August 2019

Spending time in nature is sorely lacking in our hyperconnected world, especially for our children. Nature heals and soothes the spirit as well as the body. This week's guest blog is about two amazing nurses who are using the healing qualities of nature to nurture those who join them. Meet Susan and Clif otherwise known as the Nature Nurse and the Nurse Farmer! They have joined forces to develop Healthy Green Thumbs, an innovative campaign designed to educate and inspire young people to...

Over the last six months, I started going to therapy again. I have over two years sober, yet I have yet to fully deal with the emotional trauma I experienced as a child. I remember being in treatment and being warned that If I didn't start to identify and cope with my emotions, it would come back to haunt me later in sobriety. Once again, the professionals were right. Three months before celebrating my second year sober, I started experiencing these intense depressive episodes . Although...

By P. Berman, A. Hosack & K. Hecht How can I describe it? The way the pain felt blended into my body? The pain felt separate from the bruises and abrasions on my skin. Can I pull my torn pieces together? Claire was remembering the first time Larry had hurt her, really hurt her. She wasn’t writing anything. Somehow just thinking about writing it, made her feel the pain again. Her belief in Larry as her perfect protector had literally been beaten out of her head. It started at lunch. He...

By Martha Garcia, Dispatch-Argus, August 26, 2019 "Good morning" is a small act of kindness with a potentially big impact. The simple greeting can change someone's day or life in the blink of an eye. I often start my mornings rushed - pushing kids out the door and yelling a honey-do list to my husband. When I get to the office, I usually don’t initiate conversation, and most don’t, but our co-worker Mark Holloway walks down the long corridor with a big smile wishing everyone a good morning.

By Erica Hellerstein, Cal Matters, August 24, 2019 All eyes follow the white van as it rolls into the alley. More than 100 people — almost all migrant farmworkers from the nearby agricultural fields of Santa Cruz County — line up along a shaded edge of the street, tucked off a long road dotted with modest houses and neat lawns. Some lean on grocery carts, waiting for the delivery of boxes loaded with colorful sacks of carrots, potatoes, cabbage and onions, bundles of rice and beans, boxes of...

By Sasha Khokha, KQED, August 23, 2019 In 2004, the National Institute of Mental Health estimated that about a third of adolescents (ages 13-18) have been or will be seriously affected by anxiety in their lifetimes. More recently, a study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics concluded that more than one in twenty U.S. children (ages 6-17) had anxiety or depression in 2011-2012. And a UCLA survey of college freshman conducted each year, found in 2017 that close...

By Jason Sanchez, EdSource, August 24, 2019 Before you make any law that affects public education, please talk to teachers — teachers from rural and urban areas as well as poorer and wealthier areas. Students, parents and teachers represent the largest proportion of the population that is directly affected by laws impacting public education. Please spend most of your time talking with them to understand how they will be affected. Then talk to school and district administrators, lobbyists and...

California is about to launch an ambitious campaign to train tens of thousands of Medi-Cal providers to screen children and adults up to age 65 for trauma, starting on January 1, 2020. It is well-established that the early identification of trauma and providing the appropriate treatment are critical tools for reducing long-term health care costs for both children and adults. Research has shown that individuals who experienced a high number of traumatic childhood events are likely to die...

By K. Hecht, P. Berman & A. Hosack, Here I am alone in the woods. I can’t get my mind to slow down!! Am I going crazy??? Claire has been wandering around the woods behind the Carsons house. She has finally found a spot that looks like her “special place” with Larry. She is sitting on a blanket with her notepad on her lap, covered in her tears. She is supposed to be writing down her memories of Larry. This is the second day she has done nothing. At least this time, she didn’t fall asleep...

By Meg Isbitski, Tapinto Hillsborough, August 25, 2019 Approximately 200 community members, politicians, teachers and family members met at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens recently for a panel discussion on a disturbing, emerging trend: The increase in black youth suicide, especially among boys between the ages of 5-11. Spearheaded by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th), First Baptist’s Pastor and former New Jersey Secretary of State DeForest “Buster” Soaries Jr. provided...

By Kelly Burch, The Fix, August 23, 2019 People who have a specific gene mutation and who experience adverse experience early in life increase their risk for alcoholism and drug use, according to a study released this week. The study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, found that a mutation of the gene COMT, which helps the body manage dopamine, is connected with increased risk for alcoholism and drug use when people with the mutation experience early...

CRI Trauma-Informed Training for Trainers Course 1 Webinar - 4 part Course Trauma-Informed Training for Trainers is a course that prepares individuals to conduct CRI’s Trauma-Informed Certification Program, Course 1 in his or her organization or agency. Attendee must have taken CRI’s Trauma-Informed Certification Course 1 as a prerequisite for this course. This online 4 Part [3 hours per part] Course will be held via Zoom on 4 Consecutive Thursdays. August 29th, September 5, September 12,...