I’m sitting with a group of professionals. Wow, they have been through tough times the past few years. As you know, I work with professionals who support children and families – healthcare providers, educators, mental health experts, home visitors, and the like. They hear so many stories of hurt, stress, and family chaos. And they […]

We were honored to train over one hundred professionals this past week thanks to the generous programming investment from the Clackamas Early Learning Hub. For four days, we discussed social emotional health, early relational health, and how connections heal early childhood stress and trauma. Relationships heal relational trauma, it’s that straightforward. Connections matter and that’s what we focused […]

I don’t know about you, but I want to soak up as much summer as I can. I mean, really, I was at the grocery store yesterday and ALL the pumpkin spice stuff was out. NOOOOO! (Don’t tell anyone, but I actually turned around two cereal boxes in a small protest). There are SO many barriers to […]

I finally have a moment to reflect on my week at UKANDU. What a magical time! UKANDU is a non-profit whose mission is to provide joy, hope, and connection to communities impacted by childhood and adolescent cancer. It’s truly a magical space for children and their families.  I want to focus on three things that continue to stand […]

This month, my book, The Trauma-Informed Pediatric Practice: A Resilience-Based Roadmap to Early Relational Health, was released from The American Academy of Pediatrics. The entire process has been surreal and, until I held the book in my hands, I still had not realized the impact it would have on me. One day in June, my book arrived, […]

Happy post-long weekend to celebrate America’s birthday! I hope you all celebrated and enjoyed sunshine, barbecues, and friends. For those of you who’ve been following for a while, you know that we spend a lot of time at rodeos during the summer. My son has been participating in rodeo events since 2018 and it’s truly […]

I hope you’re flowing into some lazy summer days. (In fact, if you’re in Clackamas, you’re in for a treat for summer days as we partner with Clackamas Early Learning Hub for the Summer Summit – it’s free, register here!) For those of us in the northwest, the sun that we’ve been waiting for has swept away cloudy, […]

Oh goodness, do I have an announcement for you! Drum roll…. If you’re a professional who serves children and families in Clackamas County, you’re in for a treat! For two days in August, you can get trained in my signature curriculum, Cards for Connection©, FOR FREE! We’re calling it the Summer Summit and you can register here!! Sponsored by the Clackamas […]

If you haven’t read this newsletter about “ending well,” check it out here. Today, I’m building on that message as we celebrate the graduates of 2024. If you’ve worked with kids and families as long as I have, you know that they wind their way into your heart. The trust you build with families and the […]

Today, I’m walking you through, step by step, how our team created a trauma-informed retreat. We invited 15 guests to our farm for a 2-day, soul-filling retreat about what it means to provide trauma-responsive care when you work in the lives of children and families. It was magical! Let me know what you think and […]