Is this the price for beauty?According to Yahoo news “West's mother died as a result of complications after surgery at a Los Angeles hospital on Saturday (November 10).”The surgery on Donda West was performed by DR. JAN ADAMS, a well known plastic surgeon in LA California. Dr. Adams was featured on Oprah, Entertainment Tonight, was a host of Discovery Health Channel’s popular show, “Plastic
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The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Presentation
Note: I will be presenting as part of a pre-meeting institute at The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies’ 23rd Annual Meeting which will be held in Baltimore, Maryland on November 15-17, 2007, with pre-meeting institutes on November 14.Wednesday, November 14.
Half Day
8:30 a.m. – noon
Trauma Prevention as Social Change: From Trauma
Theory to Real Life Practice (Abstract #178942)
Pre-Meeting Institute (commun)
Technical Level: Intermediate
Pearlman, Laurie Anne, PhD1; Saakvitne, Karen, PhD2; Wilcox, Patricia, MSW3; Brown, Steven, PsyD3; Staub, Ervin, PhD4; Giller, Esther, MA5
1Trauma Research and Education Institute, Inc., Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
2Private Practice, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
3Klingberg Family Centers, New Britain, Connecticut, USA
4University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
5Sidran Institute for Traumatic Stress Education and Advocacy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
In this institute, we present three theory-based initiatives in trauma prevention and treatment. We describe two central theories and three initiatives based on them, highlighting the process, challenges, and benefits of attempts to put theory into actual practice. The theories are constructivist self development theory (McCann, Pearlman, 1990; Pearlman, Saakvitne, 1995), a relational trauma theory which provides a framework for understanding the psychological impact of traumatic life experiences, and Staub´s model for understanding the origins and prevention of group violence (1989, 2003). The three projects all emphasize the importance of theoretical frameworks, the healing powers of RICH relationships (that include respect, nformation, connection, and hope; Saakvitne, 2000), and the ethical imperative to address the experience and needs of the healer in trauma work. Saakvitne will describe the translation of psychological theory into a training curriculum, Risking Connection. Esther Giller will present Baltimore´s Spirituality and Victim Services Initiative using the CSDT-based Risking Connection (Saakvitne 2000) and Risking Connection in Faith Communities (Day 2006) curricula as training and collaboration-building tools to bring together multidisciplinary
community resources to trauma survivors. Wilcox and Brown will describe efforts to create trauma-informed care systems for young adults, adolescents, and children in mental health systems. This initiative has taken place largely in congregate care settings. It combines training and consultation using Risking Connection, and the restorative approach (Wilcox, 2006), a treatment approach emphasizing relational rather than behavioral management techniques. Pearlman and Staub describe a project that combines CSDT with Staub´s Origins and Prevention model to promote healing in Rwanda. Staub´s work identifies the psychological,
social, economic, and historic forces that set the stage for group violence. It emphasizes understanding the sources of violence and the necessary components of reconciliation after mass violence. A controlled evaluation of their approach found decreased trauma symptoms and more positive orientation toward the other group. The approach has been used with groups from community members to national leaders, and is the basis of radio-based public education
in Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Each presentation will discuss research, challenges, and successes.
If you are going to be at ISTSS, stop by and say hello!
read more...
Half Day
8:30 a.m. – noon
Trauma Prevention as Social Change: From Trauma
Theory to Real Life Practice (Abstract #178942)
Pre-Meeting Institute (commun)
Technical Level: Intermediate
Pearlman, Laurie Anne, PhD1; Saakvitne, Karen, PhD2; Wilcox, Patricia, MSW3; Brown, Steven, PsyD3; Staub, Ervin, PhD4; Giller, Esther, MA5
1Trauma Research and Education Institute, Inc., Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA
2Private Practice, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
3Klingberg Family Centers, New Britain, Connecticut, USA
4University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
5Sidran Institute for Traumatic Stress Education and Advocacy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
In this institute, we present three theory-based initiatives in trauma prevention and treatment. We describe two central theories and three initiatives based on them, highlighting the process, challenges, and benefits of attempts to put theory into actual practice. The theories are constructivist self development theory (McCann, Pearlman, 1990; Pearlman, Saakvitne, 1995), a relational trauma theory which provides a framework for understanding the psychological impact of traumatic life experiences, and Staub´s model for understanding the origins and prevention of group violence (1989, 2003). The three projects all emphasize the importance of theoretical frameworks, the healing powers of RICH relationships (that include respect, nformation, connection, and hope; Saakvitne, 2000), and the ethical imperative to address the experience and needs of the healer in trauma work. Saakvitne will describe the translation of psychological theory into a training curriculum, Risking Connection. Esther Giller will present Baltimore´s Spirituality and Victim Services Initiative using the CSDT-based Risking Connection (Saakvitne 2000) and Risking Connection in Faith Communities (Day 2006) curricula as training and collaboration-building tools to bring together multidisciplinary
community resources to trauma survivors. Wilcox and Brown will describe efforts to create trauma-informed care systems for young adults, adolescents, and children in mental health systems. This initiative has taken place largely in congregate care settings. It combines training and consultation using Risking Connection, and the restorative approach (Wilcox, 2006), a treatment approach emphasizing relational rather than behavioral management techniques. Pearlman and Staub describe a project that combines CSDT with Staub´s Origins and Prevention model to promote healing in Rwanda. Staub´s work identifies the psychological,
social, economic, and historic forces that set the stage for group violence. It emphasizes understanding the sources of violence and the necessary components of reconciliation after mass violence. A controlled evaluation of their approach found decreased trauma symptoms and more positive orientation toward the other group. The approach has been used with groups from community members to national leaders, and is the basis of radio-based public education
in Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Each presentation will discuss research, challenges, and successes.
If you are going to be at ISTSS, stop by and say hello!
Increasing Readiness for Trauma Informed Care
If you work for a treatment agency that is just beginning to think about trauma informed care, there is an important step you can take to increase your readiness to make this change.
This step is: increase the likelihood that staff will consider what is behind a behavior that a kid is displaying before taking action to respond to that behavior.
A key concept of trauma informed care is that symptoms are adaptations: that people do things for a reason. The behaviors the kids do that are problems for us, are solutions for them. Behaviors such as aggression, self harm, destroying property, bullying, screaming, running away, throwing chairs- they all serve an immediate purpose for the child, and what’s more, they work. The purpose is usually to escape some sort of intolerable feeling. Because the child has no reliable attachments to help her calm down, her emotions over whelm her. Because she has a changed biology and a sensitized nervous system, a small problem feels like a catastrophe. And because he doesn’t know any feelings management skills, he does not know how to identify or handle the feelings, does not believe any one cares, and does not think he is worth the trouble any way.
So instead of staying with over whelming feelings of fear and hopelessness, the child does something. And the problem is temporarily solved- even though there are long term negative consequences.
Every behavior is adaptive. And if we understand the benefits a child is getting from a behavior, we open up many more ways to help the child. This is much more powerful than just trying to punish the behavior away.
How can an agency develop a culture in which the adaptive function of a behavior is routinely considered and discussed?
I believe the clinicians should take the lead here. Shortly after a child is admitted (like 2-3 weeks) the team should hold a meeting in which members of all disciplines (teachers, child care workers, nursing, etc) are present. The therapist should convey a beginning formulation of the case- a theory of what happened to the child and why they are acting the way they do. This formulation could be summarized in a treatment theme such as "learning to trust adults" or "learning to manage feelings" that highlights the most important thing the team will work on. The child should also be part of determining the treatment theme when appropriate.
Then for every behavior that occurs the therapist should lead the questions: why is she doing this? Why now? What problem is she trying to solve? What has happened recently? How do we understand this?
After a while this kind of thinking can become so pervasive in the program that everyone thinks this way, and child care workers, teachers, everyone starts asking the same questions.
So if a boy often has a tantrum before bed time, we are wondering what it is about bed time that is hard for him, and thinking more of night lights, staff presence outside his room, soft music- and less of punishing the tantrum.
Start thinking about what meetings, what occasions, what communication channels can be used to communicate ideas about the meaning of behavior.
After a while it will be automatic to ask these questions and use your theories to determine your responses. Then you can start the next steps in implementing trauma informed care.
As always, comments are strongly desired- it’s easy! Just click on the word “comment” below.
read more...
This step is: increase the likelihood that staff will consider what is behind a behavior that a kid is displaying before taking action to respond to that behavior.
A key concept of trauma informed care is that symptoms are adaptations: that people do things for a reason. The behaviors the kids do that are problems for us, are solutions for them. Behaviors such as aggression, self harm, destroying property, bullying, screaming, running away, throwing chairs- they all serve an immediate purpose for the child, and what’s more, they work. The purpose is usually to escape some sort of intolerable feeling. Because the child has no reliable attachments to help her calm down, her emotions over whelm her. Because she has a changed biology and a sensitized nervous system, a small problem feels like a catastrophe. And because he doesn’t know any feelings management skills, he does not know how to identify or handle the feelings, does not believe any one cares, and does not think he is worth the trouble any way.
So instead of staying with over whelming feelings of fear and hopelessness, the child does something. And the problem is temporarily solved- even though there are long term negative consequences.
Every behavior is adaptive. And if we understand the benefits a child is getting from a behavior, we open up many more ways to help the child. This is much more powerful than just trying to punish the behavior away.
How can an agency develop a culture in which the adaptive function of a behavior is routinely considered and discussed?
I believe the clinicians should take the lead here. Shortly after a child is admitted (like 2-3 weeks) the team should hold a meeting in which members of all disciplines (teachers, child care workers, nursing, etc) are present. The therapist should convey a beginning formulation of the case- a theory of what happened to the child and why they are acting the way they do. This formulation could be summarized in a treatment theme such as "learning to trust adults" or "learning to manage feelings" that highlights the most important thing the team will work on. The child should also be part of determining the treatment theme when appropriate.
Then for every behavior that occurs the therapist should lead the questions: why is she doing this? Why now? What problem is she trying to solve? What has happened recently? How do we understand this?
After a while this kind of thinking can become so pervasive in the program that everyone thinks this way, and child care workers, teachers, everyone starts asking the same questions.
So if a boy often has a tantrum before bed time, we are wondering what it is about bed time that is hard for him, and thinking more of night lights, staff presence outside his room, soft music- and less of punishing the tantrum.
Start thinking about what meetings, what occasions, what communication channels can be used to communicate ideas about the meaning of behavior.
After a while it will be automatic to ask these questions and use your theories to determine your responses. Then you can start the next steps in implementing trauma informed care.
As always, comments are strongly desired- it’s easy! Just click on the word “comment” below.
Beauty Shopping: Parfumeries in Switzerland and Temptation from Estee Lauder
Swiss Parfumeries are like beauty boutiques and beauty clubs in one. These stores offer an excellent selection of cosmetics, perfume and makeup. You get very nice service with a personal touch. And you can "join" a parfumerie chain to get a bit of a special treatment. You get a customer card which you use to accumulate points for your purchases.When you have a certain amount of those you receive
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Beauty Talk: Golden Rules for Beautiful and Healthy Looking Skin.
Good skin care habits form (or should form) no later than in our late teens or early 20s. That’s when we should learn the importance of taking care of our skin and of protecting it (and not limit our skin care routine to just fighting the break outs). It really helps to have a role-model or somebody who could explain about the importance of skin care and help to make the right choices.My Mother
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Beauty Digest: Sugar in Competition with UV Light for Number One Cause of Aging
Bitter news for Sweet Tooth!Sugar is in spot light as a leading cause of aging. The first time I got a premonition that some negative energy was gathering around sweet things in life when reading a German issue of Elle for November 2007. The statement that sugar “gets converted into Glucose in the blood that attacks collagen fibers” caught my attention. I just could picture my collagen fibers
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Call for Response and the Restorative Approach™ and DBT
First, I would like any one who is reading this to read the previous guest post from Devereaux and respond to the thought-provoking questions they pose through clicking on the "comment" button below.
Last week I attended the first week of intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). The State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families is providing this training for 18 agencies chosen through an RFP process. The trainers are from Behavioral Tech, the official training group of Marcia Linehan, who authored DBT. (http://www.behavioraltech.com/)
Several people asked the trainers how DBT fits with a relational model. The trainers stated, and I completely agree, that DBT is a relational model, and pays a lot of attention to the quality of the relationship between the treater and the client. DBT states that the relationship is our main source of power and reward, and our main vehicle for changing behavior.
Many aspects of DBT promote a relationship approach. First of all, the DBT assumption that the client is doing the best they can, and that we must adopt a stance of radical empathy and search for a non-prejorative, phenomenological empathetic interpretation of the clients makes a relationship possible. We are more able to form a relationship with the client if we are not blaming him for his behavior. Secondly, DBT promotes radical genuineness on the part of the therapist. It is okay (inevitable in fact) for the therapist to have personal limits, to be affected by the clients' behavior and to have reactions. These can be shared with the client in a real way. The emphasis on transparency, on teaching the client everything you are doing, on respect for the client's ability to learn and understand, also promotes a strong relationship. The therapists’ ability to respect her own limits decreases her becoming angry with the client.
A critical component of DBT is the consultation team, which supports the treater. The Consultation Team assumptions of fallibility and non-defensiveness, as well as the dialectical method of problem solving, create a strong and healthy team. Therefore, relationships with other providers enable the treater to have strong relationships with the client.
DBT pays very close and careful attention to what the treater does within the relationship. DBT speaks about positive and negative consequences for behavior, and emphasizes contingency management. But most often they are not referring g to 10 minutes more Nintendo time. They are asking us to closely notice what we do within the relationship. When do we spend time with the child? When do we smile, talk in a warm voice, pull back, frown, be closer, be more distant? All of these can reward or punish behaviors. And we need to use these contingencies carefully and planfuly, lest we inadvertently reinforce the very behaviors we are trying to change.
DBT even has a concept of restoring relationships after there has been a problem, and of over correction- doing more than you strictly need to to make sure the breach is healed.
Although there were some parts of the training I need to think more about to integrate with our current approach, over all I think that DBT and the Restorative Approach™ compliment each other.
read more...
Last week I attended the first week of intensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). The State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families is providing this training for 18 agencies chosen through an RFP process. The trainers are from Behavioral Tech, the official training group of Marcia Linehan, who authored DBT. (http://www.behavioraltech.com/)
Several people asked the trainers how DBT fits with a relational model. The trainers stated, and I completely agree, that DBT is a relational model, and pays a lot of attention to the quality of the relationship between the treater and the client. DBT states that the relationship is our main source of power and reward, and our main vehicle for changing behavior.
Many aspects of DBT promote a relationship approach. First of all, the DBT assumption that the client is doing the best they can, and that we must adopt a stance of radical empathy and search for a non-prejorative, phenomenological empathetic interpretation of the clients makes a relationship possible. We are more able to form a relationship with the client if we are not blaming him for his behavior. Secondly, DBT promotes radical genuineness on the part of the therapist. It is okay (inevitable in fact) for the therapist to have personal limits, to be affected by the clients' behavior and to have reactions. These can be shared with the client in a real way. The emphasis on transparency, on teaching the client everything you are doing, on respect for the client's ability to learn and understand, also promotes a strong relationship. The therapists’ ability to respect her own limits decreases her becoming angry with the client.
A critical component of DBT is the consultation team, which supports the treater. The Consultation Team assumptions of fallibility and non-defensiveness, as well as the dialectical method of problem solving, create a strong and healthy team. Therefore, relationships with other providers enable the treater to have strong relationships with the client.
DBT pays very close and careful attention to what the treater does within the relationship. DBT speaks about positive and negative consequences for behavior, and emphasizes contingency management. But most often they are not referring g to 10 minutes more Nintendo time. They are asking us to closely notice what we do within the relationship. When do we spend time with the child? When do we smile, talk in a warm voice, pull back, frown, be closer, be more distant? All of these can reward or punish behaviors. And we need to use these contingencies carefully and planfuly, lest we inadvertently reinforce the very behaviors we are trying to change.
DBT even has a concept of restoring relationships after there has been a problem, and of over correction- doing more than you strictly need to to make sure the breach is healed.
Although there were some parts of the training I need to think more about to integrate with our current approach, over all I think that DBT and the Restorative Approach™ compliment each other.
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