By Ivy Kwong, LMFT
Humans have survived for thousands of years by evolving the ability to adapt. If you live with chronic stress or have lived through a traumatic event, certain responses activate to help you survive—these are known as trauma responses.
Although these responses are […]
By Caroline Miller
When kids have behavior and attention issues in school, the first explanation that comes to mind is often ADHD. But exposure to trauma can also cause symptoms that look like ADHD. And trauma is often overlooked when kids are misdiagnosed with ADHD.
Children with ADHD can be fidgety (always getting out […]
By Gary G. Abud, Jr.
As humans, we are hard-wired for connection with each other. When we face challenging life situations, we often seek out and lean on others. Relationships are our human cell phone signals. In The Power of the Other, Dr. Henry Cloud compares our strong desire to […]
By Alyson Klein
There’s been a quieter, parallel pandemic happening alongside COVID-19: a spike in significant mental health problems among young people, spurred by isolation, uncertainty, fear, and grief.
Mental health emergency visits among children are on the rise. Between March and October of 2020, they increased 24 percent for children ages […]
Data from the most recent National Survey of Adolescents and other studies indicate that one in four children and adolescents in the United States experiences at least one potentially traumatic event before the age of 162, and more than 13% of 17-year-olds—one in eight—have experienced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point in […]
Twenty years ago, Hami Torres fled Mexico at age 13, her 11-year-old brother in tow. Terrified, they trekked for hours with a group of older strangers through desert scrub that slashed Hami’s bare legs bloody. Then the two children were folded into the spare-tire compartment of a car for the drive across the […]
As the first day of school approaches, parents and children gather their backpacks as educators finalize lesson plans and ready their classrooms. The new school year offers a fresh start for students as well as an opportunity for academic success. However, up to 40% of students suffer from test anxiety, which contributes to […]
While we are all focusing on taking care of our physical health as the outbreak of COVID-19 develops, it’s also important to keep our mental health a priority. When there is a major concern for ourselves or our loved ones falling ill, the emotional impact of that can be great.
It’s human nature to […]
To identify core components of parent/caregiver integration into evidence based child trauma treatment models, specifically those parents/caregivers who have experienced trauma themselves. The Parent/Caregiver Trauma and Healing Coordinating Group (PCTHCG) of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network examined existing scholarly literature, gathered input from clinical experts and parent partners, and assessed child trauma […]
Rosalinda Guzman was inside a bathroom stall at school when something begged for attention.
It was on the door, where the school posts announcements.
“That little tiny piece of paper was just so different from everything else that it really caught my eye,” said the 18-year-old student from Kersey who attends Windsor Charter Academy.
“And it […]
