All children have the abilities and strengths to help cope with stressful events. Resilience is the ability to return to being healthy and hopeful after bad things happen. The single most important factor in developing resilience in a child is for that child to have one stable, caring adult in her or his life. Be the one to change a child’s story. Read on for information on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), resiliency and trauma informed care.
Our childhood experiences have a tremendous lifelong impact on our health and the quality of our lives. When a child is exposed to ongoing trauma, it can lead to negative health conditions like chronic disease, addiction, and mental health issues. ACEs are more common than you might realize. Approximately two out of three people in the state of Oregon have had at least one ACE and one out of five have had four or more ACEs.
Learn more about ACEs and how they affect our behavioral, mental, and physical health throughout our lives.
ACEs Infographic
Resilience is our ability to adapt and overcome traumatic experiences. We all have the ability to build resilience. There are ways we can build resilience within ourselves, within our community, and within children in our lives.
To learn more about resilience and how to help foster it in yourself and others, download these resources:General Community Infosheet (English)General Community Infosheet (Spanish)Parents InfosheetEducators InfosheetFaith Community InfosheetLaw Enforcement Infosheet
Trauma informed care recognizes that certain experiences can be overwhelming for people who have a history of trauma. This concept assures a commitment to not repeat these experiences and allows those people to restore their power and self-worth during those experiences.
Learn more about trauma informed care and how organizations can and are working toward becoming more trauma informed in Oregon at traumainformedoregon.org.
Mental health is your emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects who we are, how we act in situations, and how we react to stress. Mental health is important in all stages of your life.
Maintaining good mental health is important for overall wellness, including physical health. While it’s not always easy, there are ways to maintain good mental health. Understanding the steps and tools you can take may lead to a lifetime of good mental and physical wellness for you, your loved ones, and your community.
Someone with good mental health is able to feel and express a range of emotions. They can build positive relationships with others. They live and work productively and are able to be engaged with the world around them.
You can help a child build resiliency and good mental health by focusing on their strengths, saying specific praise about an achievement, allowing your child to express all types of emotions, teach the value of helping others, and help your child understand how their behavior affects others.
Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma. TIC emphasizes physical, psychological and emotional safety for both consumers and providers, and helps survivors rebuild a sense of control and empowerment. Trauma informed agencies and organizations adopt the principles and practices that promote a culture of safety, empowerment, and healing. Based on what we know about the prevalence and impact of trauma, it is necessary to ensure widespread adoption of trauma informed care.
Learn more about trauma informed care and how organizations can and are working towards becoming more trauma informed in Oregon at traumainformedoregon.org.
Local Contact Information:
Most people know if someone is choking or having a heart attack and what to do if help is needed. But would you know if someone is depressed or having a panic attack? Would you know how to respond when someone says they are thinking about suicide?
Mental Health First Aid teaches the public how to recognize symptoms of mental health problems, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate treatments and other supportive help.
It is listed in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices and is delivered by certified Mental Health First Aid USA Instructors.
Be the one to make a difference in someone’s life and help make Mental Health First Aid as common as CPR and First Aid. For more information, visit mentalhealthfirstaid.org.
Register for a class in your county:
Do you believe if you ask someone about suicide you might put the thought of suicide in their head? Have you ever wished you knew what to say to someone talking about death, hurting themself, or having thoughts of suicide? You’re not alone.
QPR is a brief nationally recognized emergency mental health intervention training that replaces myths about suicide with evidence-based facts and teaches you three simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.
For more information, visit the QPR Institute. To schedule a class, contact Linn County Health Services at 541-967-3819 or [email protected].
Have you ever been concerned that a friend or family member is thinking about suicide and wished you knew what to say or how to help? ASIST is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. It teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and how to work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety.
You do not have to be a professional to take the workshop. ASIST is a nationally accredited and evidence-based workshop where everyone from the public is welcome.
For information about ASIST, please contact Linn County Health Services at 541-967-3819 or [email protected].
Are you at your wit’s end because your kids are acting out at home and school, getting frustrated easily with life, or hurting themselves or others? The Collaborative Problem Solving for Parents class is a parenting support group that focuses on families and caregivers of teens and children struggling with difficult behaviors.
Visit the OFSN website and select the type of help you want.
Here are some additional mental health resources you may be interested in:
