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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Many students and educators are back to school in various formats. In-school, virtual, and hybrid variations of teaching and learning for many have made scheduling and establishing a routine a challenge. During the pandemic, while some days are... Continue reading.
The American Psychological Association’s 2020 Stress in America survey revealed that Americans are experiencing a significant and negative impact as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans of all ages are struggling to cope with the... Continue reading.
MARSHALL, MI – The Marshall Community Foundation Youth Advisory Council through the Marshall Youth Fund has awarded Starr Commonwealth, in partnership with Marshall Public Schools, a $10,000 grant to provide services for staff and students in... Continue reading.
One of the hallmarks of trauma work is to help facilitate movement from victim-thinking to survivor-thinking. This is why we spend just as much time processing trauma themes as we do promoting experiences where children can feel safe, empowered... Continue reading.
