Be kind to yourself. The health benefits of positive thinking Lower rates of depression. Lower levels of distress and pain. Greater resistance to illnesses. Better psychological and physical well-being.

Trauma-responsive schools are essential to successfully addressing the broadening spectrum of adverse childhood experiences, exposure to traumatic events, and mental health concerns, with up to two-thirds of young people having experienced a serious traumatic event by age 16. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Principals Association, and the Center for Childhood Resilience invite school leaders to learn about how the REACH Statewide Initiative is providing schools with hands-on tools to engage in reflection, planning and implementation of trauma-informed policies and practices that build resiliency and overall wellness among their students, staff, and school communities. Attendees will hear about Illinois’s seven Social-Emotional Learning Hubs that are working directly with schools to design and implement wellness and trauma-responsive action plans, often building on a school’s existing work to help students and staff thrive.

Branded as HEAL PA, this mix of state agency representatives and community stakeholders from all across the Commonwealth is responsible for prioritizing the recommendations, setting short and long term goals, and assigning accountabilities to make the plan recommendations a reality. Action teams are expected to push the envelope to ensure PA not only keeps up with the latest science and trends in trauma and ACEs, but sets the bar for planning, innovation, and action. Learn more about how you can become involved as a community champion through our partners, the United Way of Pennsylvania-Resilient PA here.

Ways to Join Trauma Informed Movement in Pennsylvania

The Trauma Informed Education Coalition equips diverse communities to recognize and mitigate the impact of ​psycho-social, emotional, and neurological trauma through developing trauma informed practices which can be implemented ​across a variety of disciplines/fields.

The Trauma Informed Education Coalition equips diverse communities to recognize and mitigate the impact of ​psycho-social, emotional, and neurological trauma through developing trauma informed practices which can be implemented ​across a variety of disciplines/fields.

Trauma Informed LA (TILA) was founded in November 2014, when a group of 10 individuals representing various communities within Los Angeles and various fields within social services came together on a rainy day to share their concerns about the re-traumatization that individuals, youth, families, and communities often experience within services and systems, and to share ideas about how to mitigate that trauma.

Court Appointed Special Advocates® (CASA) are community volunteers, just like you, who stand up and speak out to help children who have experienced abuse and neglect. Illinois CASA belongs to a larger network thru The National CASA/GAL Association for Children, a network of 939 state CASA/GAL organizations and local CASA/GAL programs operating in 49 states and the District of Columbia.

We are a team of dedicated developers, researchers, and connectors collaborating with state and private agencies nationwide to create technology solutions that enable support connections and permanent placements for children in foster care.

Rewritten is an organization dedicated to participating in the healing journey of those affected by human trafficking. Our goals are: 1. To create safe spaces for human trafficking survivors by way of our 4 phase operation model ( drop-in center care, economic empowerment, safe homes & permanent housing) 2. Help to end demand through porn awareness education. 3. Educate communities on being trauma informed.

Join us for a FREE workshop and learn skills to manage your stress and help your young children develop their own stress management and self-regulation skills as well. We will use a proven strategy called the Community Resilience Model (CRM).
The social-emotional development of children is critical to all aspects of child development. At the Kellin Foundation, we specialize in providing services in a trauma-informed framework that recognizes that when children and families are stressed, their development can be negatively impacted.

We believe that the earlier we can assist children and families (and the people that work with children and families) to develop the skills that can help with emotion regulation and stress reduction, the better for all aspects of their development, including their readiness for school.

Lunch and Learn Event

This training focuses on recognizing and addressing staff vulnerabilities encountered when supporting the healing and recovery of individuals with histories of trauma. Hearing details of the traumatic experiences of others can result in Trauma Exposure Response and its complications such as vicarious traumatization and secondary trauma. Tools to assess the impact of the work on staff and strategies for preventing and addressing Trauma Exposure Response will be presented including a peer consultation model for use formally or informally that provides staff mutual support.

Event Social Media Flyer 

The act of caregiving is physically exhausting and emotionally draining, yet caregivers describe it as rewarding and gratifying. Prolonged exposure to human suffering, however, is not without risks? Caregivers report high rates of burnout and poor quality of life.Many care providers believe that their feelings do not matter; that they should ignore their pain, brush off their trauma, wipe away their tears, and just “suck it up.” Here, Omar Reda a Libyan-born American psychiatrist who, as an emergency physician and trauma counselor provided care for medical staff caring for victims of trauma, calls upon other healers to break free from cycles of secrecy, toxic stress, and silent suffering so they can continue to empower and inspire those in their care. Filled with poignant first-person stories and clinical case studies, this book is an impassioned plea for psychosocial trauma care that prioritizes the health of both client and healer.

Check out podcast here

Founded in 1975, PCAR works to end sexual violence and advocates for the rights and needs of sexual assault victims.

Mission Kids is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization which offers a comprehensive, centrally located, multidisciplinary team response to allegations of child abuse in a dedicated, child-friendly setting to achieve justice for child victims and promote their physical and mental well-being.

MISSION: To create a healthy, just, resilient, and trauma-informed society where all individuals, families, and communities have the social, political, cultural, economic, and spiritual opportunities and support necessary to thrive. Our work is grounded in NEAR science, which is a body of scientific research that includes Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and Resilience. NEAR illustrates how adversity, stress, and trauma impact individuals and society, as well as protective factors that promote better outcomes.

Please join Autumn Dae Miller, Ph.D. (she/her), Director of Behavioral Health Supports and Services, and Dr. Tiff Lanza, LCSW, M.Ed. (they/them/theirs), Executive Director of Maverique Therapeutic Services, as they offer a short overview of LGBTQIA+ identities as an expedited foundation. Together, they will provide an overview of trauma’s effects on the brain and body and then shift into situations, experiences, and recent socio-political pressures specifically affecting the mental health and wellness of LGBTQIA+ individuals. The need for cultural sensitivity and the impact of intersectional identities will also be covered. This training opportunity is a combination of 101 & 202 levels to be accessible to those who are newer to the topic and still be relevant for those in human services professions.

This webinar will share how to access free grief & loss resources and support for youth and families, along with psychoeducation about grief and its potential impacts on youth’s emotional, physical, behavioral and cognitive functioning. Through an interactive discussion, we will reflect on our own implicit and explicit assumptions on grief. Participants will gain tools in speaking with children about death, loss, end-of-life rituals, and grief reactions. We will identify ways we can support youth and families in coping with grief, and how to stay connected to those who we’ve lost.

Join Janina Fisher, PhD!

The very nature of major depression often defeats our very best therapeutic efforts:

• How can clients work or grow when they have no hope or interest?
• When they can't concentrate and have no energy?
• When they are immobilized?

• When they torture themselves with accusations of worthlessness or inadequacy?
It is not surprising that treatment-resistant depression often defies the efforts of skilled therapists and effective medications, leaving clients defeated and discouraged or even more depressed.
This program addresses the question:
Can we help chronically depressed individuals more effectively?
Join us for this free webinar!
Register here
*Recording available if you cannot attend live

In this presentation, we will: review the immune system and understand how it affects physical and mental health, share wellness tips to improve physical and mental health, and explore ways to practice wellness.

Dr. Dana Milakovic — the state-wide advisor for Trauma (K-12) for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). She is a mental health and trauma specialist with prior experience in school mental health, community mental health, pediatric neuropsychology, school administration, and school psychology.

The mission of HopeWorx is to promote the continued development of a community environment which supports and believes in the expertise and passion of individuals to create and direct their own paths to health and recovery, leading to the ultimate goal of reliance of oneself or one’s own power.

Finding ways to honor those who have fought for our country, as well as those that serve and protect our local communities, is an important part of recognizing the sacrifice these men and women make. It is important that we honor our fallen heroes at a national level, a local level, and at a personal level. Community involvement is essential in recognizing the sacrifice. However, it also allows families to pass down the message of commitment to country, as well as lessons in honor, integrity, and sacrifice to younger generations.

I provide a comprehensive set of services to help boost you confidence and offer support as you navigate your health and wellness challenges. I work with clients closely in order to achieve measurable results.