September 2020

On Friday, August 28th, I had the privilege of talking with Dr. Jamie Marich about her recently revised and republished book Trauma and the 12 Steps: An Inclusive Guide to Enhancing Recovery . An international audience joined us for the discussion, including Judith who explained to us where "The Midlands" in England are (it's the middle of England, just like you'd think). Many attendees shared their concerns with 12 Step programs such as their being not feminist or too focused on prayer and...

By Marsha Mercer, Pew Stateline, September 3, 2020 On a family vacation in Virginia in 2017, Democratic Maryland state Del. Charles E. Sydnor III was driving in the left lane on a nearly empty, unfamiliar highway when a state trooper pulled him over. Sydnor’s wife and three daughters — ages 9, 10 and 13 — were in the car. “Are you going to jail?” one of his girls asked. [ Please click here to read more .]

In May, a 15-year-old boy set up a socially distanced visit with a friend. They met on opposite sides of a sidewalk — a full six feet apart — and talked. But when the teenager returned home, he brought with him a new set of Covid-19 fears, according to John Duffy, the boy’s therapist and a child psychologist in Chicago. How could he be sure six feet was a safe distance?, the teenager wanted to know. He began washing his hands more frequently. He stopped touching countertops. And he hasn’t...

“After we attended the first meeting I felt this spark of light that we weren't doing this alone anymore,” Beth said, “everyone was warm, friendly, and openly shared their story. It made it feel very comfortable.”

“Change culture and you change lives. You can also change the course of history. Many well-meaning social activists overlook this essential fact. They focus relentlessly on strategy, but strategy means nothing to our bodies and our lizard brains. When strategy competes with culture, culture wins–every time.” ~Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother’s Hands No one can dispute Valorie Kondos Field’s record of winning. During her 29 years as head coach of the UCLA women’s gymnastics team, she led her...

As our readers may remember, we are doing a series on attachment styles. However, if you are reading our blog for the first time, I will do a little bit of review of what attachment styles are, and why knowing yours vital to your adult relationships. John Bowlby and Attachment Theory John Bowlby was a psychoanalyst who lived in Britain and spent his life observing infants separated from their caregivers (from now on I will refer to the caregiver as a mother although caregiver can mean any...

By Leonie Hayden, The Spinoff, September 1, 2020 Dietrich Soakai has 15 years’ experience working in youth services, and doesn’t think children are our future leaders… he thinks they’re leaders in their own right, here and now. “I genuinely believe in young people. I believe in their voice and who they are and what they bring.” From 2016 to 2019, Soakai was the mentoring coordinator for Upside , an Auckland-based agency that matches kids aged nine to 13 who have had adverse childhood...

By Tina L. Cheng and Alison M. Conca-Cheng, Pediatrics, August 31, 2020 COVID-19 is a recent crisis. Racism is an enduring crisis which is inflamed in the presence of other crises. The Chinese word for "crisis” is composed of two characters, one signifying "danger" and the other, "opportunity." The pandemics of COVID-19 and racism present clear danger. Our duty is to make sense of the opportunity by learning, understanding, and taking action. In this issue of Pediatrics, Cheah et al.1...

By Jill Domoney and Kylee Treveillion, Infant Mental Health, August 20, 2020 Abstract Domestic violence and abuse in the perinatal period leads to long‐term adverse outcomes for infants, including a greater risk of becoming victims or perpetrators of violence in adulthood. Examining men's beliefs about fatherhood and violence, and their motivations for engaging in programs to reduce violence, is essential to understand how interventions can impact on behavior and break intergenerational...

By David Finkelhor, Child Abuse & Neglect, July 30, 2020 Abstract Background: It is important for those called upon to discuss major social determinants of health such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to have accurate knowledge about generational trends in their prevalence. Objective: To review available trend data on major forms of ACEs. Methods: A search of academic data bases was conducted by combining the term “trend” with a variety of terms referring to childhood adversities.

As winter nears, national organization hosts trauma-informed care training for snow sports instructors!

Transforming Trauma Episode 021: Internal Family Systems (IFS) and NARM with Richard Schwartz and Laurence Heller Transforming Trauma host Sarah Buino facilitates a ground-breaking discussion between Richard Schwartz, PhD , founder of the Internal Family Systems model (IFS) and Laurence Heller, PhD , founder of the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM). Pioneers in the mental health and trauma fields, Drs. Schwartz and Heller discuss each other’s work and reflect on the intersections of the...