The cost of childhood trauma

Life, Mental Health
Photo by Pareeerica

 

 

The Ashland County Mental Health and Recovery Board sponsored an important conference highlighting the long term effects of adverse childhood events. I was fortunate to be a participant.

Jerry Strausbaugh, executive director of the Appleseed Community Mental Health                         Center, said the conference was a substantial benefit and reinforced the need to reach               each in-need or at-risk individual with personalized care and understanding.

“We straddle this world of bureaucracy where to come get help means you get a                           diagnosis and then you fill out a treatment plan and all kinds of things,” Strausbaugh                   said. “I understand why we have to do those things, but really what we need to do to help         people is validate them and help them tell their story, and help them understand that                 their past doesn’t have to translate into their future.”

Follow this link for the article in our local paper:

http://www.times-gazette.com/local%20news/2014/04/17/conference-breaks-down-lasting-effects-of-traumatic-childhood-experiences

 

Some things I experienced this week

Life, Work


coffee_20101231_bg_0204A hard workout that includes mindfulness and prayer can completely change your perspective.

Difficult conversations do not always result in a consensus but they are still worth having.

Spending a little extra for quality coffee is worth it.

Whenever possible have a face to face conversation about something. Too much is lost or left up for interpretation in email.

God sometimes just says “here”, and gives you an unexpected blessing.

 

 

Failing to check your assumptions can get you into trouble.

Topics in Leadership
Photo by: twenty_questions
Photo by: twenty_questions

Lately I have had to “relearn” to always assess the assumptions I am making. As the executive director people often come to me with problems or conflicts. In all of those cases I am making a decision or giving advice. Sometimes (all too often) I rush to a judgement. A few times in the recent past my quick analysis has been way off. Unfortunately not before I am halfway down the road of dealing with a person or situation incorrectly.

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.” ― Isaac Asimov

My advice: Always make sure you do yourself the favor of getting ALL the information and challenging your beliefs about a situation before acting.

 

Relearning

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Relearning blog 424027_28751988Kouzes and Posner write about about it in The Leadership Challenge. Warren Bennis writes about it in On Becoming a Leader… the reality that effective leaders are learners. I find myself though, not only in need of learning, but also relearning. I am frequently reminded of the lessons I’ve learned and forgotten. Little things like always check my junk mail file because invariably, something important is in there, or something more impactful, like keeping  tabs on how tired or stressed I am so I don’t over-react to people. Today my relearning involved being mindful of what I am communicating. Not so much the words, but how and what I am emphasizing. As a leader what I emphasize becomes what the organization emphasizes. I’m praying I’ll be a leader whose communication emphasizes the importance of our  organization staying  focused on the energizing and creative ways it  can accomplish its mission. 

A quote about servant leadership

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Photo by OiMax on FlickrI have been listening to this line on a song in my I-Pod for last couple days,

“If you want to show’em who is the boss, then you have to trade your high- horse for a cross”- Jenny Anne Mannan.

It has made me realize I need to reread Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership.

If I am to be effective in  leading our  organization in accomplishing its mission,  I must come alongside side people as a servant and teacher, helping them connect the dots from the “how-to-the-why” we do what we do.

“How the Mighty Fall”

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I’m reading Jim Collins’ book, How the Mighty Fall. I really appreciate his ability to make

Photo by: ralphbijker
Photo by: ralphbijker

helpful and practical conclusions from his research. In appendix five of this work he highlights six principles for what makes someone the “right” employee. I like what he has to say,

1) The right people fit with the company’s values.

2) The right people do not need to be tightly managed.

3) The right people understand they do not have “jobs”; they have responsibilities.

4)The right people fulfill their commitments.

5)The right people are passionate about the company and its work.

6) The right people display “window and mirror” maturity. By this he means that when things go well the right people point out at factors other than themselves, and when things go wrong they do not blame others but see how they were responsible.

So true…

 

 

 

Photo by The Wandering Angel
Photo by The Wandering Angel

Earlier I had mentioned that there have been two  personally impactful  ministry opportunities I have been involved in the last two to three weeks. The first was participating in the snow retreat for our church’s youth group. The second is a class I have been leading on Wednesday nights using information from the Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACE Study (http://www.cdc.gov/ace/).   As an elder in our church I am interested in how the information found in the study can inform our approach ministry.

The last three Wednesday evenings I have led a group of about 40 folks through study’s findings. In a nutshell the ACE study reveals that adverse or traumatic events that occur to someone during childhood have a strong correlation to health, emotional, vocational, and relational problems in adulthood. The study also reveals that two-thirds of adults have had at least one adverse event in their early lives.

After each class a small group of attendees lingered  to debrief.  These dear folks identified having a significant number of adverse experiences during their childhood and talked about how they continue to struggle with the emotional and spiritual scars left behind.   For them the class has begun a healing process that they are eager to continue. 

God is moving. This small group is committed to meeting weekly with a focus on community, prayer, and walking in the purpose and meaning God intended for their lives.  I am excited and humbled to a part of what is happening.