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“Once formed, an identity furnishes individuals with a historical sense of who they have been, a meaningful sense of who they are now, and a sense of who they might become in the future.” -James Marcia, PhD Music imitates life. Music refreshes the soul. Music reveals our unspoken fears. Can you imagine a world without music? I can’t. How would you soothe a crying baby? How would you express your love to someone special? How would you celebrate a special occasion? Music is deeply ingrained in...

Many of us work tirelessly to end the multiple forms of structural violence and oppression that manifest as health inequities, income inequality, mass incarceration, dilapidated education systems and more. However, all must ask a very relevant and critical question: what is the end goal here? To answer quite simply, it’s genocide. Yes, genocide. Lets be clear, there is a recipe for chaos. From afar, it may seem as though there are several moving parts to this puzzle and everything is...

P ulled from a neglectful home, Tasia Wright remembers the terrifying loneliness of growing up in foster care in Southern California. There were frequent visits with psychiatrists, and when she met with Dr. Eliot Moon, she remembers getting a sweet, a prescription and being sent on her way. “I just went to his office, took my piece of candy and let him tell me what medication I’d be on,” recalled Tasia, who said the doctor would tell her the treatment was for “bad behavior.” “He didn’t ask...

A flat piece of plastic can mean so much to a former inmate. It can mean stable housing, a better job, access to social services, educational opportunities, and more. But this singular piece of plastic proves elusive—impossible, really—for scores of citizens across the United States. An official government-issued identification card, equal in value to and as universally accepted as a driver’s license or passport, can be the key to a post-incarceration life filled with possibilities instead...

Sometime during the past few years, the country started talking differently about white Americans of modest means. Early in the Barack Obama era, the ennobling language of campaign pundits prevailed. There was much discussion of “white working-class voters,” with whom the Democrats, and especially Obama, were having such trouble connecting. Never mind that this overbroad category of Americans — the exit pollsters’ definition was anyone without a four-year college degree, or more than a third...

Social work can be so taxing in part because it so often means being on the front lines of overwhelmingly large problems that exist on a society-wide scale: substance abuse , mental illness, unemployment, poverty, and housing discrimination, to name a few. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social work is one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S., though the number of social workers is still outpaced by the demand for their services in some places. The state of Texas had even...

It’s no secret that the Indian Health Service, the federal agency tasked with providing health-care services to American Indians and Alaska Natives, is underfunded and overburdened; Native Americans are more likely to die from liver disease, diabetes, homicide, suicide, and respiratory diseases than the general population in the United States. But a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds yet another variance in the death certificates of Native Americans: Their...

A new study suggests Child Protective Services (CPS) caseworkers should use a more all-encompassing approach to improve how they respond to cases of chronic neglect. Researchers at the University at Buffalo discovered that neglect accounts for more than 70 percent of cases reported nationally to CPS. While the typical CPS response often focuses on a single case, which might not appear to be a matter of severe harm, a review of previous reports may provide a more comprehensive assessment of...

With legs bent like sprinters in starting blocks, arms thrust forward and necks twisted toward the fluorescent lights of the Kansas City Missouri Police Academy, a group of first responders was focusing on breathing and forgetting about work. In the world of emergency response, people are beginning to realize that victims and their families are not the only ones scarred by accidents and violent crime. The helpers themselves can suffer what is now known as “secondary trauma” from the stresses...

National Wellness Week is September 11-17 this year. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers free resources to support Wellness Week and promote Wellness. Here is a link to a 3-minute video on the 8 Dimensions of Wellness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDzQdRvLAfM&feature=youtu.be. And a pdf is attached. Enjoy!

**A version of this blog post originally appeared on centerforadolescentstudies.com I am happy to be a part of this ACEs Connection community. I personally am a clinical psychologist and work with youth who have suffered from numerous ACEs in their lives. I also facilitate certification trainings for folks wishing to become mindfulness-based substance abuse treatment (MBSAT) certified facilitators and wanted to offer this blog post as some simple tips to engage youth with ACEs and who...

Everyone wants to flourish in their own uniqueness because the ability to express our individuality is the point of origin to live a self-sufficient and fulfilling life. Our individual ability to feel safe to unplug from cultural norms is the beginning of our ability to thrive in a healthy environment. And no environment can be healthy for everyone until everyone feels safe to express their truth. And if one person lives in an unhealthy environment, everyone lives in an unhealthy...