MYM Magazine - 2024 Q1

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BASICS DR. STAN SONUSYSTEMIC EMPATHY

A WORD FROM I COBB COLLABORATIVE’S EXECUT

Dear Cobb County Community,

Welcome to the first issue of the 2024 Mind Your Mind Magazine. We received excellent feedback from the launch of the magazine last year, with our partners preferring the quarterly format over monthly newsletters. We hope you agree and are always excited to share with you and learn from you so that we are meeting your needs.

If you were not able to join us for our third annual Summit in February, we introduced our overarching programmatic and messaging framework for the year which is HOPE - Healthy Outcomes from Positive from Tufts University confirms that trauma anyone's destiny. Rather, it takes an communities through the 4 pillars:

RELATIONSHIPS ENVIRONMEN

This echoes a shift that we are seeing in childhood prevention as well - moving from surveillance to support. Yes, we know that trauma exists. Yes, we acknowledge that bad things happen to children and adults and that exacts a costly toll. But, we also know that rooted in every person is the possibility of good, of resiliency, and of positive outcomes. It's up to us as community members to make sure that the systems are in place to allow that hope to flourish.

We have an exciting year planned with programs, activities and services to bring HOPE to Cobb County and beyond, and we look forward to partnering with YOU to make that potential a reality. Please contact us with your thoughts, comments and suggestions and enjoy this edition of Mind Your Mind.

Warmly,

Irene Barton

IRENE BARTON EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

REFRAMING 2024 WITH

The HOPE National Resource Center (NRC)

The Center for Community-Engaged Medicine within the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center

We were first introduced to HOPE in 2023 at the Prevent Child Abuse Georgia Conference, where we dove deep into the innerworkings of the four building blocks that support positive experiences:

RELATIONSHIPS within the family and with other children and adults through interpersonal activities; safe, equitable stable

1. ENVIRONMENTS for living, playing, and learning at home and in school; social and civic

2. ENGAGEMENT to develop a sense of belonging and connectedness

3 Opportunities for social and EMOTIONAL GROWTH

4. (Sege and Browne, Tufts Medical Center)

In 2024, each quarterly issue of MYM Magazine will explore one of the four blocks individually and feature tips on how to incorporate this framework into a lifestyle. This issue will introduce the importance of healthy relationships in our lives. We are encouraged that as a community, we can use this information to look at each moment with a lens of HOPE, and together we can make a difference.

Building Blocks for Families

Building Blocks for Educators

Building Blocks for Home Visitors

Building Blocks for Medical Providers

KNOWLEDGE TO ACTION:

Positive relationships that are full of nurturance and support are the key for children to develop into healthy, resilient adults. Knowing this, we can reduce the risk of adults developing poor mental/physical health outcomes through an approach of prevention By providing children with healthy, stable, genuine, adult relationships in their lives as they learn and develop, we can develop a more equitable starting point for children to thrive But even as adults, we can benefit from healthy relationships

Ask yourself - “How am I strengthening this connection or experience with HOPE?”

TANGIBLE TIPS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS:

Check out this free downloadable Activity Book from HOPE, filled with word searches, coloring pages, and more

CONNECT WITH A HOBBY- Bring a friend to that painting class you’ve been wanting to try, or make new friends in a nature walk group. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Unsure of where to start? Check out your local parks and recreation center for class offerings near you.

TAP INTO YOUR INNER CHILD! Let loose while you sing and dance and make funny faces with your childcheck out our latest Basics Playground Palooza to explore the 5 principles of The Basics with take home tips.

SEEK OUT A TRUSTED COACH, MENTOR, OR PEER- Trusted adults don’t have to be family. Coaches, mentors, and even peers play a significant role in establishing healthy role models. Check out the 2023 Q4 MYM Magazine where we discuss the benefits of mentorship, especially through stressful times.

LIMIT DISTRACTIONS - Implement no-screen time for your family unit or have dedicated time to respond to those work emails. When we are distracted, it can be hard to really listen and understand what the other person might need in that moment.

BE PRESENT - Offer warmth and compassion as you engage with children or adults in your life. You don’t have to have all of the answers Just being a presence or a listening ear during hard times can create a space that feels safe to express oneself A simple phrase, such as “I’m here with you through this” can be enough in the moment to develop safe connections

For more about the HOPE framework, visit

https://positiveexperience.org/

RESILENCY WEEK highlights

“Itwassomuchfunandneededasaparentand personwhoworksinahelp-servingrole.Itwasa greatremindertobepresentandtakecareof myself thankyou!”

- RESILENCY WEEK ATTENDEE -

“Ihavebecomeveryencouragedandgratefulfor ourCobbCountycommunityconnectingthedots inordertobetterserveourcommunitywitha wholenessapproach;physical,financial, economic,spiritualandmental!”

- RESILENCY WEEK ATTENDEE -

RESILENCY WEEK highlights

RESILENCY WEEK highlights

“Thankyouforallowingmetoparticipatein today’sresiliencyretreat ItwasaFABUlOUS experience.Theimportanceofselfcare shouldnotbeunderestimated.Mymind,body andsoundtrulybenefitedfromthismost thoughtful program.Mywishisthisbecomes anannualevent!Mysincerethankstoall thosethatmadethiseventcometofruition

- RESILENCY RETREAT ATTENDEE -

SYSTEMIC EMPATHY DR. STAN SONU

If you’ve been around the Cobb Collaborative, you know that our Mental Health and Birth - 5 work is driven by spreading awareness around the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and ways to prevent or mitigate those impacts through Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs)

We just knew that as we were shifting our work in 2024 with the HOPE framework in mind, that Dr. Stan Sonu would be the perfect Keynote Speaker for our 3rd annual Resilient Cobb Summit, sponsored by Resilient GA.

Dr. Sonu is a double-board certified pediatrician with a passion for teaching about ACEs and training future clinicians on effective and patient-centered ways to address trauma in primary care Dr Sonu's research interests include adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), trauma-informed care, advancing health equity, and addressing social determinants of health in clinical care settings.

He is passionate about educating individuals on the impacts of ACEs and training future clinicians on effective, patient-centered ways to address trauma in primary care. Engaged in efforts to build community consensus around responding to and preventing ACEs through cross-sector approaches, Dr. Sonu holds additional training in urban primary care leadership at the University of Chicago’s LUCENT program, integrative medicine at Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University,, medication-assisted treatment of opioid use disorders, and positive parenting practices through Triple P Primary Care.

At the Summit, Dr. Sonu tied all of these pieces together with a concept called “Systemic Empathy. ” If you weren’t able to check out Dr. Sonu at the 2024 Resilient Cobb Summit, you can check out Dr. Sonu speaking on Systemic Empathy in the video below.

WHAT’S THE STAT?

Positive Relationships protect against:

Violence or bullying

Abuse or maltreatment

Substance or alcohol misuse

Poor mental and physical health

For a child with ACEs, the odds of developing depression are 50% lower if that child is exposed to 3-5 PCEs and 72% lower with 6-7 PCEs

Disruptions in a child’s life (such as impacts from a pandemic) can lead to increased stress in parents’ lives, but support systems and positive relationships with other adults can relieve some of that stress

A sense of school or community membership and having two or more caring adults in a child’s life were significantly associated with reduced reported substance use and depression in LGBTQ+ youth

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS W/ THE BASICS

Leslie Danford, Cobb Collaborative’s Literacy Coordinator, has given life to The Basics in Cobb County for the last 2 years as she reaches numerous families with the Basics Playground Paloozas (formerly known as Basics Workshops)

Leslie Danford’s weeks are filled with singing and dancing and storytelling in libraries and early learning centers across Cobb County to give families the opportunity to connect in ways that are simple yet powerful in the formation of the lives of our youngest community members.

The Basics is Cobb Collaborative’s spearhead literacy initiative; developed through The Achievement Gap Initiative (AGI) at Harvard University, Cobb Collaborative brings this model to families in order to have critical cognitive formation, healthy neurological connections, and social emotional learning skills for little ones from birth - age five. These early years are instrumental in creating healthy adults, as 90% of brain growth and development happens in those first five years of life!

Check out our conversation with Leslie Danford on how The Basics contributes to HOPE and building healthy relationships within the family unit:

YOU HAVE FACILITATED MANY BASICS WORKSHOPS AND ARE VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT CHILD DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS THE CAREGIVER/CHILD RELATIONSHIP. WITH THAT, WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A SECURE ATTACHMENT AND HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CAREGIVER AND CHILD?

Securely attached infant/caregiver dyads are built on caregiving relationships where the caregiver provides safety and stability in the child’s environment as well as responds sensitively to the child’s needs. Providing safety and stability in a sensitive way can build children’s confidence to explore their environment knowing they have a “safe base” to return to. According to the book Children's Attachment: Attachment in Children and Young People Who Are Adopted from Care, in Care or at High Risk of Going into Care, secure attachment can affect later development “for later social relationships, the acquisition of capacities for emotional and stress regulation, self-control, mentalisation and emotional maturity.”

HOW DO THE BASICS WORKSHOPS SUPPORT A CAREGIVER AND CHILD RELATIONSHIP?

Each Basics Principle (Maximize Love, Manage Stress; Talk, Sing and Point; Count, Group and Compare; Explore Through Movement and Play; and Read and Discuss Stories) focuses on the caregiver interacting and connecting with the child. Specifically, in the Maximize Love, Manage Stress workshop, we highlight the importance of meeting the child’s needs in a loving manner, the safety felt through providing consistent routines, and maintaining a sense of calm to help children who are co-regulating in stressful situations.

WHEN YOU FACILITATE BASICS WORKSHOPS, WHAT ARE SOME WAYS YOU INCORPORATE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING BETWEEN THE CAREGIVER AND CHILD?

Connection activities are a great way to help build relationships during our workshops. The Basics connection activities incorporate the four components of connection as defined by Dr. Becky Bailey in Conscious Discipline (eye contact, physical touch, presence and a playful situation). It is wonderful to hear the children’s laughter and see the caregiver’s smiles during playful chants like “I Bounce You Here” or “One, Two, Three, Tickle my Knee”. Also, getting the caregiver involved in the child’s play during our activities like dancing with scarves, building with blocks, or singing a song promotes relationship building as well.

HAVE YOU OBSERVED LONG-LASTING BENEFITS OF A CAREGIVER SPENDING TIME PLAYING WITH THEIR CHILD? CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME EXAMPLES?

I can speak to my personal experience of raising my own two children and the benefits of having a strong relationship and playing with them from an early age. Having a background in Birth – Kindergarten, it was important for me to create strong, lasting bonds and create secure attachments with my children and break some generational trauma. Although I didn’t have The Basics specifically when they were younger, I incorporated many of The Basics principles into my time with them. Both of my children have unique needs that I needed to adjust my parenting style to. My son lives with Autism and OCD, and my daughter lives with an anxiety disorder among other needs.

Spending quality time with them connecting and creating a safe and consistent environment for them was crucial among the other activities we did to create a stimulating home life. I truly believe that by putting in the extra time and effort with them when they were small paid off in dividends as they’ve gotten older. They are now both teenagers, and my husband and I have wonderful relationships with them. I am happy to report that we don’t see any of the challenges that I heard would accompany their teenage years. They know that they can come to us for support and with challenges and we will be there for them unconditionally. I love having close, loving relationships with both of them and take joy in the amazing young people they have become.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC SKILLS A CAREGIVER (OR ANY PERSON) CAN DO TO STRENGTHEN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS?

It’s important to remember that children can form secure attachments with any trusted adult, and that the children who are most resilient have at least one trusted caregiver in their life. You can be that person for a child, even if you are not their main caregiver. To strengthen your relationship with a child, be consistent in showing up for them when expected or needed, respond sensitively and lovingly to their needs, both physical and emotional, create child-safe environments for the child to explore, have fun and play with the child on their level following the child’s lead and interests, and have conversations with the child (even if they are non-verbal by pausing and allowing the child to respond to your verbal cues with eye contact, babbling, or movement) where you serve and return (go back and forth, turn taking) at least five times.

RESOURCES

Strengthening

relationships doesn’t have to be a challenge. Utilize the resources below for tips, tools, and info on how to build healthy relationships with the children in your lives.

These resources offer guidance on how Head Start programs can support parents and families in developing healthy relationships with their child from birth. These positive relationships help nurture a child’s health, development, and learning.

From parenting tips to child development milestones, explore a wealth of information to support the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers.

Sown to Grow empowers educators and communities in cultivating thriving learning environments for children From innovative teaching strategies to community engagement initiatives, uncover a wealth of tools and insights designed to foster lifelong learning and growth

Thornwell is committed to providing support and care for vulnerable children and families From counseling services to educational programs, explore an abundance of resources designed to empower individuals and strengthen communities.

From connecting families to community resources to offering guidance on navigating the complexities of healthcare and education systems, explore a range of services from Georgia Family Support Network, designed to empower families and promote well-being.

Belong is committed to fostering a sense of belonging and inclusion for families of all backgrounds From community events to educational workshops, discover opportunities to connect, learn, and grow together.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

CC RESOURCES

COLLABORATIVE CONNECTIONNEWSLETTER

Sign up for our bi-weekly newsletters to get the latest updates from Cobb Collaborative and our members.

MYM TOOLKIT

Our MYM Toolkit is a robust toolkit for a well rounded approach to mental health with extensive resources, statistics, and information.

MYM SPEAKS - PODCAST

Mind Your Mind Speaks is our Podcast which features a wide range of guests with knowledge around mental health and more.

THANK YOU to everyone involved in the making of MYM Magazine. At Cobb Collaborative, we aim to reduce the stigma of mental health and increase access and awareness to support and services.

We wouldn't be able to do this amazing work and further our mission without the support of Resilient Georgia Be sure to check out our events, many of which are sponsored by Resilient Georgia.

We would also like to thank our wonderful contributors, Irene Barton, Kaitlyn Ball, Leslie Danford, Lesleigh Knotts, and Kimberly Duncan for adding to this magazine with their insightful stories, research, design, and expertise as we bring topics to life with intention and purpose.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

cobbcollaborative.org

@cobbcollaborative

@cobbcollaborative

@cobbcollaborative3505

@cobb-collaborative