Toxic Stress: Difficult Childhoods Impact Body & Brain
It was the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study in 1997 that made the link between early trauma and illness later in life official. The results overwhelmingly showed that the more significant hardships a person goes through in childhood, the greater…
Read More
Building Healthy Brains: There is Life After Trauma
As we learned in our June Mental Health Moment segment, adverse childhood experiences (ACES) can result in toxic levels of stress, which can harm our physical and mental health later in life. This month, we focus on helping children to…
Read More
Supporting Children of Incarcerated Parents
A few months ago, a 17-year-old high school senior and her nine-year-old brother came home from their Lancaster County school and their mom wasn’t there. Kira (not her real name) and Michael had faced this circumstance before, so they went…
Read More
The Maze of Injustice
Our Family Services Advocate, Lindsey Ober, participated in the event’s featured panel; Women in the Justice System. The Maze of Injustice showcased in Ronks, PA was held by the Vera Institute of Justice. The maze was created on a 3-acre cornfield…
Read More
An Evening the Freedom Writers: Storytelling From the Heart
Compass Mark’s mission is to prevent addiction through education, skill-building, and community mobilization. On Monday, October 7th, Compass Mark hosted two of the original Freedom Writers, Tony Becerra, and Cynthia Ray, to share their stories with our community. The…
Read More
New Program Supports Children in Overcoming Effects of Trauma
Most people know that traumatic experiences can have severe impacts on children, but they don’t always know how to help. After witnessing or experiencing trauma—which could take the form of anything from natural disasters to the incarceration of a parent—many…
Read More
Working to Stop Childhood Trauma One Step, One Child at a Time
Childhood trauma can stem from many sources within our homes and in the community, and children can experience it in many forms, including physical or sexual abuse; neglect within the family; or scary events in the community such as school…
Read More
Positive Change Conference Roundup
Over 200 people interested in trauma-informed communities packed our October 3rd Positive Change Conference to learn about: How school districts can lead a community-wide effort to become trauma-informed; How professional boundaries can weaken when vicarious trauma occurs; The most effective…
Read More