# data[].attributes.headline
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume 8

# data[].attributes.subject
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume 8

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SEL-Social-and-Emotional-Learning-Digital-Interactive-Notebook-Volume-Eight-5914671

# data[].attributes.body
This was for a demo...

# data[].attributes.body
to feel others emotions or to care
try asling how they feel?

# data[].attributes.body
distance yourself, take action, distinguish wants and needs or even feel it and learn to let it go

# data[].attributes.headline
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume 8

# data[].attributes.subject
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume 8

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SEL-Social-and-Emotional-Learning-Digital-Interactive-Notebook-Volume-Eight-5914671

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SEL-Social-and-Emotional-Learning-Digital-Lesson-Bundle-Volume-Ten-6110863

# data[].attributes.headline
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume Two

# data[].attributes.subject
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume Two

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SEL-Social-and-Emotional-Learning-Digital-Interactive-Notebook-Volume-Two--5734894

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SEL-Social-Emotional-Learning-Digital-Lesson-Bundle-Volume-3-Distance-Education-5672104

# data[].attributes.headline
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume Seven

# data[].attributes.subject
SEL Digital Interactive Notebook Volume Seven

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This SEL Digital Interactive Notebook has all of the digital lessons from SEL- Social and Emotional Learning Digital Lessons Bundle Volume Seven packaged into one interactive notebook! This Interactive Notebook format is great for distance learning. Perfect for grades 3 to 6! In addition to all of the activities contained in the lesson bundle volume seven this DINB also has a Discussion Board, a Free Write Activity, and an SEL Vocabulary Word Scramble.

16 Pages total

This digital interactive notebook contains the following activities:

All About Me Organizer

More About Me Dbt House

Home and School Goals

Coping Skills Drag and Drop

What Pushes My Buttons?

Cool Off Plan

Coping Skills Practice

My Social Circle

My Boundaries and Personal Space

Personal Space Practice

SEL Vocabulary Word Scramble

Free Write

Coping Skills Digital Discussion Board

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SEL Social and Emotional Learning Digital Interactive Notebook Volume Seven

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This SEL Digital Interactive Notebook has all of the digital lessons from SEL- Social and Emotional Learning Digital Lessons Bundle Volume Seven packaged into one interactive notebook! This Interactive Notebook format is great for distance learning. Perfect for grades 3 to 6! In addition to all of ...

# data[].attributes.headline
SEL Digital Lessons grades 3rd through 6th

# data[].attributes.subject
SEL Digital Lessons grades 3rd through 6th

# data[].attributes.body
great for distance learning or 21st century classrooms
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/SEL-Social-and-Emotional-Learning-Digital-Lessons-Bundle-Volume-One-Distance-Ed-5657830

# data[].attributes.body
great for distance learning or 21st century classrooms

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This SEL Digital Interactive Notebook has all of the digital lessons from SEL- Social and Emotional Learning Digital Lessons Bundle Volume One packaged into one interactive notebook! This Interactive Notebook format is great for distance learning. Perfect for grades 3 to 6! In addition to all of the activities contained in the lesson bundle volume one this DINB also has a Fill my Bucket Digital Discussion Board, a Free Write Activity, and an SEL Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle.

17 Pages total

This digital interactive notebook contains the following activities:

Support Circles

Control Button

Gratitude Jar

Negative Thoughts Get Lost

Worry Box

See the Bright Side

Practice Kindness

Kindness Mindfulness

SEL Self-goal

SEL Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle

Feelings Free Write

Bucket Filler Digital Discussion Board

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SEL Social and Emotional Learning Digital Interactive Notebook

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This SEL Digital Interactive Notebook has all of the digital lessons from SEL- Social and Emotional Learning Digital Lessons Bundle Volume One packaged into one interactive notebook! This Interactive Notebook format is great for distance learning. Perfect for grades 3 to 6! In addition to all of t...

# data[].attributes.headline
TLS Tuesaday: Applying the Skills intentionally

# data[].attributes.subject
TLS Tuesaday: Applying the Skills intentionally

# data[].attributes.body
Today was our first day engaging a new TLS Pose. The Shoulder Movement with a Hug pose ushered in an opportunity to convey the importance of learning to move with intentionality. Tune in to help develop the disciplines needed to promote Social and Emotional Growth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Areté Education, Inc. (@areteeducationinc)

# data[].attributes.body
Tran: Math, Writing, Science History & SEL — Integrating Social-Emotional Learning Into Academics Sets Students on the Road to Success

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The structure of today's workforce is evolving in favor of more collaborative and communicative environments. To prepare students to meet the demands of the modern workforce, our approach to American education must also adapt. While schools should remain true to their founding mission - to reinforce core American values like civic responsibility and independent thinking - they must also equip students with critical social-emotional academic learning (SEL) skills they will need to graduate as well-rounded future professionals. These skills teach students to understand and cope with their emotions, pursue positive goals, empathize with others, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions.

As a former social studies and English teacher, I watched students grow, progress and struggle in moments large and small. I remember watching a high schooler routinely stick chewing gum under his desk - and while it seemed like a harmless, meaningless action at the time, it was a lightbulb moment for me: If students don't manage their interpersonal skills in the classroom, how will they learn professional norms? Principles of SEL learning help students develop self-control and social awareness while fostering self-confidence - skills vital to a successful professional future.

Over the years, I've witnessed a strong correlation between these skills and success in the workforce. Today's employers demand flexibility, critical thinking and project-based collaboration. But to help all students learn these skills, a holistic approach is needed: one that focuses on academic subjects like math, writing, science and history - and, simultaneously, ensures that students develop socially and emotionally. Students who learn to listen, empathize and work together will find success throughout their futures. SEL addresses these areas with equal importance, yet the practice has been met by two opposing schools of thought.

Often, "SEL" circulates in academia as a buzzword rather than as a concrete concept. Some champions of SEL have unrealistic expectations with respect to implementation: They push for a total overhaul of our nation's education system. Meanwhile, detractors of SEL are often dismissive and worry that students will be socially re-engineered.

Despite these misunderstandings, there is a middle ground.

To better understand how SEL implementation helps students develop holistically and prepare for their future careers, the Ronald Reagan Institute recently hosted a RISE Collaborative summit in Columbus, Ohio, titled "The Case for Social Emotional Academic Learning: Workforce Success." This forum brought together more than 30 national and regional leaders in education. The group discussed new models and best practices, identified new partnerships and built shared understandings on how best to educate the whole child and prepare students with not only hard skills but also the soft skills needed in order to succeed.

The implementation of SEL is illustrated by The Aspen Institute's "From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope" commission, which makes three key recommendations for implementation. The first is to create learning environments that are physically and emotionally safe for young students, respect all cultures, serve people equitably and foster meaningful relationships between adults and youth. Second, the report stresses that educators should work to develop social and emotional cognitive skills in all young people. Third, opportunities must be provided throughout the school day to integrate these skills with academic content. When these recommendations are put into practice over time, students reap the benefits. They are more civically engaged in their communities, feel better-connected to their school's culture and enjoy both academic success and career preparedness.

Some states, like Ohio, have already prioritized SEL implementation. Dr. Wendy Grove of the Ohio Department of Education discussed how the Buckeye State has had SEL standards in place for kindergarten through third grade since 2015. In 2016, the state received a grant from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning to examine the need for SEL standards throughout its primary and secondary schools.

As a result of this implementation, Ohio schools have charted enormous progress. At the collaborative, Dr. David James, superintendent of Akron Public Schools, presented statistics from the city's I Promise School, founded by NBA star LeBron James. The I Promise School has integrated SEL programming on a wide scale by listening to the needs of students. The curriculum centers on problem-based learning and supplements this with afterschool trauma-recovery and health services, an extended school day and a 20:1 student-teacher ratio. The results speak for themselves: 90 percent of students met or exceeded their expected growth on the Northwest Evaluation Association math and reading assessments.

SEL principles also encourage agility and can more effectively supplement regular academics while fostering a healthy classroom culture. Ross Wiener, executive director of the Education & Society Program at The Aspen Institute, warned that today's education system rewards students who memorize discrete bits of knowledge. Students must instead develop real-world problem-solving skills, and they should be equally rewarded based on principles like civic leadership and good character instead of only hard skills.

Wiener also emphasized how vital it is for students to develop strong relationships throughout their careers, especially since personal connections are responsible for more than half of today's hirings.

It's time the American education system merged its original civic mission with learning that supports the whole student, well beyond the classroom years. With SEL standards in place, students will graduate as well-rounded members of their communities, ready to tackle the challenges of the modern workforce. It is imperative for education leaders to understand how SEL, when properly applied within the framework of traditional classroom instruction, can help today's graduates prepare for the modern workforce.
Janet Tran serves as the director of learning and leadership for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which is scheduled to host its third annual Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., this summer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tran: Math, Writing, Science History & SEL - Integrating Social-Emotional Learning Into Academics Sets Students on the Road to Success

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The structure of today's workforce is evolving in favor of more collaborative and communicative environments. To prepare students to meet the demands of the modern workforce, our approach to American education must also adapt. While schools should remain true to their founding mission - to reinforce core American values like civic responsibility and independent thinking [...]

# data[].attributes.body
New Arete Instagram post

# data[].attributes.body
New Arete SEL TikTok profile

# data[].attributes.body
All station materials available for download

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
English POP UP Kit **includes resources + instructions**

# data[].attributes.body
To spark conversations about what empathy is and is not

# data[].attributes.body
5 min video for calming and releasing stress

# data[].attributes.body
Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hey. Thanks for stopping by my blog. You might have found your way here through a number of possible paths. Maybe you heard about my book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Or, maybe you typed in www.ready4rigor.com and those shadowy internet puppeteers redirected you here. Maybe you ended up here because you were doing a Google search for culturally responsive teaching practices

Or maybe your school is reading Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain in a book study and you wanted to know more about this Zaretta Hammond chick who wrote it.

It doesn't matter how you got here. What's important is that you and I are now connected.

Since you are an equity-minded educator like me, you are probably waging your own private movement to bust the myths behind student engagement (or the lack of) among low performing students of color, poor students, and English learners.

Well, you are in the right place. This is a blog where we can get answers to our collective and individual questions about how we can help students become confident and competent learners. In this space, I want to highlight what I am learning from being out in schools and classrooms with teachers who are successful with diverse students. I want to focus on how we can take everyday strategies and practices and put them to work in their classrooms to be more culturally responsive.

So, again, welcome!

Just to let you know, on average, I publish a new post every other week - two times per month at the least (sometimes a few more). That gives me time to be in schools and to write. If you don't want to miss updates on what I am seeing and learning, sign up for my newsletter by pushing that button below.

Binge-worthy Posts and Podcasts

Books are good, but sometimes you want your knowledge in bite-sized doses. That's what I like to deliver: consumable, usable, and entertaining food for thought (and action). Here are some of the most popular blog posts and guest podcast interviews to sample.

About Zaretta Hammond

It's funny. These days a lot of folks are calling me "Dr. Hammond" since the book has become required reading in many teacher education programs and school districts. Well, to set the record straight, I am not a PhD. I do have a Master's degree, but I consider myself a "boots on the ground" teacher. I call myself a former writing teacher turned equity freedom fighter. My heart is forever with children and teachers in the classroom, not in an ivory tower, even if these days most of my "students" are new leaders and pre-service teachers. [ A quick note: Not throwing any shade at all the PhDs out there doing the work.]

When I was in the classroom back in the day, I taught composition (expository writing). It was where I started to understand how important literacy was to equity, and how neuroscience and culture should inform our instructional practice.

Since leaving the classroom, I have done work as a curriculum designer and professional developer at organizations such as the National Equity Project and the Annenberg-funded Bay Area School Reform Collaborative (BASRC) in the San Francisco-Bay Area. I am a trained facilitator in anti-bias processes and have facilitated groups focused on learning to talk about issues of racial politics and privilege.

My primary work has been linking instruction, equity, and literacy. I have spent time as an adjunct instructor at Saint Mary's College in Norther California where I taught Adolescent Literacy and trained tutors and parents in reading support strategies for struggling students of color.

As an undergraduate, I attended University of California, Berkley before finishing up my degree at New York University where I majored in English Literature with a minor in Writing. I completed my Masters in Secondary English Education, with a Concentration in Writing Instruction at University of Colorado, Boulder where I simultaneously did my teacher certification program (starting three months after the birth of my son. I do not recommend this).

For the past 25 years, I've maintained a small, independent education consulting practice from which I do my research and writing as well as support schools doing deep instructionally-focused equity work.

Stay in touch

I hope this blog inspires, motivates, and challenges you to try some new practices that move you toward being more culturally responsive. If it does, send me a note. I'd love to hear from you. The best way to keep in touch with me is to sign up for free email updates (where you get all kinds of exclusive goodies).

Other Ways to Connect

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
About - Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hey. Thanks for stopping by my blog. You might have found your way here through a number of possible paths. Maybe you heard about my book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Or, maybe you typed in www.ready4rigor.com and those shadowy internet puppeteers redirected you here.

# data[].attributes.body
State of the Heart (2018 Reports)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why do we care?

Emotional intelligence is an essential skillset for navigating the complexities of the world today. It's a key predictor of Effectiveness, Relationships, Wellbeing & Quality of Life. That's one reason the World Economic Forum identifies it as one of the essential skills for the future.

Unfortunately, around the globe, emotional intelligence has been on the decline since 2011, but levels may be stabilizing today.

What is State of the Heart?

State of the Heart has tracked the changing trends in emotional intelligence (EQ) since 2011. This analysis mines the world's most complete EQ dataset, using a balanced random sampling from over 200,000 people in 160 countries & territories (see any of the reports for demographic details). The data comes from the emotional intelligence assessment published by Six Seconds, the global nonprofit community committed to growing EQ.

Key Insights

How does emotional intelligence support growth? This article unveils findings of which EQ competencies have changed most since we started State of the Heart - and the four that *finally* changed direction and increased last year.

Emotional intelligence is invaluable in predicting nearly 70% of the variation in scores. There are specific competencies, such as optimism, that seem most implicated in this area.

Regional and gender variations in EQ reveal significant differences in scores on Community . Specific EQ Brain Talents, such as Commitment, are most highly predictive of high Community scores.

Across global regions there are significant differences in emotional intelligence competencies, talents, and brain style. These vary by age and gender as well. To receive the new Regional State of the Heart Reports for 2018, fill in the form to the right.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
State of the Heart 2018: The Latest Research on EQ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Emotional intelligence is an essential skillset for navigating the complexities of the world today. It's a key predictor of Effectiveness, Relationships, Wellbeing & Quality of Life. That's one reason the World Economic Forum identifies it as one of the essential skills for the future.

# data[].attributes.body
Pedagogy of Confidence

# data[].attributes.body
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education (Race, Education, and Democracy)

# data[].attributes.body
Dynamic Mindfulness Research

# data[].attributes.body
3-minute video defining empathy

# data[].attributes.body
Go to https://eq.org
and create an account; then select:
InspirED: Professional Development Toolbox

# data[].attributes.body
California-based research team integrating SEL, CRT, and Common Core - Webinar PPT

# data[].attributes.headline
Enhancing Core Reading Programs with Culturally Responsive Practices

# data[].attributes.subject
Enhancing Core Reading Programs with Culturally Responsive Practices

# data[].attributes.headline
Ladson-Billings Reading between the Lines and beyond the Pages: A Culturally Relevant Approach to Literacy Teaching

# data[].attributes.subject
Ladson-Billings Reading between the Lines and beyond the Pages: A Culturally Relevant Approach to Literacy Teaching

# data[].attributes.body
An introduction from 6 Seconds.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Urgency of SEL Today

SEL has always been part of education, even in ancient Greece, philosophers taught about social and emotional skills as part of academic learning. As Plato wrote, " All learning has an emotional base."

Today, social emotional learning may be even more urgent. There is overwhelming evidence that our children are facing major social, emotional and mental health obstacles to succeeding at school.

Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder (WHO 2021)

9.7% of youth in the U.S. have severe major depression. This rate was highest among youth who identify as more than one race, at 12.4%. (MHA 2020)

9.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 5.8 million) had diagnosed anxiety in 2016-2019. 4.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 2.7 million) have diagnosed depression in 2016-2019 (CDC)

In Australia in 2013-14, an estimated 245,000 young people aged 12-17 (14%) experienced a mental disorder, with males more commonly affected than females (AIHW)

Nearly 37 million adolescents (aged 10-19) live with a mental disorder in Africa (UNICEF 2021)

Adding to or exacerbating these problems is the issue of childhood stress, whether from conflict at home, peer pressure, grade pressure, or over-scheduling. Not only can this affect learning in the present, but sustained high levels of cortisol associated with stress can damage the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for learning and memory. These cognitive deficits can continue into adulthood (Childhood Stress and Development, CDC, 2008).

The aim of most SEL programs is to promote self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, relationships and responsible decision-making skills and to improve a student's relationships to their school community and broader world.

Six Seconds Focuses on "5 Barometers of Life" Outcomes for Youth

These five outcomes are measured by the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment - Youth Version. Emotional intelligence scores on the SEI-YV are highly correlated with scores on these SEI-YV outcomes. In addition, emotional intelligence (in our model) is a learnable skillset. This suggests that to improve these outcomes, we should ensure students develop the skills of emotional intelligence.

SEL/EQ creates an atmosphere where academic performance can thrive, where more positive adult to student and peer to peer relationships flourish, where fewer conduct problems arise, and where lowered stress leads to improved grades and test scores. An effective and well-implemented SEL program can transform a school into a place where children (and the adults who support them) are engaged, curious, safe, and thriving personally and academically.

Six Seconds helps educators create school-wide SEL programs that are integrated, customized and living - so they weave throughout culture and structure of the school or organization. Schools that teach SEL have lower rates of conflicts, fights, violence and trips to the principal's office and higher rates of academic achievement ( here is the evidence). Six Seconds is committed to research to deepen our understanding and practice of SEL. A recent study of middle school students and school climate is an example of our attention to ground-breaking research.

Academic Research Links SEL to Positive Outcomes

Our School Case for Emotional Intelligence provides a detailed introduction to the research-evidence of the benefits of EQ in schools.

There have been hundreds of academic studies linking SEL to improved learning outcomes and better school climate. A meta-analysis of 213 rigorous studies of SEL in schools ( Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011) linked quality SEL instruction to higher academic performance (11 percentile points higher than students not receiving SEL instruction), fewer disruptive behaviors such as aggression, delinquent acts, improved attitudes and behaviors and reduced reports of depression, stress, and anxiety from students and their counselors. ( Read more published studies on SEL)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Social Emotional Learning: Emotional Intelligence in Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
SEL has always been part of education, even in ancient Greece, philosophers taught about social and emotional skills as part of academic learning. As Plato wrote, " All learning has an emotional base." Today, social emotional learning may be even more urgent.

# data[].attributes.headline
Six Seconds Approach to SEL Programs in Schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Six Seconds Approach to SEL Programs in Schools

# data[].attributes.body
The Case for SEL PDF

# data[].attributes.headline
Equity & Social and Emotional Learning: A Cultural Analysis

# data[].attributes.subject
Equity & Social and Emotional Learning: A Cultural Analysis

# data[].attributes.body
Print on cardstock for set of 32 emotion cards, ranging in intensity (joy, fear, sadness, anger).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you've been to the doctor in the US on a stress-related matter (and WebMD says three out of four US medical visits are stress related), then you've probably been treated by Dr. Herbert Benson. Not directly, of course - you might not have even heard his name, but his work has changed the way Western medicine handles stress.

Benson, now a professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School, was one of the many remarkable experts who spoke at Six Seconds' NexusEQ Conference in June 2013 on the campus of Harvard University. The conference focused on the intersection of the science and practice of emotional intelligence. He shared new data that stress is actually affecting our very DNA - we literally shape our own biology through our responses.

In 1975, Dr. Benson wrote a remarkable book called The Relaxation Response, articulating the biomedical antidote to stress. He later founded the Mind/Body Medical Institute, and became a professor at Harvard Medical School. He was one of the, if not the, pioneer researching and advocating treatment that works with the human mind and body.

To Stress or Not To Stress

Benson's work is based on a simple, powerful idea: Just as we have a stress response, we have a relaxation response. In his words, we can learn to trigger this response and facilitate the human mind to bring for the emotions that open us to the positive influences in life.

This is an example of being smarter with feelings, a growing field of science called "Emotional Intelligence."

One the one hand, we're wired to react in a manner that probably won't help. Yet as Benson and others have shown, we're capable of learning alternate responses. This, perhaps, is the reason emotional intelligence is so important today: increasing complexity puts social and emotional skills at a premium.

That's probably why leaders with more emotional intelligence skills create stronger business value. Salespeople trained in these skills outsell others (in one study, 40% better). Many studies show that children trained in these emotional skills earn higher are more healthy, socially connected, and, at the same time, reach higher academic achievement.

Peter Salovey (now President of Yale University) and his colleague John Mayer were the first to define emotional intelligence with scientific rigor. Since that first paper in 1990, a plethora of research has emerged on the neurology of emotion and the links to learning, leadership, and life.

Perhaps even more importantly, around the world these scientific discoveries are being used to make life better at work, at school, and in communities. People are learning the skills of emotional intelligence - and as the case studies show, business are getting demonstrable results, even in "hardcore" business environments.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
I'm So Stressed! 4 Practical Tips to Deal with Stress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you've been to the doctor in the US on a stress-related matter (and WebMD says three out of four US medical visits are stress related), then you've probably been treated by Dr. Herbert Benson. Not directly, of course - you might not have even heard his name, but his work has changed the way Western medicine handles stress.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems by Dr Russ Harris

# data[].attributes.subject
The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems by Dr Russ Harris

# data[].attributes.body
In 3 minutes, better understand the important role the parasympathetic nervous system plays counter-acting stress in the body.

# data[].attributes.headline
Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions – 2017 Update

# data[].attributes.subject
Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions – 2017 Update

# data[].attributes.body
The 8 basic emotions:
http://www.6seconds.org/2017/04/27/plutchiks-model-of-emotions/

# data[].attributes.body
from 6 seconds

# data[].attributes.body
6 Seconds

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Understanding how emotions work empowers you to navigate them more effectively

Emotions are part of human biology. They are chemicals that help regulate our minds and bodies, assisting us to cope with the complexities of making decisions, interacting with people, and finding our way through life. We feel emotions to help us pay attention, focus our attention and motivate us to action. While sometimes they're confusing, emotions are part of us, so we might as well learn to use them well - and these 7 essential facts about emotions is a good place to start.

by Michael Miller

1. Emotions are electrochemical signals that flow through us in an unending cycle. They are released in our brains in response to our perceptions about the world. We feel them all the time, which makes me wonder why I learned how to divide one fraction by another and all about Henry VIII beheading his wives, but basically nothing about something so critical to my everyday health and wellbeing. But anyway, emotions are released in our brains and flow all throughout our body, all the time. They also are produced in our bodies and go to our brains - check out this article, The Physics of Emotion: Dr. Candace Pert on Feeling Go(o)d - which talks more about this idea of emotions as feedback loop carrying info to help us function.

2. There are 8 basic emotions - and countless variations and nuances of those. The 8 basic emotions are Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, Surprise, Anticipation, Anger and Trust. There are different models of which are the basic ones, but this comes from a scientist named Robert Plutchik, who also created a Wheel of Emotions to illustrate these 8 emotions in a compelling way. It shows visually the dynamism of emotions, like what happens to an emotion when it's left unchecked and what you get when you combine two emotions, like Anticipation and Joy. It's pretty interesting stuff, especially when you know how to interpret the wheel. For a full break down, check out Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions. If you want to enhance your emotional literacy, which is an essential component of practicing EQ, this is a great place to start.

3. Emotions are neutral. That is to say, some emotions are not inherently good and others bad. It may seem this way, since, for example, joy seems to be a clear winner over sadness. I mean, who wants to be sad? But there are two problems with this way of thinking. The first problem is that joy and sadness have more in common than we think. Joy means I get something I care about. Sadness means I lose something I care about. So they are really two sides of the same need, and we couldn't have one without the other. And the second problem is that every emotion is simply a signal, delivering a message. Even difficult emotions like fear, anger or sadness are serving an important function.

So, what are the functions of emotions?

4. Emotions function to guide us to survive and thrive. Emotions focus our attention and motivate us toward a specific course of action. Each emotion has a purpose. Take anger, for example. Anger is a signal that our path is blocked. It focuses our attention on the threat and motivates a response of fighting or pushing through the obstacle. It can be used destructively, of course, but it also gives us the energy to find solutions to pressing problems. And what about another emotion, like Joy? Joy focuses our attention on an opportunity, and motivates us to do more of whatever we are doing. We feel joy when we experience meaning and connection, and the purpose of the emotion is to tell us that those are good things, which we should seek out. Six Seconds developed a tool called the Emotoscope Feeling Chart, which helps decode the purpose and meaning of different feelings. It has dozens of feelings - all variations of Sadness, Joy, Fear, and Anger - and then the message that each emotion is sending. For example, the other day, I was feeling overwhelmed by life. I was too busy and my head was swimming. I looked at the chart and under sad, I found overwhelmed. What was the purpose of that feeling? To let you know you need to prioritize. You can down the Emotoscope Feeling Chart for free and keep a copy at your home or office.

The Six Seconds Model of Emotional Intelligence

Improve self-awareness, make better decisions, and connect to purpose. This 3-step model is built to support better relationships and more wellbeing.

Explore the model →

Emotions are part of human biology. They are chemicals that help regulate our minds and bodies, assisting us to cope with the complexities of making decisions, interacting with people, and finding our way through life. We feel emotions to help us pay attention, focus our attention and motivate us to action. While sometimes they're confusing, emotions are part of us, so we might as well learn to use them well - and these 7 essential facts about emotions is a good place to start.

by Michael Miller

1. Emotions are electrochemical signals that flow through us in an unending cycle. They are released in our brains in response to our perceptions about the world. We feel them all the time, which makes me wonder why I learned how to divide one fraction by another and all about Henry VIII beheading his wives, but basically nothing about something so critical to my everyday health and wellbeing. But anyway, emotions are released in our brains and flow all throughout our body, all the time. They also are produced in our bodies and go to our brains - check out this article, The Physics of Emotion: Dr. Candace Pert on Feeling Go(o)d - which talks more about this idea of emotions as feedback loop carrying info to help us function.

2. There are 8 basic emotions - and countless variations and nuances of those. The 8 basic emotions are Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, Surprise, Anticipation, Anger and Trust. There are different models of which are the basic ones, but this comes from a scientist named Robert Plutchik, who also created a Wheel of Emotions to illustrate these 8 emotions in a compelling way. It shows visually the dynamism of emotions, like what happens to an emotion when it's left unchecked and what you get when you combine two emotions, like Anticipation and Joy. It's pretty interesting stuff, especially when you know how to interpret the wheel. For a full break down, check out Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions. If you want to enhance your emotional literacy, which is an essential component of practicing EQ, this is a great place to start.

3. Emotions are neutral. That is to say, some emotions are not inherently good and others bad. It may seem this way, since, for example, joy seems to be a clear winner over sadness. I mean, who wants to be sad? But there are two problems with this way of thinking. The first problem is that joy and sadness have more in common than we think. Joy means I get something I care about. Sadness means I lose something I care about. So they are really two sides of the same need, and we couldn't have one without the other. And the second problem is that every emotion is simply a signal, delivering a message. Even difficult emotions like fear, anger or sadness are serving an important function.

So, what are the functions of emotions?

4. Emotions function to guide us to survive and thrive. Emotions focus our attention and motivate us toward a specific course of action. Each emotion has a purpose. Take anger, for example. Anger is a signal that our path is blocked. It focuses our attention on the threat and motivates a response of fighting or pushing through the obstacle. It can be used destructively, of course, but it also gives us the energy to find solutions to pressing problems. And what about another emotion, like Joy? Joy focuses our attention on an opportunity, and motivates us to do more of whatever we are doing. We feel joy when we experience meaning and connection, and the purpose of the emotion is to tell us that those are good things, which we should seek out. Six Seconds developed a tool called the Emotoscope Feeling Chart, which helps decode the purpose and meaning of different feelings. It has dozens of feelings - all variations of Sadness, Joy, Fear, and Anger - and then the message that each emotion is sending. For example, the other day, I was feeling overwhelmed by life. I was too busy and my head was swimming. I looked at the chart and under sad, I found overwhelmed. What was the purpose of that feeling? To let you know you need to prioritize. You can down the Emotoscope Feeling Chart for free and keep a copy at your home or office.

5. Emotions are contagious. Feelings spread between people like a virus, even if we're not paying attention to emotions. Whether we're in a group or with one other person, we can "catch" both positive and negative emotions. The evolutionary basis of this is simple: humans have only survived and thrived in groups. We are social creatures. And because of that, we have a tendency to pick up on each other's emotional states. Think about it this way. If you see fear on someone's face, you are more likely to survive if you react quickly - if your own fear response is activated instantaneously. It could be the difference between getting eaten by that tiger your friend just saw - or getting away.

And it's not just fear. We are constantly sending and picking up emotional messages through a number of mechanisms, including voice inflection, facial expressions, posture and specific behavioral patterns. It's an incredibly important form of communication that we all partake in, even if we don't realize it. It's so deeply wired that we unknowingly imitate the slowness of old people, which is one of my all time favorite facts about emotions.

A study by Facebook and Cornell University found that emotional contagion even happens on social media. We are deeply wired.

But they are all interrelated, of course. What is the difference? Basically, time. And to what extent our cognitive thoughts are involved. For an in-depth look at the difference, check out this article, 6. Emotions are different than feelings - and moods. What's the Difference Between Emotions, Feelings, and Moods?

Each burst of emotion chemicals, from the time its produced in the hypothalamus to the time it's completely broken down and absorbed, lasts about six seconds. If we're feeling something for longer than six seconds, we are - at some level - choosing to recreate and refuel those feelings. Sometimes that's good - if the tiger is still chasing you, those fear chemicals are helping save your life. Sometimes it's not. But recognizing what emotion we are feeling, evaluating its purpose relative to our circumstances, and deciding whether to recreate it is what emotional intelligence is all about. If you want to learn more about emotional intelligence and how to practice it, check out 7. Emotions are absorbed in the body in about six seconds. That's how our organization got its name . Get Started with Emotional Intelligence.

"What if our emotions could be a resource to us, instead of an enemy, or something irrelevant, or something overwhelming? What if they could be a resource to us that could connect us with ourselves and each other?"

Josh Freedman

eLearning

Sign up for our top rated course on Udemy: Emotional Intelligence at Work.

Latest posts by Michael Miller ( see all)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Amazing Facts About Emotions You Should Know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Understanding how emotions work empowers you to navigate them more effectively Emotions are part of human biology. They are chemicals that help regulate our minds and bodies, assisting us to cope with the complexities of making decisions, interacting with people, and finding our way through life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Get involved and get the support and tools you need to practice emotional intelligence more effectively.

Our goal as an organization is to bring the benefits of emotional intelligence to as many people as possible. To do that, we take the latest research on emotional intelligence and make it easy to understand and apply to your every day life.

And as a global network of people who are helping each other be more aware, more intentional, and more purposeful, we share stories, advice, and inspiration. Here are a few ways to get involved with our global network:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get involved and get the support and tools you need to practice emotional intelligence more effectively. Our goal as an organization is to bring the benefits of emotional intelligence to as many people as possible. To do that, we take the latest research on emotional intelligence and make it easy to understand and apply to your every day life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nadine Burke Harris: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Childhood trauma isn't something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.

# data[].attributes.body
Learn from practice - How are schools actually doing this work?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What's a trauma-informed school? It's a place where this happens:
There's this third-grade kid. Let's call him Sam. He's got ODD (oppositional defiant disorder...a misnomer for normal behavior a child exhibits when he's living with chronic trauma). Nine-year-old Sam (not his real name) is very smart. But sometimes he balked, dug his heels in deep, refused to work in class. So his teacher sent him to see the principal. Often. The teacher and the principal knew something about his home life. At night, Sam sleeps on a couch. Dad sleeps on the other couch. The TV's on all day, all night. When Dad's awake, he always has a computer in his lap. Mom drifts in and out of the home. His parents have little to do with their son. They rarely touch him. "He obviously needed hugs, and I was giving him those," says the principal. But it wasn't quite getting Sam out of his funk or making enough of a dent in his class behavior. "One day, I was teasing him and as he moved away, I poked him a little," she recalls. "He laughed, and his eyes lit up. I did it again, and he laughed, and loved it." In fact, he howled with laughter, inviting more tickles. Not only was Sam not getting hugs at home, the principal realized, but his parents weren't playing with him, either. So, now Sam knows what he needs and where to get it. Three to five days a week, he walks into the principal's office to be tickled and hugged. "If people looked in and didn't know what was going on, they would say I'm torturing this kid," says the principal, because Sam rolls on the floor and shrieks with laughter. "It's not usually what I do with kids. But he needs touch. So, I tickle him for a while. Then he falls into my lap, gets some hugs. Then he straightens up and says: 'I'm ready to go to class.' " Sam's calmer and happier. And, because he has a caring adult who's giving him the basic human interaction that's necessary for him to grow into a healthy adult, his brain, which gets big doses of blinding toxic stress at home, returns to a more open, peaceful state so that he can focus in class.
______________________

By now, some of you are muttering: "Schools shouldn't have to deal with kids' problems - their parents need to take responsibility." "The parents are to blame." "The parents need to pull it together."

There are two schools of thought here (pardon the pun).

School of Thought No. 1. You can point the finger at parents and wait for them to change. Counseling would help, but they'd have to agree to participate. Free or low-cost counseling for people who can't afford it isn't a given in these days of social service budgets stripped to the bone. And, counseling would take months, if not years to change the family dynamics. In the meantime, the boy continues to suffer and his behavior grows more belligerent.

School of Thought No. 2. Change the schools to become safe and nurturing, so that kids can learn no matter what's going on at home...or in their neighborhoods...or in their extended families. The reality is, a school's traditional response - suspending, expelling or putting a child like Sam into special education classes - further traumatizes already traumatized children. That's the tried and true road to prison or dropping out of school, and a life damaged for no good reason.

In 2008, the Spokane educational community decided to embark on approach No. 2.

Abandoning the punitive, one-size-fits-all approach to school discipline takes courage. Teachers, principals and school staff must jettison generations of tradition and belief that severe punishment works to stop bad behavior. They have to stop believing in the concept of bad kids, and to start believing that all kids are good, but that many of them have troubles over which they have little control. They have to believe that they - the teachers, not therapists - can be the first line of defense for kids who are living really tough lives. And they must create an environment where kids feel safe enough to blossom into the natural learning machines that they are.

Seven years later, about 275 education pioneers at six elementary schools in Spokane are proud to say that they've become trauma-informed. They also say they're never going back to the old ways.
If you want change that sticks, be a turtle...not a hare
Chris Blodgett has been working on issues of family violence most of his career. About 10 years ago, he ran across research that shows how toxic stress is at the root of family violence (more about that shortly). He got it in his head that the best way to help children and families was to change universal systems "to bend the curve on the risk and consequences of exposure to trauma."

One of those universal systems - one that touches every single person in a community - is education. That curve - now steadily tracking toward the Moon - represents an epidemic that's so widespread it looks like normal life (more on that in a bit, too).

Blodgett is about as low-key and down-to-earth as they come. A psychologist and researcher, he looks at solving social problems through a systems lens. He's one of those people that most others underestimate. So when he says, "Let's change the entire educational system," people don't take offense. In fact, they listen and are willing to try approaches that, if suggested by anyone else, they'd flat-out say nope can't work no way not possible uh-uh never happen.

As director of the Washington State University Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Blodgett leads an organization that is as understated as he is. In less than six years, they've gone from holding a few workshops for the community of Spokane, to attracting interest and support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA - the largest federal agency you never heard of) to help schools throughout Washington become trauma-informed.

"I run a research and development unit," says Blodgett, who's also overseeing research into the effects of childhood adversity in Head Start programs. "We took this on as a self-funded effort. Our first efforts took the form of a classic public awareness campaign."

He was convinced that if Spokane's teachers knew:

that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are an epidemic that's growing;

that these ACEs contribute to a huge amount of the burden of chronic disease in this country, as well as most mental illness and violence;

that they interfere with children's ability to learn in school;

and that the educational system can help reverse the trend....

.....that they'd be chomping at the bit to do something about it. Here's why:

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) groundbreaking epidemiological research, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study - the largest, and arguably the most profound, public health study you never heard of - measured 10 types of childhood trauma in 17,000 people. Five types were the usual suspects: physical, sexual and verbal abuse; physical and emotional neglect. Five were family dysfunction: a parent who's addicted to alcohol or other drugs, is diagnosed mentally ill, a mother who's a victim of domestic abuse, a family member in prison, and loss of a parent due to divorce or abandonment.

In a nutshell ( you can read a story about the ACE Study here), researchers Robert Anda and Vincent Felitti found:

Brain research revealed one of the reasons: the toxic stress of this trauma damages the structure and function of a child's brain. Kids become anxious and can't sit still; or become depressed and withdraw; or become angry and fight. They can lose focus and stop learning. As they get older, they cope with anxiety, depression, and anger by drinking, smoking, doing other drugs, fighting, stealing, overeating, having inappropriate sex, participating in thrill sports, shedding marriages like a snake sheds skin, and/or becoming overachievers on their way to becoming workaholics.

Twenty-one states have done or are doing ACE surveys, as have pediatricians, social services organizations, cities and towns. In similar populations, all have found similar results to the CDC's ACE Study. In high-risk groups - teens or young adults who are clients of services for troubled youth or who attend an alternative high school, for example - childhood adversity is heartbreakingly high.

It took just a few workshops and presentations to set the community abuzz about ACEs. Blodgett was astounded.

"I've been working on child maltreatment for 25 years, and I've never ever had a set of concepts catch fire with people in the community the way these ideas of ACEs and trauma have," he says.

In 2008, 700 people showed up for From Hurt to Hope, a two-day conference that AHEC co-sponsored with the Spokane County Community, to hear ACE Study co-founder Dr. Robert Anda and education expert Susan Cole, author of Helping Traumatized Children Learn (AKA "The Purple Book"). After Anda explained why childhood adversity is the nation's largest public health crisis, and Cole told the audience about the trauma-informed school movement in Massachusetts, Spokane educators wanted to hear more.

For the next two years, Blodgett and his staff visited dozens of schools. "We had to be invited in," says Natalie Turner, AHEC's assistant director. "This couldn't be imposed as a structure on schools. When you're explaining the neurobiological effects of traumas on kids, you can't expect people to change overnight. This is a two- to four-year change process. You have to say it multiple times."

That's because our whole culture is solidly stuck in the shame-blame-punishment model of responding to children's (and adult's) behavior. Letting go of the mindset that kids behave badly because they're out to "get" teachers, or they're being "intentional" or "willfully defiant", or that their parents are all "bad" and "should know better" takes a while, even in the face of overwhelming research from several different scientific fields, including epidemiology, neurobiology, biomedicine, and epigenetics.

At each school, the AHEC staff did a one-day workshop in which teachers, principals and school staff learned about the ACE Study, brain development, the effects of toxic stress on how children bond with their parents, how critical that attachment is to children's health, and the fallout when attachment doesn't occur. They learned about how toxic stress affects children's ability to regulate their emotions and behavior, and how it interferes with children's ability to learn.

"We were making the case for why educators need to pay attention," says Blodgett. "We were trying to make the case for why it was important."

The awareness efforts began to take hold. "We could see that educators were starting to think about their school environment differently," says Turner. They began to look at the fear-based, punitive, deficit-driven system with new eyes, and it didn't look good. It looked as if their system was actually hurting kids, not helping them.

In 2010, 900 people showed up for a two-day conference, From Hope to Resilience. This time, they focused on solutions - how to integrate resilience factors into a school, in teachers and in students. (This conference lit a fire under Jim Sporleder, principal of Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, where suspensions dropped 85% the first year he instituted trauma-informed practices.)

Later that year, Blodgett and his staff published the results of a study of 2,100 students in 10 Spokane elementary schools. The news hit Spokane in the gut, and made all this talk of ACEs and trauma and the effects of toxic stress extremely personal.

The study found that ACES were:

as common in Spokane's children as ants at a picnic,

the main reason that children missed school or got into trouble,

the second-highest predictor of academic failure, after a child being in special education classes.

The more ACEs a kid had, the study showed, the more likely that child was to have failing grades, poor attendance, severe behavior problems and poor health.

"The 248 kids with three or more adverse childhood experiences had three times the rate of academic failure, five times the rate of severe attendance problems, six times the rate of school behavior problems, and four times the rate of poor health compared with children with no known trauma," says Blodgett.

This research attracted the interest of the Gates Foundation, which gave AHEC a 2.5-year $250,000 grant to develop a pilot project in six of Spokane's elementary schools, to "shift the building culture and practice to make it sustainable," says Turner.

Fast forward to the spring of 2013. The culture in those six schools has flipped 180 degrees, from a one-size-fits-all punitive approach to school discipline, to an individualized, compassionate approach to discipline and learning.
The hidden iceberg and the dinosaur brain
About 35 teachers crowd around five low tables in the library at Bemiss Elementary School. Across each table lies a huge laminated image of an iceberg. It's that image that's zipped around the Internet about a million times - it shows the tiny top above the waves and the HUGE part underneath.

_______________________

Turner is taking one hour of these teachers' time, as she has done once a month during the last two school years on this slow, steady passage to becoming trauma-informed. At the beginning of each school year, Turner and two other AHEC colleagues did a one-day kick-off training. Each week, one spends a half-day at the school to help teachers, advise on challenging situations, and work with the public health nurses. They've done the same at each of the other five elementary schools.

Nearing the end of their two-year training, the teachers are perfecting their craft, refining their actions, smoothing out a few rough patches.

_________________________

Each group uses the iceberg to tell the story of a child they all know. (A group comprises all the teachers from the same grade.) The point of this exercise is to help teachers recognize all the steps - the underwater parts of the iceberg - leading up to a child's explosion or withdrawal - the flight, fight or freeze response to toxic stress. That's the jagged top of the iceberg that everyone around that child, including other children, can't help but witness and are often upset by. And then to examine the steps that calm a kid down. If they intervene early, the kid will never break the surface of the water to land on that iceberg's peak.

"I can see it on his face," says one teacher describing what happens when one of her students gets triggered. "He starts to tear up. His eyes move around. He won't focus on me or the task. He's frozen except for his eyes. There's something going on in his head."

She's putting her knowledge of the effects of toxic stress on children's brains to work. A kid who lives with a raging parent - one who screams more often than speaking in normal tones - can be instantly triggered by a teacher's raised voice, even if she raises it just to be heard. This teacher knows that when the student freezes and starts tearing up, his brain is careening into basic survival mode. He's scared. The only action he'll take is one his dinosaur brain will make for him: to run, freeze or fight. He certainly isn't able to learn. Any further push will send him further out of control. But intervening right away - such as having him to sit next to her while he works - will bring him back.

______________________

"I can tell when he comes out of it," she says. "He'll respond to me. He's more relaxed. A lot of times, he apologizes."

The teachers also discuss how to control their own emotions, because what they show their students can escalate a situation.

"I have to be aware of that," says another teacher, "because he'll say, 'Are you mad at me?' "

Besides brain science and the ACE Study, Turner uses the ARC model developed by Dr. Margaret Blaustein and Kristine Kinniburgh, staff clinicians at the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute in Brookline, MA. "We give school staff real practical tools they can use tomanage their emotional response, create consistency in their classrooms through routines and rituals, and to give skills to kids to control their own behavior and emotions," explains Turner. (ARC stands for attachment, regulation and competency. For more information, read a description of the model written by Blaustein and Kinniburgh.)

"We're not trying to lower the bar for kids with trauma," Turner continues, "but we have to make sure that we're giving them tools so that they can learn. We have to make sure they have adults they can count on, who aren't going to hurt them, who'll be there to support their process, who will meet them where they're at and build from there."

"Safety" takes on a whole new meaning in a trauma-informed school. "If children are homeless, if mom or dad is in jail or getting out of jail, they can't concentrate," says Turner. "How we can create environments so that they feel safe enough to focus on instruction? Safety takes on a very different definition."

Most people think a safe school is one that protects children from gun-toting intruders, a remarkably rare occurrence in U.S. schools. As important, a school should feel safe for the millions of kids who live in very unsafe environments - homes in which they're brutalized or they witness violence or where they're neglected; or in neighborhoods that do the same.

Both Turner and Blodgett point out that they have no intention of turning teachers into therapists. They're equipping them with good knowledge and, in their role as educators, to respond appropriately to students. "We're not putting more on their plate," says Turner. "This is their plate."

In today's exercise in the school library, Turner also reinforces that each child is different, so the response to each child must be different. There's no cookie-cutter solution. If teachers know how trauma affects each child, if they know how to build resilience in each child, and how to create safe classrooms, then kids will have fewer explosions, fewer times when they tune out because they're scared.

"If there's chaos," says Turner, "kids don't feel safe."

As one group goes through the exercise, a teacher comments: "This year, there aren't as many blowout kids. I don't know if it's the kids, or if it's us."

Turner knows. It's the teachers.
School discipline, no. School expectations, yes.
Many schools in the U.S. are moving from a punitive to a compassionate approach to school discipline because the research is irrefutable: Suspensions and expulsions don't work. They're just ugly symptoms of school systems lurching down the zero-tolerance road to nowhere, of adults clinging to a broken educational system that emphasizes test results above making sure every child has the opportunity to learn, and of racism embedded deep into our systems like the roots of a 200-year-old tree.

Because Spokane decided to make a commitment to trauma-informed education, the transition hasn't been easy or quick. "We're not coming in to wave our magic wand," says Turner. "We knew going into it was going to be hard work, it was going to be a slow change process. Here we are five years later, and they continue to carry forward with less and less handholding from us. That's evidence it's working."

Unlike other frameworks or programs, the AHEC staff never presented themselves as coming in and "giving us the magic bullet," says Bemiss school counselor Melissa Kopcynski. "This is about us finding the answers for ourselves as we make the journey. It's about them keeping us on the journey, providing us with insights, being the outside person who can help us process, giving us a fresh look on what we've done, keeping us motivated, and keeping it in the forefront, because it's easy to get bogged down with daily tasks and needs."

The educators I talked with noted three important aspects to integrating trauma-informed practices into a school.

1. The practices "filled in a missing piece on how to approach kids," says Lori Johnson, principal of Broadway Elementary School. The traditional response when a child is not doing what a teacher wants her to do, says Johnson, "is to take it personally, to see it as defiance, to see it as a threat to what we're trying to do."

______________________

The training provided a useful foundation from which to work with children. "I always believed that kids don't do their best thinking when they're in their dinosaur brain. I always tried to get them calm, but I never had a framework to put it into."

Before the training, educators used to look more at students' deficits," says Jennifer Keck, Bemiss' principal, "instead of looking at the little steps it takes to help them get better."

One place she noticed a change was in the teachers' lunchroom, says Whitman Principal Beverly Lund. Teachers who used to gripe about how a student was "acting like a little princess" now start a discussion on how to help a child move to a place where she or he is open to learning.

______________________

2. They caused a shift in staff. Teachers who did not buy in to the changes transferred to other schools. And now, new teachers are screened for their approach to discipline, their commitment to becoming trauma-informed, and their ability to collaborate - to be a member of a team to work together on how to best help each child.

3. Trauma-informed practices are the foundation for, but are not meant to replace other frameworks such as PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support), Safe & Civil Schools, CBITS (Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools), or restorative justice, says Blodgett. Becoming trauma-informed not only supports those approaches, it's the bedrock for all of them. "We believe a grounding in ACEs and the effects of toxic stress on the neurobiology of children's developing brains are the fundamental set of mechanisms" that result in sustainable change, he says.

PBIS provides a systematic approach to develop a school-wide set of behavioral expectations for all children, says Johnson. "A lot of kids don't know how to walk in a line or solve problems with each other. PBIS provides a mechanism for rewarding positive behavior."

"Kids are not blowing out in the way they were before." she continues. "We've changed the philosophy, from negative to appropriate consequences. It's not about me creating fear in in a student so the kid behaves; it's about helping a student."

Says Jennifer Keck, principal of Bemiss Elementary: "We don't call our system school wide discipline anymore. We call it school wide expectations."
What's a public health nurse got to do with this?
When local health budgets were eviscerated, the Spokane Regional Health District risked losing the deep connections with the community that public health nurses had developed in their work with young mothers and infants. So the health department worked out an arrangement with the school district to assign some of these nurses to schools.

If you look at life through a trauma-informed lens, this partnership looks like a positively brilliant move. The schools that have public health nurses are turning into community hubs where many families can access information, resources and support. And the nurses are beginning to work with the most troubled families to lower their ACE scores.

That's because those children who live in dysfunctional homes have parents or caregivers who themselves were traumatized as children. They're passing on the dysfunctional parenting they experienced to their children, as well as their dysfunctional coping skills. But it's incorrect to assume that very poor or highly dysfunctional parents don't care about their children, says Jennifer Keck. "That's just not true."

"The point is to not blame the kids," says Melissa Charbonneau, a public health nurse who works closely with 30 families of students at Whitman Elementary. "And to not blame the parents. They grew up with these traumas, too. They are still traumatized. They're trying to cope. Doing this drug helps me cope. Using alcohol gets me through the day. They steal to buy food for their families. They don't know a different way of coping. It looks very dysfunctional, but this is what has worked for them."

________________________

What some of the families believe is normal "is out of our realm of understanding," says Whitman Elementary Principal Beverly Lund, who says she'd just heard from a family who's moving to Florida because the father has a job prospect.

"They're getting on a Greyhound Bus," says Lund. "They have $200 to their name. All of their belongings - the parents' and the kids' - fit into one large duffel bag."

Charbonneau establishes a relationship with the families whose kids are having the most difficulties. First she figures out what families need, then helps parents sign up for medical care, food stamps, transport to and from doctor appointments. She helps them obtain mental health assessments, for them and their children. She helps them find housing, domestic violence intervention and respite care for elderly parents. Then she helps them move one small step at a time toward making healthier decisions for themselves and their children. It takes a long time to win the trust of these parents, who have often had miserable experiences with systems that are supposed to help them. Hence, says a remarkably patient Charbonneau, this process can take months or years.

This year, Charbonneau started screening families for ACEs. "If trauma's going to be our focus, then we need to be able to address what their trauma history has been and how it's impacted them," she explains. "We have a conversation, explain to them: This is what's happened to you, and this is how it affected you. None of what happened to you is your fault. You made coping decisions that were appropriate at the time. Now that you know this, how would you like to move forward? What do you need so that your child doesn't have a high ACE score?"

The reaction of parents? They're usually relieved, says Charbonneau. "One mom who has a history of meth addiction, her response was: 'I can't believe what I've done to my child.' Some people get stuck there. We keep having the conversation: Yes, but that's history. Now, it's about choices you make. What would you like things to look like? What kinds of things do you want to put in place? This process is a validation of their history. It's an acceptance of them. And then it's about moving towards a different way of living."
Happier, calmer kids = fewer blowouts, more learning, more awards
As you might expect, the schools that have been working on this the longest have seen the most profound changes; schools that are relatively new to the process are just seeing the first effects of the transformation.

Bemiss Elementary has seen a 30% drop in suspensions and a 20% drop in teacher's referrals to the principal's office each year for the last two school years. "We have been a trauma-sensitive school for the past seven years," says Bemiss Elementary Principal Jennifer Keck, "so this work is continuous and runs deep. We have had very little staff turnover in the past two years due in part to our commitment and support of our work to conscientiously address student and family needs at home and at school through a trauma-sensitive lens."

The incidents of aggressive behavior - pushing, hitting, physical aggression - at Otis Orchards Elementary dropped from 83 during January to April 2012, to 13 during the same period this year, says Principal Suzanne Savall. "And we're in the top 5% of state schools in improvement of overall reading and math test scores."

________________________

Broadway Elementary came to the trauma-informed approach three years later than Bemiss. Principal Lori Johnson has been there only two years. During the 2012-2013 school year, there were 529 referrals and 95 suspensions in a school of 465 students, 72% of which live close to or below poverty level. The school wasn't keeping data before they implemented PBIS, so Johnson can only compare Broadway with a school with similar demographics that hasn't implemented trauma-informed practices or PBIS - and that school's suspension and expulsions are much higher.

Johnson notes that Broadway has become less chaotic and students are spending more time in class, which may have contributed to the school receiving the Washington Achievement Award this year, for being one of the top 5% of the schools in the state in science. It's the first time the school has received the award.

The changes in these schools have not gone unnoticed. All other schools in the Spokane district are clamoring for training, and Blodgett is receiving requests from other parts of the state and from schools in other states.

To meet the demand, AHEC received a four-year grant from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to be part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. That's allowing them to expand into 21 more schools in five regions across Washington this Fall, including five more in Spokane County. During the last three years of the grant, they'll add about 10 schools a year. Most are elementary schools, but they're adding middle, high, and alternative schools, and one all-kindergarten school. The Gates Foundation has also provided a grant for AHEC staff to work with two elementary schools in Seattle.

In Spokane, the next big step will come at the school district level, to look at policy and procedures around discipline and classroom management through a trauma-informed lens, says Turner. That will ensure that this approach is firmly embedded in the local education structure.

Meanwhile, Blodgett continues to keep "a research dimension to this work." It's part of reinforcing the notion that trauma-informed schools are critical for children and the communities they live in.

The latest study only adds more urgency. Blodgett looked at the ACE scores of 5,443 students from 91 school districts in Washington State. They were all part of the state's Readiness to Learn program that targets students who are at risk for dropping out of school.

The study confirmed the findings in Spokane: ACEs are common, and they impair children's school lives. Half the students had an ACE score of two or more; 25 percent had an ACE score of three or higher. Children with four or more ACEs were twice as likely to fail academically, three times more likely to have behavior problems in school, five times more likely to have attendance issues, and six times more likely to have behavioral health problems.

"The risk of ACE exposure is immediate, significant, and directly affects the success not only of individual children, but of educational systems," Blodgett summarized.

To make school what it's supposed to be - a safe place to learn - instead of a place that metes out sentences to a damaged life...in prison, on the streets or of dreams unfulfilled... the six elementary trauma-informed schools in Spokane are well on their way in their quest to reverse the epidemic of adverse childhood experiences.

At one of those schools, there's a boy who doesn't yet understand what adverse childhood experiences are, or their significance in his life. But Sam knows that if he stops off on his way to class at the principal's office for a hearty dose of tickles and hugs, he feels better. And then he's ready to do what kids do best when nothing gets in their way: learn.
This is part of an investigative series into "right doing" - how some schools, mostly in California, are moving from a punitive to a supportive, compassionate approach to school discipline. The series includes profiles of schools in Le Grand, Reedley, Fresno, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Concord, and San Diego, CA; and Brockton, MA. The series is funded by the California Endowment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
There's no such thing as a bad kid in these Spokane, WA, trauma-informed elementary schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What's a trauma-informed school? It's a place where this happens: There's this third-grade kid. Let's call him Sam. He's got ODD (oppositional defiant disorder...a misnomer for normal behavior a child exhibits when he's living with chronic trauma). Nine-year-old Sam (not his real name) is very smart.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What ACEs do you have?

There are 10 types of childhood trauma measured in the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. (There are many others...see below.) Five are personal - physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect. Five are related to other family members: a parent who's an alcoholic, a mother who's a victim of domestic violence, a family member in jail, a family member diagnosed with a mental illness, and experiencing divorce of parents. Each type of trauma counts as one. So a person who's been physically abused, with one alcoholic parent, and a mother who was beaten up has an ACE score of three.
There are, of course, many other types of childhood trauma - racism, bullying, watching a sibling being abused, losing a caregiver (grandmother, mother, grandfather, etc.), homelessness, surviving and recovering from a severe accident, witnessing a father being abused by a mother, witnessing a grandmother abusing a father, involvement with the foster care system, involvement with the juvenile justice system, etc. The ACE Study included only those 10 childhood traumas because those were mentioned as most common by a group of about 300 Kaiser members; those traumas were also well studied individually in the research literature. The most important thing to remember is that the ACE score is meant as a guideline: If you experienced other types of toxic stress over months or years, then those would likely increase your risk of health consequences, depending on the positive childhood experiences you had (see below).

Prior to your 18th birthday:

1. Was your mother or stepmother:
Often or very often pushed, grabbed, slapped, or had something thrown at her? or Sometimes, often, or very often kicked, bitten, hit with a fist, or hit with something hard? or Ever repeatedly hit over at least a few minutes or threatened with a gun or knife?
No___If Yes, enter 1 _ _

2. Was a household member depressed or mentally ill, or did a household member attempt suicide? No___If Yes, enter 1 _ _

Now add up your "Yes" answers: _ This is your ACE Score

__________________________

Now that you know your ACEs, what does it mean?

First....a tiny bit of background to help you figure this out.....(if you want the back story about the fascinating origins of the ACE Study, read The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study - the largest, most important public health study you never heard of - began in an obesity clinic.)

The CDC's Adverse Childhood Experiences Study ( ACE Study) uncovered a stunning link between childhood trauma and the chronic diseases people develop as adults, as well as social and emotional problems. This includes heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes and many autoimmune diseases, as well as depression, violence, being a victim of violence, and suicide.

The first research results were published in 1998, followed by more than 70 other publications through 2015. They showed that:

childhood trauma was very common, even in employed white middle-class, college-educated people with great health insurance;

there was a direct link between childhood trauma and adult onset of chronic disease, as well as depression, suicide, being violent and a victim of violence;

more types of trauma increased the risk of health, social and emotional problems.

people usually experience more than one type of trauma - rarely is it only sex abuse or only verbal abuse.

A whopping two thirds of the 17,000 people in the ACE Study had an ACE score of at least one - 87 percent of those had more than one. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia have done their own ACE surveys; their results are similar to the CDC's ACE Study.

The study's researchers came up with an ACE score to explain a person's risk for chronic disease. Think of it as a cholesterol score for childhood toxic stress. You get one point for each type of trauma. The higher your ACE score, the higher your risk of health and social problems. (Of course, other types of trauma exist that could contribute to an ACE score, so it is conceivable that people could have ACE scores higher than 10; however, the ACE Study measured only 10 types.)

As your ACE score increases, so does the risk of disease, social and emotional problems. With an ACE score of 4 or more, things start getting serious. The likelihood of chronic pulmonary lung disease increases 390 percent; hepatitis, 240 percent; depression 460 percent; attempted suicide, 1,220 percent.

(By the way, lest you think that the ACE Study was yet another involving inner-city poor people of color, take note: The study's participants were 17,000 mostly white, middle and upper-middle class college-educated San Diegans with good jobs and great health care - they all belonged to the Kaiser Permanente health maintenance organization. Prior to the ACE Study, most research about effects of abuse, neglect, etc., involved poor people of color who live in the inner city. And so the notion was that it was inner-city people of color who experienced abuse, neglect, etc., not white middle-class or white upper-class people....that somehow white people of means were immune from the kinds of problems affecting people who were poor. That's not only ridiculous, but it was just another way to perpetrate racism and classism. The ACE Study quashed that notion. So, it's not that I'm saying that the ACE Study is credible because it was done on white people, I'm saying that the ACE Study opened the door to an understanding that ACEs are at the root of nearly all problems of physical, mental, economic and social health in humans, no matter where in the world those humans live. The ACE Study and the other research that makes up ACEs science provided an opening to a better understanding of the constructs that make up our notion of why people suffer ill health - physical, mental, economic, social - and that includes systemic racism. )

Here are some specific graphic examples of how increasing ACE scores increase the risk of some diseases, social and emotional problems. All of these graphs come from "The relationship of adverse childhood experiences to adult health, well being, social function and health care", a book chapter by Drs. Vincent Felitti and Robert Anda, co-founders of the ACE Study, in "The Hidden Epidemic: The Impact of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease."

What causes this?

At the same time that the ACE Study was being done, parallel research on kids' brains found that toxic stress damages the structure and function of a child's developing brain. This was determined by a group of neuroscientists and pediatricians, including neuroscientist Martin Teicher and pediatrician Jack Shonkoff , both at Harvard University, neuroscientist Bruce McEwen at Rockefeller University, and child psychiatrist Bruce Perry at the Child Trauma Academy .

When children are overloaded with stress hormones, they're in flight, fright or freeze mode. They can't learn in school. They often have difficulty trusting adults or developing healthy relationships with peers (i.e., they become loners). To relieve their anxiety, depression, guilt, shame, and/or inability to focus, they turn to easily available biochemical solutions - nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine - or activities in which they can escape their problems - high-risk sports, proliferation of sex partners, and work/over-achievement. (e.g. Nicotine reduces anger, increases focus and relieves depression. Alcohol relieves stress.)

Using drugs or overeating or engaging in risky behavior leads to consequences as a direct result of this behavior.

For example, smoking can lead to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or lung cancer. Overeating can lead to obesity and diabetes. In addition, there is increasing research that shows that severe and chronic stress leads to bodily systems producing an inflammatory response that leads to disease.

In addition, toxic stress can be passed down from generation to generation. The field of epigenetics shows that we are born with a set of genes that can be turned on and off, depending on what's happening in our environment. If a child grows up with an overload of toxic stress, their stress-response genes are likely to be activated so that they are easily triggered by stressful situations that don't affect those who don't grow up with toxic stress. They can pass that response onto their children.

Fortunately, brains and lives are somewhat plastic. Resilience research shows that the appropriate integration of resilience factors - such as asking for help, developing trusting relationships, forming a positive attitude, listening to feelings - can help people improve their lives.

For more information about ACEs science and how it's being used, go to: PACEs Science 101.

Here's a link to the long questionnaire (200+ questions).

For more information about PACEs science, go to PACEs Science 101.

_______________________

What are PCEs - positive childhood experiences?

Although there is still much to learn about ACEs and how to prevent and mitigate their effects, we also all know that childhood experiences are not limited to those that involve adversity. All childhood experiences matter. In the last few years, researchers have started to examine the impacts of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) on children and adults.

In 2019, a team of researchers - Dr. Christina Bethell, Jennifer Jones, Dr. Narangerel Gombojav, Dr. Jeff Linkenbach and Dr. Robert Sege - found a dose-response association between positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relationship health among adults who had experienced ACEs, irrespective of how many ACEs they had. This means that it's really important to have positive childhood experiences, no matter how much adversity you have in your life. And if you have a lot of adversity and a lot of positive childhood experiences, you are less likely to suffer the consequences of ACEs. However if you have no positive childhood experiences and few ACEs, the consequences of the ACEs are more likely to appear. Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample: Associations Across Adverse Childhood Experiences Levels | JAMA Pediatrics.

To find out what positive childhood experiences you have, answer the following questions. How much or how often during your childhood did you:

1. feel able to talk to your family about feelings;

2. feel your family stood by you during difficult times;

3. enjoy participating in community traditions;

4. feel a sense of belonging in high school;

5. feel supported by friends;

6. have at least two non-parent adults who took genuine interest in you; and

7. feel safe and protected by an adult in your home.

Also in 2019, Bethell, Gombojav, and Dr. Robert Whitaker reported that at each level of ACEs, "the presence of flourishing increased in a graded fashion with increasing levels of family resilience and connection." Family Resilience And Connection Promote Flourishing Among US Children, Even Amid Adversity | Health Affairs

In 2014, Bethell, Dr. Paul Newacheck, Dr. Eva Hawes, and Dr. Neal Halfon found that children with higher ACE scores were less likely to demonstrate resilience, live in a protective home environment, have a mother who was healthy, and live in safe and supportive neighborhoods. However, almost half of the children who had experienced ACEs also demonstrated resilience, and "resilience mitigated the impact of adverse childhood experiences on grade repetition and school engagement." Adverse Childhood Experiences: Assessing The Impact On Health And School Engagement And The Mitigating Role Of Resilience | Health Affairs

In a study published in 2021, Whitaker, Dr. Tracy Dearth-Wesley, and Dr. Allison Herman wrote that "greater childhood family connection was associated with greater flourishing in US adults across levels of childhood adversity." Childhood family connection and adult flourishing: associations across levels of childhood adversity - Academic Pediatrics (academicpedsjnl.net)

Dr. Yui Yamaoka and Dr. David Bard reported in 2019 that "the number of adverse childhood experiences was associated with both social-emotional deficits and developmental delay risks in early childhood; however, positive parenting practices demonstrated robust protective effects independent of the number of adverse childhood experiences." Positive Parenting Matters in the Face of Early Adversity - PubMed (nih.gov)

Among juvenile offenders, Dr. Michael Baglivio and Dr. Kevin Wolff discovered in 2020 that "high ACE scores were associated with increased reoffending, and high PCE scores were associated with decreased recidivism, as measured by both rearrest and reconviction. Further, among juveniles with four or more ACEs who have six or more PCEs, reconviction was 23% lower and rearrest 22% lower when compared to those youth with four or more ACEs and less than six PCEs, controlling for a host of demographic and criminal history measures." Positive Childhood Experiences (PCE): Cumulative Resiliency in the Face of Adverse Childhood Experiences - Michael T. Baglivio, Kevin T. Wolff, 2021 (sagepub.com)

Dr. Michael Baxter, Dr. Eden Hemming, Dr. Heather McIntosh, and Dr. Chan Hellman published research in 2017 that demonstrated that higher ACEs scores were associated with lower hope in a study of caregivers who brought children in for a child abuse medical investigation at a child advocacy center. Exploring the Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Hope: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Vol 26, No 8 (tandfonline.com)

In 2019, Dr. AliceAnn Crandall, Dr. Jacob Miller, Dr. Aaron Cheung, Dr. Lynneth Novilla, Dr. Rozalyn Glade, Dr. M. Lelinneth Novilla, Dr. Brianna Magnusson, Dr. Barbara Leavitt, Dr. Michael Barnes, and Dr. Carl Hanson observed in a study of adults that "higher counter-ACEs scores [i.e., positive childhood experiences] were associated with improved adult health and that counter-ACEs neutralized the negative impact of ACEs on adult health." ACEs and counter-ACEs: How positive and negative childhood experiences influence adult health - ScienceDirect

A study by Whitaker, Dearth-Wesley, and Herman in 2020 showed that across levels of childhood adversity, greater childhood family connection was associated with greater flourishing among young adults with type 1 diabetes.Childhood Family Connection With Flourishing in Young Adulthood Among Those With Type 1 Diabetes | Pediatrics | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network

Finally, in 2016, Bethell, Gombojav, Dr. Michele Solloway, and Dr. Lawrence Wissow examined ACEs, resilience, family protective factors, and emotional, mental or behavioral conditions (EMB) in children and youth in the U.S. The authors found that children with ACEs had higher EMB than children without ACEs, but the presence of resilience was significantly associated with lower amounts of EMB for both children with and without ACEs. In addition, the prevalence of EMB was lower when family protective factors were present, even if the child had ACEs, although the presence of two or more ACEs decreased the effect. Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience and Mindfulness-Based Approaches: Common Denominator Issues for Children with Emotional, Mental, or Behavioral Problems (nih.gov)

In terms of research, these are still early days, says Dr. Robert Whitaker, director of Research and Research Education at the Columbia-Bassett Program and professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University: "This area of PACEs research is emerging, but the boundaries of that research have not really been defined, particular as complement to the well-established body of research on resilience."

From " Brains: Journey to Resilience ", Alberta Family Wellness Initiative.

"PCEs may have lifelong consequences for mental and relational health despite co-occurring adversities such as ACEs," noted Dr. Christina Bethell in Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Mental and Relational Health in a Statewide Sample: Associations Across Adverse Childhood Experiences Levels. Bethell is professor at Johns Hopkins University in the Bloomberg School of Public Health and founding director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. "In this way, they support application of the World Health Organization's definition of health emphasizing that health is more than the absence of disease or adversity. The World Health Organization's positive construct of health is aligned with the proactive promotion of positive experiences in childhood because they are foundational to optimal childhood development and adult flourishing."

However, in terms of integrating what we know about PACEs, we have enough information to continue integrating the science into our work. If we want to change individuals, organizations, communities, and systems we need to talk about both positive and adverse childhood experiences - PACEs - and how they intertwine throughout our lives....

At the individual level, learning about ACEs helps us understand why we behave the way we do, and that our coping behavior is normal...a normal response to abnormal circumstances. Learning about PCEs provides direction to heal. The key concept about PACEs is that learning about both, together, can help improve our health and well-being. It gives us hope.

At the organizational level, staff and leaders can use knowledge of PACEs to create healing-centered work environments and programs in all sectors.

At the community level, educating the public about PACEs can provide hope and foster the development of innovative ideas about how to support families, organizations and communities. Understanding the interplay between positive and adverse experiences offers opportunity for engagement with all sectors. Communities can use this new lens to create mindful, healing-centered, research-informed approaches to prevent adversity and encourage connection and healing.

At the system level, policymakers and leaders can use research about PACEs to find common ground across fields and to support policies that promote the understanding of PACEs and how adversity and positive experiences work together.

At least two organizations are taking this approach and doing research to guide their actions:

The Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) team at Tufts Medical Center have identified four building blocks that lessen the negative effects of ACEs: relationships, environments, engagement, and social emotional development. HOPE - Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences

The Hope Research Center at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, focuses its research on the "science and power of hope as a psychological strength, especially among those experiencing trauma and adversity." The Center defines hope as "the belief that the future will be better and you have the power to make it so." Hope Research Center (ou.edu)

If you're interested in becoming more involved in the PACEs science community, join our companion social network, PACEs Connection. Just go to PACEsConnection.com and click "Join". PACEsConnection.com is the leading advocate for information about the science of positive and adverse childhood experiences (PACEs) and the rapidly expanding, global PACEs science movement.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What ACEs do you have? There are 10 types of childhood trauma measured in the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. (There are many others...see below.) Five are personal - physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect. Five are related to other family members: a parent who's an alcoholic, a mother who's...

# data[].attributes.body
Understanding the nervous system's responses to stress

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

# data[].attributes.body
Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is ARC?

The Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) Framework is a flexible, components-based intervention developed for children and adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, along with their caregiving systems. ARC's foundation is built upon four key areas of study: normative childhood development, traumatic stress, attachment, and risk and resilience. Drawing from these areas, ARC identifies important childhood skills and competencies which are routinely shown to be negatively affected by traumatic stress and by attachment disruptions, and which - when addressed - predict resilient outcome.

ARC is designed as both an individual level clinical intervention, to be used in treatment settings for youth and families, and as an organizational framework, to be used in service systems to support trauma-informed care. The concepts identified by ARC may be applied to individuals from birth through young adulthood, and have been effectively used with youth with a range of developmental and cognitive functioning levels, and with a wide range of symptom presentations. Caregiver goals are designed to translate across many different types of caregiving systems, including primary (i.e., biological, kin, and foster parents), milieu (i.e., residential, group home), and organizational (i.e., teachers, youth program providers) systems of care.

The ARC Domains and Targets

ARC is organized around three primary domains of intervention, and identifies 8 key treatment targets. These domains and targets are briefly described below.

The framework focuses on strengthening the caregiving system surrounding children through enhancing supports, skills, and relational resources for adult caregivers. In many families and systems we work with, caregivers as well as children have been exposed to multiple stressors and traumatic experiences. Even in caregiving systems that have experienced little or no prior adversity, the effect of a child's relational trauma is likely to impact ongoing attachment relationships. Caregiver supports and the caregiver-child relationship are addressed through an emphasis on three primary targets:

(1) Supporting caregivers in recognizing, understanding, accepting, and managing their own emotional and physiological responses, particularly as relates to and impacts parenting or child-care;

(2) Enhancing rhythm and reciprocity in the caregiver-child relationship, and helping caregivers deepen their understanding of child behavior; and

(3) Building effective, trauma-informed responses to child and adolescent behavior

Regulation. Many young people who experience trauma are referred for treatment services or struggle in settings like school as a result of difficult behaviors, out of control emotions, and impulsive or disorganized bodies. Underlying these challenges is often a difficulty with regulation - of feelings, of thoughts, and of physical experience. Treatment emphasizes cultivating youth awareness and skill in identifying, understanding, tolerating, and managing internal experience. Regulation is addressed through

(1) Supporting youth in developing an awareness and understanding of feelings, body states, and associated thoughts and behaviors;

(2) Helping youth develop increased capacity to tolerate and manage physiological and emotional experience; and

(3) Enhancing tolerance for and skill in building relational connection.

The framework addresses key factors associated with resilience in stress-impacted populations. A goal of intervention utilizing ARC is to go beyond pathology reduction, and to increase positive / resilient outcomes among youth receiving intervention. Competency goals include

(1) Increasing opportunity for choice and empowerment, and skill in recognizing choice points and in effective decision-making; and

(2) Identification and exploration of a range of aspects of self and identity, and building coherence through development of narrative around key life experiences, including traumatic exposures.

Woven throughout the ARC approach is an emphasis on (why does this goal matter?), (why are we doing this?), and (what can I expect?).

ARC's ultimate goal is support children, adolescents, and caregivers in effective engagement in the world, in a manner that is and future-oriented , rather than focused on survival.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What is ARC? The Attachment, Regulation and Competency (ARC) Framework is a flexible, components-based intervention developed for children and adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, along with their caregiving systems. ARC's foundation is built upon four key areas of study: normative childhood development, traumatic stress, attachment, and risk and resilience.

# data[].attributes.headline
Perry's work on co-regulation techniques

# data[].attributes.subject
Perry's work on co-regulation techniques

# data[].attributes.body
Step by step protocols and exercises

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Last week, Think:Kids hosted Bruce Perry, MD, of the Child Trauma Academy for a joint training on how brain development is affected by trauma, and how the Collaborative Problem Solving approach addresses these neurobiological deficits. Dr. Perry and Dr. Ablon spoke for two days about the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) and Collaborative Problem Solving [...]

# data[].attributes.headline
How mental health difficulties affect children

# data[].attributes.subject
How mental health difficulties affect children

# data[].attributes.body
from www.kidsmatter.edu.au

# data[].attributes.headline
Lori's Tools for Brain-Informed Practices in Schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Lori's Tools for Brain-Informed Practices in Schools

# data[].attributes.headline
Lori Desaute PPT on Brain-informed strategies

# data[].attributes.subject
Lori Desaute PPT on Brain-informed strategies

# data[].attributes.body
ldesaute@butler.edu

# data[].attributes.body
YouTube and Google Drive Links

# data[].attributes.body
Overview Video and Blogpost:
http://www.6seconds.org/2010/01/27/the-six-seconds-eq-model/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How do I USE emotional intelligence? Here's the 3-step process.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Six Seconds Model is a simple, practical process framework for putting emotional intelligence into action. Here are the three steps: Know Yourself (be more aware), Choose Yourself (be more intentional), Give Yourself (be more purposeful).

# data[].attributes.body
Older Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Use the "Emotional Check-In / Out" worksheet as students enter and exit the classroom each day.

Overview:
Choose the appropriate worksheet level (1-3) based on the needs of your students.

Level 1 worksheets might be used with younger students or with students with limited receptive and expressive language skills. Level 1 sheets include pictures of each emotion.

Level 2 worksheets do not include pictures of emotions. Students are also required to write down why they are feeling a certain emotion.

Level 3 worksheets include a larger bank of emotion words.

Resources Needed:
Download and print these printables as needed:
This worksheet can be used to:

1. Promote self-assessment.

2. Support generalization.

3. Promote group discussions / activities.

4. Remediate periods of high anxiety or frustration in school setting.

5. Help the student and instructor identify possible "Home Emotions" (see Home Emotions section for more).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
picture exchange communication system cards

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use the "Emotional Check-In / Out" worksheet as students enter and exit the classroom each day. Overview: Choose the appropriate worksheet level (1-3) based on the needs of your students. Level 1 worksheets might be used with younger students or with students with limited receptive and expressive language skills.

# data[].attributes.body
If you're looking for the Six Second card sets or biodots, you can find them here along with other items.

# data[].attributes.headline
Dynamic Mindfulness - 15 minute protocol

# data[].attributes.subject
Dynamic Mindfulness - 15 minute protocol

# data[].attributes.body
Perfect for principals. You can do alone in your office with the door closed, or invite a study to join you. You can do all at once or cut into segments (3 x 5 min).

# data[].attributes.body
Of you're looking for a link to the curriculum, look here: http://www.niroga.org/education/curriculum/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dynamic Mindfulness curriculum, support items, and more.

# data[].attributes.body
Dynamic Mindfulness

# data[].attributes.body
EQ and SEL Introduction PPT

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a counselor, sometimes I work with kids who have a hard time identifying their feelings, especially the fact that feelings can range from slight to intense. One of the interventions I use is a feelings thermometer.

Kids need to understand what they are feeling and that feelings can be small or big. Being able to identify how big their feelings are can also help them recognize when they are getting more and more escalated. If they know when they are escalating, then they can intervene and use a coping skill to manage their feelings.

When creating a thermometer, focus on one feeling at a time. Here's how you can make an anger thermometer.
How to Make an Anger Thermometer:
Next to the bottom section of the thermometer, I write slightly angry, by the middle section I write really angry, and by the top I write very angry. Sometimes I even add the words small, medium and big by each of the sections so kids really understand about the size of their feeling.

Ask what their anger looks like when they are at the bottom of the thermometer. Do they stomp their feet, sigh loudly, growl, etc. Then we move on to the next section - if they are really angry, what does that look like? Does their voice get louder? Do they start invading other people's space? Then we talk about very angry - what does that look like? Is it yelling, throwing things, running away?

It isn't always easy for kids to do this. If they are having a hard time identifying what the behaviors were, I tell them what I noticed the last time I saw them get angry. Sometimes I try to give them a prompt to help them, like "When some kids get angry, they yell, is that something you do?"

Once we go through and identify behaviors on the thermometer, then we work on identifying coping skills they can use to calm down. Some examples include getting a drink of water, taking deep breaths, counting to a certain number or taking a walk.

I want to make sure they have coping skills that will help them at each level of anger. It's important to have a variety of coping skills for each level, because not all coping skills will work all the time. For some kids, taking a drink of water can help calm them down when they are just slightly angry. However, when they are very angry, getting a drink of water won't help. They need to do something different at that point, like take a walk.

Later on, after an incident has happened, they can use the thermometer to indicate how they are feeling, and it's a jumping off point for determining what to do next.

To make it easier (and because I love crafts), I add arrows to my feelings thermometer. I typically like to laminate the thermometer and the little arrow. Then I use velcro to make places to move the thermometer. The kids can easily move the arrow to indicate where they were on the thermometer.

Although I've just focused here on anger, you can also make feelings thermometers for sadness or anxiety or any other feeling a child is having difficulty understanding.

To make it easier for you, I've created a printable that you can use to make your own feelings thermometer. On the left you can label what they child looks like, and on the right of the thermometer, you can write what they do.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Making a Feelings Thermometer - Coping Skills for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a counselor, sometimes I work with kids who have a hard time identifying their feelings, especially the fact that feelings can range from slight to intense. One of the interventions I use is a feelings thermometer. Kids need to understand what they are feeling and that feelings can be small or big.

# data[].attributes.headline
2 x 10 strategy for connecting with students

# data[].attributes.subject
2 x 10 strategy for connecting with students

# data[].attributes.headline
Emotional Literacy for Children, Parents, and Teachers Handbook

# data[].attributes.subject
Emotional Literacy for Children, Parents, and Teachers Handbook

# data[].attributes.body
Dan Newby from https://studyemotions.com/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why is this happening?

How do I help them to learn to handle their feelings?

Where do I start?

As a therapist with 20 years of experience and a mom of 2, I create practical resources with an organized way to explore lots of different styles of coping skills.

Tons of ideas

Just as our children learn in different ways, they also cope in different ways - a "one size fits all" approach isn't helpful. There are tons of coping skills ideas you can explore through the products here.

Organized

We divide our coping skills up into different styles: Relaxation, Distraction, Sensory, Movement, and Processing. This allows children to explore strategies that fit with their personality.

Useful in different settings

These resources can work in a therapy setting, at school, or at home.

VISUAL REMINDERS

The Coping Cue Cards are visual reminders to use coping skills when they are having a hard time. These can be placed in a desk at school, on the fridge, or in a counselor's office, or Our Reset Space.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Coping Skills for Kids has products and resources to help parents and professionals teach children healthy ways to cope with stress, anxiety and anger.

# data[].attributes.body
Understanding emotions is nearly as important as IQ for students’ academic success