March 2020
Thank you to all who attended and helped make Convening at the Intersection of Trauma, Faith and Resilience a Success!
See photos, videos and workshop materials from this special event here .

Together, we:

  • learned about the intersection of faith, trauma and resilience,
  • learned practical ways to promote healing and build resilience in our communities, and
  • discovered concrete actions we can take to create, model and guide transformation to become trauma-responsive and healing-engaged congregations and communities.

Thank you to:

  • Dynamic speakers and workshop leaders who challenged us and inspired us;
  • Volunteers who helped logistics run smoothly and worked hard to make sure participants felt comfortable and at home;
  • Share Fair participants who shared their wisdom and what it means to be trauma informed and healing engaged, and
  • Participants who shared their enthusiasm, spirit and ideas on how to become healing-engaged congregations and communities.
PBS "Broken Places" Premiers on April 6
From April through May, PBS will air new series and specials that shine light on health and well-being.

Among them: "Broken Places," which will air on Monday, April 6. The program will explore why some children are severely impacted by early adversity while others are able to thrive. Revisit children profiled decades ago to see how early trauma shaped their lives as adults. See trailer and other details .
Webinar: Segregation Stress Syndrome
Last May, the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative hosted a webinar with sociologist Dr. Ruth Thompson-Miller to discuss the enduring traumatic legacy of Jim Crow and how this trauma is reflected in the United States today. Dr. Thompson-Miller discussed her idea of “Segregation Stress Syndrome”–the chronic, enduring and extremely painful responses to collective trauma that occurred during Jim Crow, the effects of which are still felt today. Read more and view the webinar here.
Registration Now Open for Support Team Workshop
Saturday, May 16, 2020
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
1775 Dempster Street, Park Ridge

Support Teams are a great way to share the care for those in your congregation or community who need some extra support. Team members do what they love to do, when they can, in a coordinated way, with a built-in support system. Learn how to form and sustain teams and get connected to others who are using this model to provide care. Register  here.
Other Upcoming Events
March 5, 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Free Mental Health Awareness Training
Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation
815 W. 63rd Street, Chicago
The Kennedy Forum will provide training to the community on how to identify signs & symptoms of mental illness, understand recovery and treatment, and how to help during a mental health crisis. Learn more here .

March 5, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Kroc Center Chicago
250 W. 119th Street, Chicago
Gather with community-based organizations, city agencies, social service professionals and health care institutions for a summit exploring strategies and approaches that communities and multi-sector partners are using to prevent violence, promote recovery and build resilience.

Wednesdays, March 11-April 29, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Lutheran General Hospital
1775 Dempster Street, Park Ridge
WRAP is an eight-week recovery education class for those with mental illness. The class includes creating an action plan to manage, reduce or eliminate symptoms to create a higher quality of life.

March 12, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
The webinar will discuss the Community Resiliency Model, developed by Elaine Miller-Karas, and explain how it prevents burnout in the workplace. 

March 13-14
Westside Community Triage & Wellness Center
4133 W. Madison Street, Chicago.
This two-day workshop, developed by the Sidran Institute, equips faith leaders (clergy and lay) to build trauma responsive congregations.

March 20, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Villa Guadalupe Senior Building
3201 E. 91st Street, Chicago
This training is designed to help participants better understand mental illnesses and how to identify and respond to the signs of mental health issues.

March 21, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
St. John's United Church of Christ
4500 Prescott Ave., Lyons, IL
Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis.

March 27-29
American Islamic College
640 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago
The three-day 12th Annual Muslim Mental Health Conference by the Michigan State University Department of Psychiatry brings together scholars, faith leaders, healthcare providers and researchers to examine topics related to mental health across the Muslim community.

March 31, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
4747 Lincoln Mall Drive, Matteson, IL
The mental health cluster meeting for the South Suburban Area will include dinner, dialogue and action planning.

April 1-2, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
The DeKoven Center, Racine, WI
The first day will focus on Bowen Theory and Rabbi Edwin Friedman’s work with the theory as it is used to understand and work with families, congregations and other institutions. The second day includes a presentation by Dr. Peter Steinke, author, Lutheran pastor, congregational consultant, former director of Healthy Congregations and director of Bridgebuilders. Pete’s topic is the challenge of being church in a society that is in a regression. Courage and conviction are required. The question is, where, when and how will we find it.

April 9, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Aggie Stewart, a counselor and yoga therapist, will discuss the role of yoga and other mindful practices in organizational wellness plans and in preventing burnout among staff.

April 25, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
McCormick Theological Seminary
5460 S. University Ave., Chicago
Sponsored by Science for Seminaries and the Presbytery of Chicago, the program will feature Dr. Melissa Merrick, president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Trauma-Informed News
Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice
The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice recently launched a national campaign that calls for federal action to prevent and address childhood trauma and build resilience through educating and engaging Congress and other federal leaders. Learn more about the #TransformChildhooldTrauma campaign here .

SURE Moms Program supports mothers whose children have been arrested and detained by the juvenile justice system. Click to learn how the Michigan program treats mothers' trauma as a way to prevent youth violence and incarceration.
The Chicagoland Trauma Informed Congregation Network is an interfaith table that brings together faith-rooted organizations and others that are interested in using our collective wisdom to respond to the call to facilitate and deepen the role of faith communities in recognizing and creating "safe and brave spaces" that support the healing of trauma experienced by individuals and communities. The Network is not a direct service provider, but a vehicle for education, skills transfer and connection of the intersection of faith, trauma and restorative justice.

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This newsletter is sent out on behalf of the Chicagoland Trauma Informed Congregations Network by The Center for Faith and Community Health Transformation (a joint initiative of  Advocate Health Care  & 
the  Office for Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships  at the University of Illinois at Chicago) and ReCAST (Resilience in Communities After Stress and Trauma) of the Chicago Department of Public Health.