Experiences in life can affect the person you are; not the person you were meant to be. This belief has helped us to change the life of every boy who has come to Hanna Boys Center, since we opened our doors in 1945. It takes work. Good things don’t come easily. But good things do happen. At Hanna, we’re here to help. With a lot of support, a lot of understanding, and a lot of guidance.

1. Trauma and Adversity:
Turning Hurt into Hope
Brian Farragher, MSW, MBA
Executive Director, Hanna Boys Center
September 22, 2015

5. The healthy development of all children
benefits all of society by providing a solid
foundation for responsible citizenship,
economic productivity, lifelong physical and
mental health, strong communities, and
sustainable democracy and prosperity.

7. What We Know About Brain Development
• Brains are built over time, shaped by the
interaction between genetics and experience.
• Social, emotional, and cognitive development are
highly interrelated.
• Brain architecture and skills are built in a
hierarchical “bottom-up” sequence.
• Brain plasticity and the ability to change behavior
decrease over time.

8. Relationships Are The
“Active Ingredients” Of Early Experience
• Nurturing and responsive relationships build
healthy brain architecture that provides a strong
foundation for learning, behavior, and health.
• When protective relationships are not provided,
elevated levels of stress hormones (i.e., cortisol)
disrupt brain architecture by impairing cell growth
and interfering with the formation of healthy
neural circuits.

9. Ace Score of 0 =
Ace Score of 1 =
Ace Score of 2 =
Ace Score of 3 =
Ace Score of 4 =
Ace Score of 5 =
Ace Score of 6 =
Ace Score of 7 =
Ace Score of 8 =
Ace Score of 9 =
Ace Score of 10 =
3 2.8%
7.6%
6.6%
19%
9.5%
10.5%
11.4%
12.4%
14.3%
4.7%
0.95%
8
7
20
10
11
12
13
5
1
15
N = 105

10. 13
42
28
24
62
37
60
42

11. Incidents of Physical Abuse by a
Family Member
US
20,093,920
California
2,492,971
Greater Bay Area
448,000
Sonoma County
33,019
Sonoma Valley
2,240
Number of children under 18
(2010 census)
Sonoma
Valley
8,000
Sonoma
County
117,928
Greater Bay
Area
1,600,000
California 8,900,000
US 71,764,000
ACE Study: 28%

12. Incidents of Sexual Abuse by
Anyone
US
15,070,440
California
1,869,000
Greater Bay Area
336,000
Sonoma County
24,764
Sonoma Valley
1,680
Number of children under 18
(2010 census)
Sonoma
Valley
8,000
Sonoma
County
117,928
Greater Bay
Area
1,600,000
California 8,900,000
US 71,764,000
ACE Study: 21%

13. Children with ACE Score
of 4 or more
US
11,482,240
California
1,424,000
Greater Bay Area
256,000
Sonoma County
18,868
Sonoma Valley
1,280
Number of children under 18
(2010 census)
Sonoma
Valley
8,000
Sonoma
County
117,928
Greater Bay
Area
1,600,000
California 8,900,000
US 71,764,000
ACE Study: 16%

14. Academic
Failure
Severe
Attendance
Problems
Severe School
Behavior
Concerns
Frequent
Reported
Poor
Health
Three or More
ACEs
2.9X 4.9X 6.1X 3.9X
Two ACEs 2.5X 2.6X 4.3X 2.4X
One ACE 1.5X 2.2X 2.4X 2.3X
No Known
ACEs
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
ACEs In Spokane Elementary School
Data from research conducted by Chris Blodgett, University of Washington

15. Hanna’s Future
• Linked to What we Know About
Neurodevelopment, Trauma and Recovery
• Building Recognition and Understanding of the
Issue in the Region
• Being a Laboratory for Innovation
• Disseminating Leading Edge Intervention
• Building Healthier Communities

16. Now…
Our Feature
Presentation!!!

17. • We need to become trauma-informed.
• Think about how childhood adversity might have
shaped kids’ behavior & your choices.
• Your kids – and their families – are not sick or
bad… they are injured.
• The question is not “What is wrong with you?“
but “What happened to you?”
• The way out is not the same as the way in…
Pain-based interventions do not work.
What Does This Mean For Schools?

18. • Kids are doing the best they can, most days.
They lack the skills they need.
• Things change when you change things.
• Kids need hopeful, optimistic, positive, caring
people in their lives.
• We are doing life and death work.
• Visit the ACE Website: www.acestudy.org
What Does This Mean For Schools?

19. So, What Can I Do?
• Take nothing personally / Never mirror negative
behavior or affect.
• Remain calm and supportive… staff with a heart rate
of 100 cannot help kids with a heart rate of 100.
• Make and practice emergency management plans.
• Process, Pattern Recognition, Feelings Drive Behavior,
Integration.
• Take it at 45… not head on.

20. So, What Else Can I Do?
• Calm the heart… yours and theirs.
• Identify reenactments - riveting on threat, encourages
reenactment.
• Be creative, be crazy creative… Change is risky
business – take some risks.
• Sometimes do the opposite of what feels right.
• Discipline is important… love, attachment, relationship
is the secret sauce. Way more important.