| |
|
|
|
|
|
Time is short. Our world is rapidly changing. Thoughtful dialogue about our society's values, beliefs and child-rearing practices must take place now. The choices we make will have profound impact on the trajectory of our society - and our species. If we choose well, untapped potentials will emerge. If we remain passive and let the momentum of our dissolving social structures sweep us into the next generation, we lose the creativity and productivity of millions of children. And we lose our future. - Perry,B.D. from Gray Matter, Forbes ASAP, 3rd Annual Big Issue (1998, November 30).
Written over 16 years ago, Dr. Perry's words seem even more relevant today than they did then, as our world continues to change at an ever quickening pace. At CTA, we see this newsletter as one way to engage in thoughtful dialogue and to share insights and resources that help us all continue working towards a better world for our children - and for generations to come. Please take a moment this month to read through what we have to share with you - and to pass it along.
|
|
CTA Welcomes New Fellow Nelba M?rquez-Greene, LMFT 
Nelba Marquez-Greene
is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
and
Founder and Director of The Ana Grace Project of Klingberg Family Centers based in Connecticut. Ms. Marquez-Greene
has deep knowledge and a long history of service in the area of mental health. She is a clinical fellow of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and has worked in private practice, community mental health and academic settings in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to founding the Ana Grace Project of Klingberg Family Centers, Nelba served as the Coordinator for Klingberg Family Therapy Center
'
s outpatient child and adolescent psychiatric clinic and was an adjunct faculty member at Central Connecticut State University.
The Greene/Marquez-Greene family had only moved to Sandy Hook, CT from Canada four months before the December 2012 shooting that took their beloved daughter's life. Ana Grace was 6 years old. Nelba and her husband, Jimmy, have partnered with Klingberg Family Centers to develop "The Ana Grace Project." The goal of The Ana Grace Project is to promote love, community and connection for every child and family. "Love wins" is the family slogan they adopted after Ana's senseless murder. This movement is one of increasing relational connections- and is improving and saving lives. Nelba maintains an online community of over 100,000 followers and an Ana Grace Project community where people from all over the world learn, share, grow and witness love through grief. She has bravely shared bits of her life both before and after the tragedy. Behind this is the belief that not only does Love Win - it will also save lives. The Ana Grace Project has adopted classrooms in New Britain that focus on social and emotional learning and host mental health conferences and professional learning opportunities. CTA is proud to welcome Nelba to our group of Fellows! Read more about her here.
|
|
Recommended Online Resources
This month we would like to introduce you to two online resources. The first is FOCUS, the web-based newsletter published by the Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA). In a recent special edition, FOCUS "covers trauma-informed care from a variety of different perspectives. First, gain valuable insight from two case-studies on children in care who had suffered from extreme trauma (one by our partners at StA in Milwaukee highlighting the use of NMT in their work). Next, learn how to pattern an organizational transformation towards trauma-informed care. Then, learn about trauma-informed training for caregivers and birth parents. Finally, discover how to assess agency staff from a trauma-informed lens as well and consider the impact of vicarious trauma." Access the FOCUS Newsletter Here
. Make sure to click on the Link in the middle of the FFTA newsletter FOCUS to get the full article!
We would also like to share a recent Issues Brief published by the Children's Bureau's Child Welfare Information Gateway. This Brief, titled "Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Brain Development" provides basic information on brain development and the effects of abuse and neglect on brain development in order to help professionals understand the emotional, mental, and behavioral impact of early abuse and neglect in children who come to the attention of the child welfare system. Additionally, the article discusses implications for programs and policy as well as additional resources (www.childwelfare.gov). Read the full article by clicking here.
|
Upcoming Onsite Training Opportunities
June 26, 2015 - Napa, CA 8:30am - 4:30pm with Dr. Bruce Perry
Trauma, Love
& the Brain:
Using Neuroscience and the Power of Human Connections to Help Children Heal
An inter-disciplinary training for those who work with or are concerned about children
As a neurobiological researcher and scientist, Dr. Perry is a leading contributor to the emerging body of literature that describes abnormal patterns of brain development associated with early abuse, neglect, trauma and relational poverty. Such experiences negatively impact brain growth, causing the brain to organize in dysfunctional ways that can have lasting impacts. This can result in a kind of"neurobiological shackle" wherein one cannot therapeutically impact parts of the brain that are not active at the time of the intervention. For example, more primitive areas of the brain control many symptoms related to emotional dysregulation, but talk therapy primarily activates the cortex rather than these primitive areas. It follows that talk therapy alone would not be an effective intervention strategy for an emotionally dysregulated child. Perry will introduce strategies for assessing which areas of the brain are involved when a child is struggling and discuss interventions that will address both the symptoms and the related neurobiological dysfunction.
Save the Date for our 2nd NMT Symposium to be held at The Banff Centre in Banff, AB, Canada June 8 - 10, 2016. Registration to open June 2015. Stay tuned for more details!
|
|
| |
If you haven't joined us on Facebook and Twitter, find us today! We share additional resources and announce new training opportunities through social media on a weekly basis.
Sincerely,
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.
The ChildTrauma Academy
|
|
|
|
|
|
