Project Self-Sufficiency to host free workshops on adverse childhood experiences

Project Self-Sufficiency will offer three workshops regarding adverse childhood experiences with the goal of educating the public, supporting trauma survivors, and offering tips for prevention and healing within the community.

A virtual “Understanding ACEs: Building Self-Healing Communities” presentation on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 3 p.m., will address the neurological and biological effects of adversity on development and its corresponding impact on the health of the overall population.

The workshop and discussion series, “Connections Matter”, which facilitates the conversation about issues surrounding childhood trauma, will be offered virtually in English, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2 p.m., and in Spanish, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m. Tips for protection, prevention, and promoting resilience within the community will also be discussed. All workshops are free, hosted on Zoom, and open to the public; interested participants are invited to call 973-940-3500 to receive log-in details.

Speakers will address the impact of adverse childhood experiences on social, emotional, and cognitive development, and offer tips and strategies for building resilience. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are widely recognized as falling into three distinct categories, abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction.

“Our goal is to help make our community a place in which every child can thrive by providing education and training on adverse childhood experiences and assuring safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments,” explains Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon. “Protection, prevention, and resilience promotion can profoundly improve health according to recent discoveries in neuroscience, epigenetics, and epidemiology. The tools identified in these workshops can positively impact public health, safety, and productivity, and reduce public and private costs now and for future generations.”