Childhood Abuse is More Prevalent Than You Think

Childhood abuse and neglect have a genuine impact on mental and physical health. Whether the abuse was a one-time incident of inappropriate sexual interaction or a situation involving ongoing belittling, neglect, or violence by a parent, the toll abuse takes on a child is significant. Read More

An Intro to Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model

What is Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model? Different from a treatment technique, the Neurosequential Model is a method for organizing a child’s history of trauma, neglect, or abuse, and assessing how they are currently functioning. Using this method, a clinician can identify key problems, strengths, and therapeutic interventions so that the child’s network — family, educators, therapists, and other treatment professionals — can work together to meet the child’s needs. Read More

Teen Treatment’s Troubled History

Teen treatment has been in the news recently, and not for good reasons. Celebrities like Paris Hilton, Jenny Pentland, and Paris Jackson are among those who have come forward with stories from their time in treatment facilities and reform schools that were supposed to help troubled teens. They're stories not of hope and healing, but of trauma and abuse. Read More

Trauma Goes Mainstream

No longer a cultural taboo, there have been a number of celebrity mental health advocates who have opened up about their struggles so that others can feel less alone. Read More

Why Loving What You Have Can Feel Scary for Those Who’ve Had Adverse Childhood Experiences

To ring in the New Year, I could quote statistics of how certain feelings benefit your cholesterol levels and pump up your immune system and extend your life by 2.3 years. We could discuss that science has proven that appreciation begets happiness and happiness is healthy. But you’ve already heard… Read More

Trauma’s Rising Public Profile

By Wesley Gallagher Trauma—it’s a big word with many connotations. Terms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have entered the American lexicon, tied to news of terrorist attacks or stories of combat soldiers. But trauma is something that is experienced in big and small ways by people in all… Read More

Parental Addiction: Children are the First Responders

By Tian Dayton, Senior Fellow at The Meadows Children experience a great deal of emotional pain when they watch the parents they love, look up to, and need to feel safe and secure exhibit the kind of behavior that is part of addiction. Children experience deep anxiety. Read More

The Lasting Impact of Childhood Trauma

“Trauma leaves fingerprints on the victim. These don’t fade when the bruises do.”- Dr. Ellen Taliaferro Childhood trauma has a lasting effect on an individual’s life. The trauma which is either physical, sexual, or emotional in nature, creates a devastating ripple effect on every aspect of the individual’s adult life. According to one study, more than 21,000 child abuse survivors, age 60 and older in Australia reported a greater rate of failed marriages and relationships. Read More

The Long-Term Impact of Deep Stress on Children

Everyone understands stress. We work too hard, play too hard, and get little to no sleep. We’ve got too many balls in the air and ignore self-care, resulting in deep stress. As a result, everything suffers—our mood, health, and work. Minor problems feel more significant, and our reactions to anything… Read More

The Trauma Timeline: A Journaling Exercise for Understanding the Impact of Relational Trauma

“The essence of psychological trauma is the loss of faith that there is order and continuity in life. Trauma occurs when one loses the sense of having a safe place to retreat within or outside of oneself to deal with frightening emotions or experiences.”… Read More