The Adverse Adulthood Experiences Test (AAE) is a test inspired by the nationally recognized Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACEs) on the long-term impacts of childhood trauma. The AAE is similarly designed to measure adverse experiences within adulthood. Also, a history of adverse childhood experiences can compound and escalate adverse adult experiences. Cumulative trauma can affect…
Being educated in subtle signs of child abuse is imperative to identifying and preventing harm. Subtle signs can be true of any exploitation. The signs often will not give you insight into the type of exploitation, but they provide you with a prompt that something may not be right. Personalities between children can vary greatly, so the…
I have always had that extra dose of mommy worry. By reputation, I am the helicopter mom. I appeared confident but people didn’t know my secret. I’ve been afraid and confused. I have been terrified of failing as a mom, not protecting my children, and missing something important. That my children would suffer in silence,…
Despite the best intentions, there is often collateral damage amid fostering and adoption. It is not a common topic, but it is a needed discussion. Our mission is to “prevent harm” by helping families navigate these complex realities and prevent and minimize collateral damage from coming to their households. Over three years, we have collaborated with a diverse group…
It’s Foster Care Awareness Month, and we want to recognize you! Those of you on the frontlines serving victimized children in all hours of the day and night. It can easily seem like you are overlooked or forgotten. You serve children amid complex realities. It can appear that your efforts and heart often go unnoticed…
Understanding the warning signs of escalating emotional abuse can be essential to preventative action. These escalation signs can be beneficial for those in domestic situations struggling with indecision or needing to articulate concerns of severe psychological abuse. The key to preventing abuse is to “Recognize Manipulative Patterns of Behavior” We can prevent and reduce child exploitation…
Experts have now expanded the physical child abuse definition. They now define it as a non-accidental injury resulting from hitting, whipping, beating, biting, kicking, or anything that harms a child’s body. Normal Warning Signs Specific Warning Signs The Long-Term Impacts of Child Abuse The age at which the abuse occurs influences how the injuries affect…
While common, spiritual abuse can be difficult to recognize. The line between abuse and dysfunction can sometimes be blurry. Spiritual abuse is not limited to a specific religion, denomination, or group and can be a challenge to identify. Actually, abuse in a spiritual environment is more common than you would imagine. Many of the victims we…
While a single incident may be abuse, emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that causes damage over time. Psychological abuse damages a child’s sense of self-worth and negatively impacts their emotional and social development. Often, there is great confusion for the child who is experiencing emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is a form of child…
Neglect is normally defined as the failure of a parent or other person responsible for the child to provide basic needs. Also, the simple definition of neglect is simply to fail to care for someone properly. It can be intentional or passive. Passive can stem from a lack of experience, information, or ability. Therefore, neglect…