Starr Commonwealth has been awarded $2,400 from the Branch County Community Foundation Forever Fund to enter phase 3 of the Union City Resilient Schools Project, which supports trauma-informed and resilience-focused experiences between students,... Continue reading.
Infant and Toddler Trauma
The field of trauma and resilience has accelerated over the past two decades. We now know how trauma and stress negatively affect children as young as infancy and preschool age. Despite abundant research, many well-educated and caring adults... Continue reading.
Meet the Clinician: Sara Gariepy
My name is Sara, I’m an occupational therapist specializing in the treatment of children who have experienced trauma at any stage in development. My focus is addressing regulation through a sensory-based intervention approach. My goal for the... Continue reading.
Noticing and 5 to 1 Interactions
Did you notice all of your students today? There is tremendous power in noticing. When you strive to notice kids several times each day on a consistent basis, it will help you foster connections in your classroom and reinforce each student's... Continue reading.
Meet the Clinician: Becca Gerlach, LMSW CAAC
Welcome to Starr Behavioral Health! My name is Becca Gerlach, and I am the Director of Behavioral Health here at Starr. My specialty areas are LGBTQIA+ adolescents and adults, adult survivors of childhood trauma, and addictions. I also offer... Continue reading.
Connections Assessments
One of the strongest protective factors to foster resilience in children is to feel a strong connection to at least one caring adult in any part of their life – home, extended family, school, community, etc. As students return to school, the... Continue reading.
Back to School: Normalize Reactions
Many caregivers and parents are curious about the signs they might see that children are feeling worried about the return to school. Here are some common symptoms kids experience when they experience stress. Tearfulness Regression ... Continue reading.
Courageous Classrooms: Making Mistakes is Courageous
Starting the year with learning how to handle mistakes is important because this is something we will most likely be doing every day. We all make mistakes and it happens often. We are not robots that are programmed to do the same thing over and... Continue reading.
Back to School: Control the Controllable
As parents, educators, and students prepare for and begin the 2021-2022 school year, the normal back to school concerns are running into new unknowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic leaving children and adults more worried than usual. The... Continue reading.
Courageous Classrooms: Build the Foundation
The new school year is upon us, and it’s important to recognize that the beginning of the year can be difficult and can cause a variety of feelings for students and adults. To get started on the right foot, have students think about all of the... Continue reading.
Starr Commonwealth Named Amongst 2021 Best Nonprofits to Work For
Starr Commonwealth has been ranked as the 23rd best nonprofit to work for in the nation by The NonProfit Times. This is the second consecutive year the leader in healing trauma and building resilience in children was named to the list, which is... Continue reading.
Starr Commonwealth Partners with U.S. Federal Government to Provide Safe Haven, Alleviate Humanitarian Challenge at Border
In response to an urgent request from the U.S. federal government, Starr Commonwealth is opening its Albion campus to help alleviate the developing humanitarian challenge at the southern border. A leader in healing trauma and building resilience... Continue reading.
Introducing Starr Commonwealth’s Resilient Schools Project Whitepaper
Starr Commonwealth’s flagship Resilient Schools Project is an evidence-informed and comprehensive systems approach to establishing a culture of resilience and trauma-informed practices in K-12 school buildings and districts nationwide. The goal is... Continue reading.
Post-COVID Stress Disorder and Pandemic Trauma and Stress Experience
The COVID-19 pandemic is triggering a wide variety of emotional, physical, and economic issues. There is extreme distress and children and adults alike are reporting worry, fear, hurt, and anger along with symptoms and reactions such as anxiety,... Continue reading.
Expressive Art and Sensory-Based Interventions
The somatic effects of stress and trauma have been long misunderstood, or identified as symptoms of a terror experience that left no apparent physical injury or scar. However, advances in science now confirm the invisible wounds of trauma are... Continue reading.
