More than 6,000 people have been fatally shot already in this new year in the United States. These deaths are filled with so many levels of trauma for loved ones and family members. It sometimes feels hopeless that we can fix this epidemic of violence since these numbers continue to rise nationally. However, in Omaha, […]
How do we Honor the Presidents on This Special Day?
I find that the national holiday of President’s Day is something that has not been well-defined. Originally it was a celebration of George Washington’s birthday. Then it was deemed appropriate that we combine George Washington’s birthday and Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Added to that was a day to renew a commitment in 1932 to the Purple […]
How Can We Prevent the Onslaught of Mass Shootings?
I am sure you are as concerned and shocked as I am when we hear these mass shooting stories that are becoming so prevalent at stores, in schools, in churches, in universities, in city neighborhoods and recently at the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, Texas. So many citizens find themselves going about their normal […]
How to Understand the Many Layers of Trauma
I was in conversation with someone who had some significant trauma in their lives. They had processed many aspects of it in therapy. Then as they experienced a new set of memories stimulated by encounters with individuals who were a part of their life during that period of time, they experienced an entire re-enactment of […]
How to Help Students Who are Falling Through the Cracks
Lakeside supports students who struggle to stay in our public school systems. We have 4 schools and a large in-school-district counseling program serving 51 school districts. We strive to help students continue their growth and development academically, clinically and emotionally. One of the hard realities is that school can be very difficult for many students […]
The Fentanyl Crisis – Where is the Outrage?
I just listened to a podcast on Apple News with Scott Higha, an investigative reporter who has done a great deal of research on the expansion of use of fentanyl. In this podcast, more alarming news about fentanyl was revealed from his investigation. Quite frankly, this is a dangerous and potent drug we all need […]
Non-Profit Leadership: The Gift of Volunteers
Not only do I operate a non-profit, but I serve on several Board of Directors of other non-profits. One of those organizations is The American Veteran’s Tribute Organization. This is an organization that is focused on raising awareness for and meeting the needs of veterans. One important part of this organization’s mission is to honor […]
Non-Profit Leadership: How much trauma training is enough?
One of our challenges in non-profit leadership are the many demands of providing training to our staff. Our organizational and programmatic requirements are significant. We need to provide staff with training for their individual jobs, for the use of technology, in legal issues that they confront each day, for specialization functions that they execute and […]
The Entrapping Nature of Trauma
I spend a great deal of time speaking with organizations, programs and individuals who have experienced a variety of types of trauma. I recognize that trauma is complicated and there is no one expression of it that is more common than another. It is defined as any “deeply disturbing experience.” We know that it has […]
Non-Profit Leadership: The Traumatic State of Systems of Care Organizations
One of the realities of those who have serious mental health needs, drug addiction needs, health needs and an array of other issues is that they are largely dependent on our systems of care for support and guidance. I know from a variety of sources of feedback that it is difficult to gain the support […]
