Resiliency triumphs over trauma

Psychological trauma resulting from childhood and adult adversities is strongly tied to negative health outcomes. Studies since the 1990s have identified that more than half of adults were exposed to at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), which may include events such as child abuse, household violence, household mental illness, or parental substance abuse. Ten to fifteen percent of adults were exposed to four or more ACEs, and increasing ACEs are in turn tied to more negative health outcomes. Individuals who are struggling with ACE-related psychological and health consequences can face challenges when seeking services, ranging from social services to health care, because the underlying issues of adversity are not considered.

One component of Just Living is justice in access to and assistance from these services. In order for these services to be effective, they must be offered in a constructive, compassionate and effective manner, with open and honest communication between service providers and service users. Without knowing the root causes that triggered the need for the service, providers will tailor their solutions only to the immediate problem at hand. The multiple adversities that led to the problems in the first place continue producing the health problems, and our systems end up being costly and ineffective.

With this understanding, a number of UI campus partners from Colleges of Education, Public Health, Medicine, Nursing and the School of Social Work have combined their expertise and invited community partners to join an initiative on campus. This initiative has been focusing on adverse childhood experiences, trauma informed care and practices, and how to implement a paradigm shift on campus and in our communities so that we can address the root causes of problems related to multiple domains of health and well-being via community-based approaches. As a result of this paradigm shift and associated efforts, we believe we may collaboratively develop evidence-based interventions to prevent and respond to ACEs.

Instructors for this half-day workshop include Yvonne Farley, LISW, Clinical Assistant

Professor of Social Work, Family Centered Concentration Chair from the University of Iowa, School of Social Work; Meredith Fishbane-Gordon, MD, Associate of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine from the University of Iowa Children's Hospital, and Resmiye Oral, MD, Clinical Professor of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Child Protection Program, University of Iowa Children's Hospital.

In addition, a panel discussion will be held on 'What can we do to change our paradigm on how to provide services to those in need?” between 11:30 and 12:30 p.m. with the involvement of the following campus and community representatives: Armeda Worjciak, Ph.D., LMFT, Assistant Professor, Couple and Family Therapy Program, University of Iowa College of Education; Marizen Ramirez, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health; Joshua Schonfeld, President, Graduate Student Government, University of Iowa, and Usha Balakrishnan, Founder and Chair, CARTHA, President-Elect, Iowa City Noon Rotary Club, Licensed Realtor at Lepic-Kroeger.

For further information on the first workshop that will be held on April 27 at the College Public Health Building, 145 N Riverside Dr., Iowa City, visit the Just Living semester website.

' Dr. Resmiye Oral is a clinical professor of pediatrics and director of the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine's Child Protection Program. Comments: (319) 384-6308; resmiye-oral@uiowa.edu