• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

NC Council of Churches

Strength in Unity, Peace through Justice

  • Voices
  • About
    • Overview
    • Staff
    • Members
    • Covenant Partners
    • Issue Statements
    • Governing Board
  • Programs
    • Ecumenical Immigration Alliance
      • Ideas for Action
      • Sign Our Statement
      • The NC Sanctuary Coalition
      • Immigration Bible Study
      • Contact
    • NC Interfaith Power & Light
      • NCIPL Overview
      • Faith in Action NCIPL
      • NCIPL Articles
      • NCIPL Resources
      • Upcoming Events for NCIPL
      • Contact NCIPL
    • Partners in Health & Wholeness
      • PHW Staff
      • Mini-Grants
      • PHW Collaborative Pledge
      • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
      • PHW Articles
      • FAQs
  • Priorities
    • Racial Justice
    • The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds
    • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Public Education
    • NC Sanctuary Coalition
    • Farmworkers
    • Legislative Advocacy
    • Christian Unity
    • Peace
    • NC No Torture
  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Events
  • Resources
    • Publications & Reports
    • Raleigh Report
    • Lectionary
    • Sermons
  • Donate
  • Council Store
  • Show Search

Search NC Council of Churches

Hide Search

Children and a Healthy Start to Life: Understanding Stress and Trauma’s Impact

The Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy · April 3, 2018 · Leave a Comment

As I work with various communities, a returning issue I hear about is the first 2000 days of a person’s life. I first learned about this number, 2000, at the Smart Start of New Hanover County’s 2000 Days Community Summit. It was here that parents, teachers, clergy, social workers, police officers, and physicians gathered to learn and discuss how to best support our local children in the first 2000 days of their lives. Smart Start looks closely at the various ways that trauma, poor nutrition, lack of safety, and situational distress can affect the brain in childhood and consequently into adulthood.

A physician remarked on how common and long-lasting childhood trauma is, and even though it occurs at young ages: “A child may not remember but the body will remember.”

Why 2000? This is the number of days between birth and the start of kindergarten. This is a crucial season in a person’s life, hugely formative and sets the pace for the rest of a person’s life. As Smart Start of New Hanover County shared: “During that time brain architecture is forming, creating the foundation for all future learning.  Child development is a dynamic, interactive process that is not predetermined. It occurs in the context of relationships, experiences and environments. Harvard University neuroscientist Jack Shonkoff puts it this way, “brains are built, not born.”

During the 2000 Days Community Summit, I learned about the research gathered on ACEs: Adverse Childhood Experiences. ACEs are childhood traumas that contribute to chronic, long-lasting stress in a child’s body and brain. This lasting toxic stress inhibits healthy growth- emotionally, mentality, and physically. ACEs can rapidly harm learning, memory, social skills, depression, anxiety, hormone balance, immunity, overall physical health, and the opportunity to succeed. Examples of Adverse Childhood Experiences include all types of abuse (emotional, physical, sexual), emotional and physical neglect, household substance abuse, household mental illness, parental separation or divorce, being homeless, natural disasters or war, if a parent is abused by another adult in the home, witnessing violence in the home or community, or witnessing a sibling be abused.

ACEs during childhood must be treated because they increase the risk of: substance abuse, adolescent pregnancy, heart disease, suicide, liver disease, depression, anxiety, attention-deficit disorders, and intimate partner violence.

The good news is that in the event of Adverse Childhood Experiences, a child can still overcome the trauma and return to good health. Smart Start refers to this as ‘Resilience’. Resilience can occur when we help children understand their feelings and emotions tied to the trauma so that a child can then help manage their responses to it. Resilience also happens when a child ultimately feels safe again. Creating an emotional and physical safe home, school, and community is crucial. Much of a child’s stress is due to a lack of security and safety. According to the Community & Family Services Division at Spokane Regional Health District, resilience looks like: Having resilient parents that can problem solve and be healthy adults; building nurturing relationships; meeting basic needs; building social and emotional skills.

Our churches are involved with children through programming, worship, youth activities, VBS Camp, and much more. As we encourage each other towards a more healthy and whole life, let us all be aware of the health needs of children so they have every opportunity to grow into healthy adults.

A helpful introduction to this work and issue is the documentary ‘Resilience’: Resilience Trailer

Helpful resources also include:

ACES 101: acestoohigh.com/aces-101/

www.resiliencetrumpsACEs.org

Smart Start

Filed Under: Blog, Homepage Featured Tagged With: Health, Mental Health

The Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy

About The Rev. Jessica Stokes, Associate Director, Partners in Health and Wholeness, Mental Health Advocacy

Jessica Stokes is the Associate Director of Partners in Health and Wholeness leading our state-wide mental health advocacy efforts. Jessica earned her Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University and BS in Clinical Psychology from Averett University. She is an ordained Baptist minister and joined the Council’s staff in 2016 after directing an interfaith non-profit in Washington State. Jessica’s background includes non-profit work, hospital chaplaincy, interfaith campus ministry, and the local church. Her convictions are rooted in experiences that range from ministry in Appalachia, as a chaplain in a psychiatric hospital, to learning about systemic issues Eastern NC while living in Greenville and Wilmington, as a PHW Regional Coordinator. She seeks authentic and earnest conversation. Jessica’s work for PHW includes a focus on mental health education and advocacy, specifically tailored for faith communities. Jessica is based in Durham with her wife, Vanessa, and two pets.

Reader Interactions

More Like This

Mental Health and Race: Barriers, Ideas, & Sacred Work (Part III)
Blessed are those who continue to mourn
Mental Health and Race: Barriers, Ideas, & Sacred Work (Part II)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Anonymous comments or comments that target individuals will not be posted (please include your first and last name). All comments must be on topic and respectful. Comments will not be posted until they have been reviewed by a moderator. Comments do not reflect the positions of the NC Council of Churches.

Footer

Contact

NC Council of Churches
27 Horne St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 828-6501
info@ncchurches.org

Facebook

Partners in Health and Wholeness

Featured

Children and a Healthy Start to Life: Understanding Stress and Trauma’s Impact

Latest Tweets

Amazing news for the leaders in sanctuary! Jose Chicas, who has been living in sanctuary for more than 3 and a half years, is finally being reunited with his family. newsobserver.com/new… pic.twitter.com/iMVX…

About 2 days ago

You still have time to register for a webinar focused on the COVID-19 Vaccine roll out with @healthandfaith and @ncdhhs. We will discuss the process and how faith communities can get involved. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meet…

About 2 days ago

What amazing news to finally see Jose Chicas leave sanctuary! It's been too long, but finally such a humble and gracious man can return home and be reunited with his family. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." -Philippians 4:4 twitter.com/WRALSara…

About 2 days ago

Faith communities in NC are supporting a peaceful transition now that former president Donald Trump has left office. Read the @PNS_NC Public News Service (PNS) quoting our Executive Director, @jec16 : publicnewsservice.or… @PNS_News

About 3 days ago

Calling on the new U.S. Congress to demonstrate immediate leadership in the national care movement by creating a permanent federal #paidleave program. #CareEconomy #CareisEssential Read: bit.ly/2LB3ZEZ

About 3 days ago

Follow @ncchurches

Latest Tweets

We are experiencing collective trauma in different spaces. It has been very challenging, but please know that you are not alone. Click below to read more about how the pandemic is affecting our #mentalhealth and steps you can take to manage it. #StrongerTogether #MindfulTogether twitter.com/MentalHe…

About 2 days ago

RT @StampStigma 🛑 Stop scrolling! 🛑 Relax your shoulders and try taking 5 deep breaths. Taking frequent breaks from social media is a good practice to start implementing in your daily routine!

About 2 days ago

There's still time to register - make sure to join us! #MindfulTogether @ncchurches @ncdhhs twitter.com/healthan…

About 3 days ago

We will heal together. #StrongerTogether #InaugurationDay twitter.com/ncchurch…

About 4 days ago

RT @CDCgov If you’ve had #COVID19, you should still get vaccinated. Experts aren’t sure how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering, and reinfection is possible. More: bit.ly/3g5amLz. #SleeveUp pic.twitter.com/Yrne…

About 4 days ago

Follow @healthandfaith

Latest Tweets

RT @DalaiLama I offer my profound congratulations to Joe Biden on becoming President of the United States of America. I am so pleased that he is giving high priority to the urgent issue of climate change. I pray for his success in meeting the challenges that lie ahead. bit.ly/3p5tAEy

About 3 days ago

RT @RevYearwood This was 2014 when I was a part of the Reject and Protect Interfaith Prayer Gathering. This was one of the many protests against the Keystone XL Pipeline. Almost 7 years We did it! Our work is NEVER in vain. ✊🏿✊🏿 pic.twitter.com/z7wg…

About 3 days ago

RT @billmckibben Head of the European Investment Bank: "Gas is over." I'd say the message is starting to sink in. euractiv.com/section…

About 3 days ago

RT @ClimatePower "We need to build our economy back, better than ever." —Transportation Secretary Nominee @PeteButtigieg on the DOT's central role in implementing President Biden's infrastructure vision, creating millions of good-paying, union jobs, and tackling the climate crisis pic.twitter.com/v4gp…

About 3 days ago

RT @EJinAction We have a new day filled with amazing possibilities for us to move mountains together but it’s gonna take incredible work and authentic collaboration to get it done. #BidenHarris pic.twitter.com/fpEw…

About 3 days ago

Follow @ncipl

Latest Tweets

Copyright © 2021 NC Council of Churches · All Rights Reserved · Website by Tomatillo Design · Hosted by WP Engine