For many, the holiday season is a joyful one – the popular song “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas” comes to mind – but for children who have or are experiencing trauma, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and other celebrations represent a season of emotional pain. The barrage of festive sights, sounds, and […]
The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) is committed to advocating for the health and well-being of Indigenous communities. One of our key initiatives focuses on addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which are traumatic events occurring during childhood. Research indicates that Indigenous children experience higher ACEs and collective trauma, which needs to be addressed […]
By Beth Tyson
Children impacted by any kind of family separation, whether it be foster care, adoption, or divorce, don’t have to feel thankful during Thanksgiving or any other holiday. There, I said it!
Sure, for most people, Thanksgiving is a joyful time of year filled with family gatherings, shared […]
By Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A. and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D.
What is emotional and psychological trauma? Emotional and psychological trauma occurs when extraordinarily stressful events shatter your sense of security. Psychological trauma can leave you struggling with upsetting […]
By Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For generations, tough childhood experiences have been swept under the rug by phrases like these. Oftentimes, the reason why is simple: many families simply did not know how to talk about their kid’s negative life experiences. Families may assume (or hope) the bad experience wasn’t a big […]
By National Governors Association
Many Americans have experienced traumatic events, toxic stress, and other types of adversity in childhood. However, repeated exposure to trauma and adversity in childhood predicts a variety of poor health outcomes, including the development of substance use disorder (SUD).
Population-level research, neuroscience, epigenetics, and other fields have established that the […]
By Eric Burger
It’s a simple fact that every nonprofit organization knows: volunteering makes you feel better. But did you know that the anecdotal stories about volunteering health benefits have been backed up by science and peer-reviewed research?
Today, we are exploring the health benefits of volunteerism and sharing the latest studies that show […]
By Mental Health America
Now more than ever, young people need an environment where they feel seen, heard, and valued. […] Creating connection starts with you, so allow youth to get to know you as a human being in a way that feels comfortable. For example, you can share things about yourself like […]
By The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
When a child feels intensely threatened by an event he or she is involved in or witnesses, we call that event a trauma. There is a range of traumatic events or trauma types to which children and adolescents can be exposed. Read Article […]
By Mental Health America
Racial trauma, or race-based traumatic stress (RBTS), refers to the mental and emotional injury caused by encounters with racial bias and ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes. Any individual that has experienced an emotionally painful, sudden, and uncontrollable racist encounter is at risk of suffering from a race-based traumatic stress injury. […]
