Adverse Childhood Experiences
Igniting Resilience and Hope During and After Covid-19
This webinar was recorded and is now available as a Talk on Demand. Click here for more details.
Saturday 18 September 2021
With Anthea Benjamin, Dr Lucy Carter, Koya Cassandra Conteh, Tiane Graziottin, and more…
- Includes a recording of the event with access for a year (14 days post the event)
- Bookings close at 9:00am BST Wednesday 15 September
We are delighted to be holding this conference curated by the London ACEs Hub.
Applying a Trauma Informed Approach to Adverse Childhood Experiences
READ MORE...In the wake of COVID, this conference will address the highly topical issue of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and a therapeutic approach, Trauma Informed Care (TIC), which has been found to be highly effective in addressing the needs of people who have been neglected, abused, or otherwise traumatised in childhood. Studies, particularly by Dr Vincent Felitti and Dr Robert Anda (1998), have established beyond doubt the link between ACEs or “relational-trauma”, and subsequent ill health.
The conference will explore specific mechanisms whereby psychological stress and trauma in childhood take root in the body right down to a cellular level with a special focus on Racism as an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). The speakers will then address what can be done to minimise the effects of ACEs through Trauma Informed Care, involving the therapeutic provision of highly attuned caring relationships which can heal many of the dysregulating effects of early trauma, improving resilience and life prospects.
Our presenters, including the voices of three survivors of ACEs, will be sharing how TIC can be applied across different settings in the community such as schools, psychotherapy services, and general practice.
SPEAKERS
Anthea Benjamin, Dr Lucy Carter, Koya Cassandra Conteh, Dr Vincent Felitti, Tiane Graziottin, Dr Roger Grimshaw, Antiqu’e Kwakye-Ampomah, Leroy Logan, Amanda McIntyre, Vittoria de Meo, Mpume Mpofu, Simon Partridge, Jocelyne Quennell, Judith Rees, Jonathon Tomlinson, Derek Williams, Dr Felicity de Zulueta, Wendy Bratherton, ,FULL PROGRAMME
10.00 BST (05.00 EDT)
Introductions
10.05
Dr Felicity de Zulueta
Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Importance of Building up Resilience Through Attuned Interactions
We are born to attune and empathise with one another so as to be cooperative, but we live in a culture that promotes individualism and competition, the result of which we see in the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. This study shows how toxic stress in the early life of infants and children leads to changes in their body, mind, and behaviour. Felicity will describe these changes in detail, and thereby introduce you to the importance of providing a more attuned and loving environment for our children. This approach also provides a healing resilience-building experience for adults through Trauma Informed Care as will be illustrated throughout the rest of this event.
10.50
Q&A
11.00
Judith Rees and Amanda McIntyre
Trauma Informed Care for Expectant Parents
What are the hallmarks of trauma-informed care and why is it transformational? This session shares the learnings from For Baby’s Sake: an innovative, whole-family programme, starting in pregnancy and working with both parents to break the cycle of domestic abuse. Many mothers and fathers who join For Baby’s Sake had experienced their own traumatic childhood adversities. The programme works therapeutically by supporting the parents to process feelings and change behaviours through individual work and with Video Interaction Guidance (VIG). Focused on attunement and mentalisation at a vital time for their baby’s brain development, parents are empowered to build resilience for themselves and their family.
11.45
Q&A
12.00
Break with Qi Gong inspired optional mindfulness and relaxation exercises
Wendy Bratherton
12.15
A panel facilitated by Tiane Graziottin with Simon Partridge, Vittoria De Meo and Antiqu’e Kwakye-Ampomah
ACEs: Survivors Speak Out
This panel will provide a rare platform for three survivors of childhood adversity, including domestic violence, neglect, racial discrimination, and early separation as a result of boarding school. Participants will convey something of their experience, and how it was or was not recognised or treated within the health care and other support systems.
13.00
Q&A
13.15
Break with Qi Gong inspired optional mindfulness and relaxation exercises
Wendy Bratherton
13.45
Jocelyne Quennell, Koya Cassandra Conteh, Derek Williams, Anthea Benjamin
Racism, ACEs, and Wellbeing Therapeutic Practice
This is an opportunity to gain an overview of therapeutic approaches to wellbeing practices for children, young people, families, and communities through the therapeutic application of sports, arts, leisure, and communications technology.
Practitioners have, by ethical necessity, moved beyond the psycho-analytic frame through to applied therapeutic thinking, as well as creative and relational skills in mentoring, key-working, and creative group work. The impact of racial trauma is far-reaching in its implications, and there will be presentations on work that is making a difference to the lives of children and young people with individuals and organisations, strengthening confidence, communication skills, emotional regulation, identity, meaning, belonging, resilience, healing, and recovery.
14.45
Q&A
15.00
Break with Qi Gong inspired optional mindfulness and relaxation exercises
Wendy Bratherton
15.15
Dr Jonathon Tomlinson and Dr Lucy Carter
The Black Body Keeps the Score: Racial Trauma and Adverse Health Outcomes
For too long, differences in disease prevalence and health outcomes have been blamed on race, rather than racism. The stress of racism harms developing vascular, neuro-metabolic, endocrine, and immune systems. The consequence is a premature ‘weathering’ of Black bodies, increasing the risks of a wide range of diseases including hypertension, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, chronic pain, and more. Racism is why we saw high rates of hospitalisation and death from Covid-19. We will discuss what can be done to change medical education and clinical practice to shine a light upon the ways that racism harms Black bodies, a fact that has been hidden in plain sight for too long.
16.00
Q&A
16.15
Break with Qi Gong inspired optional mindfulness and relaxation exercises
Wendy Bratherton
16.30
A recorded conversation with Dr Vincent Felitti, Tiane Graziottin and Dr Felicity de Zulueta
This session our speakers will consider Dr Felitti’s work and how it has influenced clinicians as well as the potential for trauma informed care across disciplines.
17.00
Felicity de Zulueta, Roger Grimshaw, Mpume Mpofu, and Leroy Logan
Closing Panel Session
Our speakers will take up the issues and queries raised during the day’s event and outline paths for future work in relation to resilience building Trauma Informed Care as we emerge from the pandemic. The event will end on a musical note.
18.00
End