July 2017

England is in the midst of a unique national experiment, the world’s most ambitious effort to treat depression, anxiety and other common mental illnesses. The rapidly growing initiative, which has gotten little publicity outside the country, offers virtually open-ended talk therapy free of charge at clinics throughout the country: in remote farming villages, industrial suburbs, isolated immigrant communities and high-end enclaves. The goal is to eventually create a system of primary care for...

The biological mother of "Jailyn" had turned her over to her cousins when she was several months old and they became her custodial parents. That is, until the custodial father fatally shot the mother while the girl was in the house. Now living in foster care, she has angry outbursts in the classroom that include screaming at her teacher and kicking objects. When she hears a loud noise, she thinks it’s a gun. Her 6th-grade teacher says she is slow to complete schoolwork, appears disorganized,...

There is an nonprofit agency in Duluth which helped six people purchase a car in 2016. That same year, it helped nearly 1,200 people do their taxes. It oversaw 12 families purchase their first home. Its three full-time navigators assisted more than 900 people in obtaining health insurance. Ten of the agency's participants pursued college, 67 added new work skills or GEDs and four started their own businesses. Sixty-four people became employed as the result of its help, and 18 more were aided...

Mary-Ann Rich rises at precisely 4:45 every morning. After feeding her cat, she returns to bed and rests with her back against the headboard, her eyes closed. There she sits for 20 minutes, motionless, her mind drifting far from the images of burned and blown up bodies that have haunted her for a decade. “I would rather miss sleep than miss meditation,” the 63-year-old Rich tells me in her home in San Francisco. “I will be late for work rather than miss my meditation.” For the past four...

When medical professionals make home visits to first-time mothers, their children’s cognitive skills and socio-emotional development improve, reports a new paper authored by acclaimed economist James Heckman. The study is the latest evidence from the Nobel Prize winner that such initiatives, while benefiting children of both genders, make a greater impact on boys. Heckman’s research focuses on one of the first implementations of the Nurse-Family Partnership, a home visitation program that...

Inside the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, children lived in a world of fear. Even babies were not immune: cult leader David Koresh believed that the wills of infants—some just eight months old—needed to be broken with strict physical discipline if they were to stay "in the light." Koresh was mercurial: one moment kind, attentive and nurturing, and the next, a prophet of rage. The Davidians, as the members of the Mount Carmel religious community were called, became exquisitely...

In 2014, following a series of student suicides and an increase in the number of students experiencing suicidal ideation and hospitalization, Stamford Public Schools recognized an urgent need to better identify students with mental health concerns and connect them to services. School personnel were reporting a higher number of students who had experienced trauma, including among refugee students. Prior to 2014, Stamford developed various strategies and initiatives designed to improve mental...

When I worked in juvenile probation there were times youth were labeled with the diagnosis BAD. They were just bad kids. There are even maximum security juvenile detention centers for kids with the BAD diagnosis. Kids who seem to have been born evil. As a criminal justice academician, I have read details of some of the most hideous crimes ever committed. I have a PhD in criminal justice. Currently I teach criminal justice to undergraduate students eager to begin their careers in...

Gundersen National Child Protection Training Center invites you to submit a speaker proposal for the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Summit, Feb. 28 - March 2, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. This event appeals to professionals who work in the field of violence intervention and prevention, including: Child protection services, law enforcement, forensic interviewing, legal, victim advocacy and youth-serving organizations. We cover a wide variety of topics related to adverse childhood...

Tomorrow (July 26), Building Community Resilience will co-host a briefing on childhood trauma-- The Need to Address Childhood Trauma: Implications for Child Welfare and Education-- at the U.S. House of Representatives. Honorary Co-Hosts are Rep. Danny K. Davis (IL-7) and the Congressional Foster Youth Caucus. Featured speakers include Wendy Ellis , Milken Scholar, doctoral candidate and BCR Project Director, Olga Price , Director of the National Center for Health and Health Care in Schools.

It’s always a thrill for this former inner city teacher to attend early education conferences. Conversations with early educators bring back memories of the values that inspired me as a young student, and the priciples we in public education celebrated when I entered the classroom. As usual, the Potts Family Foundation Oklahoma Early Childhood Coalition Business Summit achieved a balance between science-driven, businesslike analyses along with a loving commitment to our children. The keynote...

A gift to yourself The idea of forgiveness makes many people shout, Never!! Indeed, resentment, blame, recrimination and desire for revenge seem so much more natural than forgiveness. Is there anything to be gained by forgiving an offender? Formerly associated only with spiritual wellbeing, it is now known that it also enhances emotional, mental and physical health. Releasing resentment, hatred and bitterness breaks the troubling connection with the offender. No longer consumed by what was...