s early years could raise IQ scores. Kids’ IQ scores went up initially, but soon evened out with those of their peers. The same thing has happened more recently with the standardized test scores of children who attend...

This year marks the 20th anniversary of publication in this journal of the first of many articles on the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) research by Drs. Felitti, Anda, and colleagues. As we celebrate the impact of this seminal research, it is also imperative to assess critically its serious limitations: an unrepresentative study population and narrow operationalization of childhood adversity lead to undercounting adverse experiences and misrepresenting their social distribution.

Adverse childhood experiences predict opioid relapse during treatment among rural adults. Derefinko KJ, Salgado García FI, Talley KM, Bursac Z, Johnson KC, Murphy JG, McDevitt-Murphy ME, Andrasik F, Sumrok DD. Addict Behav . 2019 May 8;96:171-174. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.05.008. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:31102882 Similar articles The Importance of Pediatric Screening for Adverse Childhood Experiences: An Interview with Nadine Burke Harris, MD, MPH. Adubato S. MD Advis . 2019...

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Free Webinar: Family Systems Trauma (FST) Ethnographic Interview Technique - Using Client Feedback to Improve Outcomes Date: June 11, 2019 Time: 1:00-2:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time Cost: Free To register, Click here today! In this webinar you will learn how to: How to dramatically improve your trauma treatment outcomes by formally eliciting client feedback at the end of each session using five FST| Family Systems Trauma Model ethnographic questions (i.e., “What was most and least helpful in...