Welcome to the 2020 Pinetree Resilience Conference!
Like many things in this most unusual year, the road to this Conference was anything but smooth, but here we are, together. We made it! We are elated that each of you has taken the time to join us as we explore the latest groundbreaking research on Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) and Trauma-Informed Care and to engage with each other on community-based approaches to addressing the challenging issues we face. This is a rare opportunity to connect with participants from virtually every professional sector who understand the importance of this work and who have the capacity to find innovative and creative solutions.
This conference is the second in a major initiative undertaken by Pinetree Institute to build awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences and encourage dialogue about the impact of ACEs and the importance of trauma-responsive approaches to service. Until now, our focus has been on the Seacoast NH and Southern Maine region, prompted by the opioid epidemic confronting our region. However, due to the opportunities, a virtual conference affords us, we are excited and grateful to welcome participants from across the country today. We are delighted to have you join the conversation!
Thank you to every one of you for being with us today and for sharing your wisdom and expertise. We hope you come away from our time together today feeling energized, excited, inspired, and hopeful. And ready to collaborate, share ideas, ask questions, and make a difference.
With warmest greetings,
Larry McCullough, Ed.D.
Executive Director
Pinetree Institute
PS. Pinetree is deeply grateful for the support of the Positive Community Responses to Trauma conference sponsors. Without them, our work here today would not be possible:
And our Contributing Partner:
|
TIME |
October 9, 2020 Agenda |
WHO |
|
9:20 |
Virtual Session Opens for Participants |
|
|
9:30
|
Welcome, Overview of the Day Introduction of Dr. Bethell |
Dr. Larry McCullough |
|
9:45
|
Keynote Session 1: Dr. Christina Bethell, Founder and Director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative at Johns Hopkins University We Are the Medicine: Building the Ecosystem to Take Healing and Flourishing to Scale Dr. Bethell will present significant research-based learning about the most powerful determinants of health, plus emerging science that informs what we can do to shift the trajectory of health for future generations. Participants will review the ways that traumatic stress during developmental years can affect cognition, relationships, health, behavior, and patterns of crisis and coping that can continue to affect life experiences. Data that illuminates community challenges attributable to ACEs will be introduced. Application examples, as well as common features of successful community work, will be shared. |
Dr. Christina Bethell |
|
|
Breakout Group
|
|
|
10:50 (10 mins) |
BREAK |
|
|
11:00
|
Breakout Group Feedback and Discussion Dr. Bethell responds to questions and comments from breakout groups. |
Dr. Christina Bethell Dr. Larry McCullough |
|
|
Keynote Session 2: We Are the Medicine: Building the Ecosystem to Take Healing and Flourishing to Scale Part 2 In part 2 of her presentation, Dr. Bethell will continue to expand on the theme of Positive Action with concrete examples of ways these actions can be applied in diverse professional and community settings.
|
Dr. Christina Bethell
|
|
|
Breakout Group
|
|
|
|
Breakout Group Feedback and Discussion Dr. Bethell responds to questions and comments from breakout groups. |
Dr. Christina Bethell Dr. Larry McCullough
|
|
12:30 (60 mins) |
LUNCH BREAK |
|
|
1:30
|
Guest Speaker Session 1: The Honorable Tina Nadeau, Chief Justice of the NH Superior Court Positive, Trauma -Responsive Approaches to Recovery through Drug Courts Chief Justice Nadeau has been a significant force in the development of drug courts in New Hampshire and has many positive and inspiring stories to share about the powerful impact of this approach to working with people dealing with substance use disorder. Drug Courts apply the principles of trauma-responsive service and positive action in a unique and powerful way. |
Tina Nadeau
|
|
|
Breakout Groups
|
|
|
|
Q&A and Discussion
|
Tina Nadeau Dr. Larry McCullough |
|
2:35 (10 mins) |
BREAK |
|
|
2:45
|
Guest Speaker Session 2: Gordon Smith, Esq., Director of Opioid Response, State of Maine ACEs and Positive Actions as Part of a Core Prevention Strategy The State of Maine has developed a comprehensive strategy to address the full range of recovery issues related to substance use disorder. Mr. Smith will share an overview of the Maine strategy and highlight how ACEs are a primary focus for prevention strategies. |
Gordon Smith |
|
|
Breakout Groups
|
|
|
|
Q&A and Discussion
|
Gordon Smith Dr. Larry McCullough moderates Q&A |
|
3:50 (10 mins) |
BREAK |
|
|
4:00
|
Panel Discussion During the day breakout groups will contribute questions and recommendations for the panel to consider with a focus on the active implementation of trauma-informed principles in their communities. Questions and discussion comments will be directed to the three panelists as appropriate. |
Dr. Christina Bethell, Hon. Tina Nadeau, Gordon Smith, Esq. Dr. Larry McCullough |
|
4:45 |
Thank you and Next Steps Conference Feedback Information submitted for Certificates of Completion |
Dr. Larry McCullough
|
|
5:00 |
Close
|
|
We are very excited to host Dr. Christina Bethell. She is the lead researcher of a landmark new study recently featured on NPR documenting the impact of positive childhood experiences on building adult resilience to trauma. This will be her first speaking engagement in New England following the publication of this study.
She works on a national level with key initiatives in trauma-informed care, including a California Health Task Force led by Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, Surgeon General of the State of California and author of “The Deepest Well.” Dr. Bethell has also testified in Washington as an expert witness on the impact of trauma on the children of recent immigrant populations.
Dr. Bethell is a Professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and the founding director of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative.
She has published more than 40 papers on ACEs, resilience, and family health and has dedicated her career to advancing patient-centered innovations and improvements in children’s health care quality.
Tina L. Nadeau is the Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court. Justice Nadeau also serves as a board member of the New England Association of Drug Court Professionals and New Futures, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advocates, educates and collaborates to prevent and reduce alcohol and other drug problems in New Hampshire. She is a faculty member of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. She participates as a member of the Steering Committee for the Portsmouth Community Coordinated Response to Substance Misuse and is a member of the National Judicial Opioid Task Force. Last month, Justice Nadeau joined the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice.
Justice Tina Nadeau began her legal career in 1989 as an assistant attorney general for the state of New Hampshire. She worked in the Homicide Division for four years before transitioning to Legal Counsel for former Governor Steve Merrill. In 1996, Nadeau was appointed to the New Hampshire Superior Court as an associate justice. In this capacity, she served as the supervisory justice for the Rockingham Court. In 2011, Nadeau was elevated to her current position as Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Superior Court. She holds a B.S. from the University of New Hampshire and a J.D. from the University of New Hampshire School of Law.
She has received numerous awards including the 2013 Caroline Gross Fellowship Award to attend the Kennedy School of Government Executive Leadership program, the 2013 Eric Cogswell Achievement Award for her commitment to addressing the over-incarceration of offenders with mental illness, the 2013 Marilla Ricker Award for women in leadership, and the Wheelock-Nardi Award from the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester for her work on behalf of people with mental health and substance abuse issues. In 2016 she also received the leadership award from the New England Association of Drug Court Professionals for her work in bringing drug courts throughout the state of New Hampshire.
Gordon H. Smith, Esq. was appointed by Governor Janet Mills as Director of Opioid Response in January 2019. From this position, housed within the Office of Innovation and the Future, Gordon marshals the collective power of state government to combat the opioid epidemic. He is responsible for coordinating and directing Maine’s response to the opioid crisis, including prescriber education and reduction of opioid prescribing, prevention and treatment of substance use disorder, and harm reduction strategies.
To accept this position, Mr. Smith stepped down as the Executive Vice President (EVP) of the Maine Medical Association, the largest physician organization in the state, where he had served as its EVP since September 1993 and where he began as General Counsel in 1981. As a lobbyist for physicians, Mr. Smith had the opportunity to be engaged in some of the most challenging issues of our time, to build collaborative relationships, and to improve both the health and healthcare of Mainers. One of his proudest accomplishments is his contribution to forming the Maine Coalition on Smoking or Health in 1980 which proceeded to pass more than 20 laws over the next three decades, cleaning up the indoor air in the state from second-hand tobacco smoke. The group is now part of the Maine Public Health Association.
He graduated from the University of Maine with the highest distinction in 1973 and from the Boston College Law School, magna cum laude, in 1976. He is a past Chairman of the American Society of State Medical Association Counsel, a nation-wide group of 140 attorneys representing medical associations. Mr. Smith has also served as Chairman of the American Medical Association/State Medical Society Litigation Center, the Maine Health Data Organization and the Advocacy Resource Center of the American Medical Association. He is a former board member and chair of Quality Counts, a former board member of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership, and the Maine Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Mr. Smith is a frequent lecturer to medical groups on various medical legal subjects.
The mission of Pinetree Institute is to promote a sustainable sense of health, prosperity, happiness, and life-satisfaction for individuals, families, and communities.
We accomplish this through educational workshops and retreats at our Learning Center in Eliot, ME, and through strategic facilitation of community-based collaboration throughout the Seacoast New Hampshire and Southern Maine region.
Our Program
ACEs Awareness
In 2019 Pinetree launched a major series of initiatives to build awareness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in the Seacoast NH / Southern Maine region. ACEs have been shown to have a major impact on health and well-being outcomes for people of all ages and all economic backgrounds. On May 3, 2019, Pinetree sponsored an exciting conference with Dr. Robert Anda and Laura Porter, two of the key figures in the ACEs awareness effort. The second Resilience Conference will take place on October 9, 2020, and will feature Dr. Christina Bethell, lead researcher on a significant new study documenting the impact of Positive Childhood Experiences on building resilience. Also in September of 2020, Pinetree will launch a major Master Trainer initiative with Dr. Rob Anda and Laura Porter, a three-year initiative to build ACEs awareness and stimulate the development of trauma-informed approaches to community service delivery.
Community-Based Strategy Planning
One of the challenging issues facing Maine and New Hampshire today is addressing the increasing spread of opioid addiction and related issues. Approaches based on ACEs awareness and trauma-informed care have been demonstrated to have a powerful impact on the effectiveness of addiction prevention and recovery programs. These programs are only effective if they are coordinated across the full range of services that a community offers. An integrated approach to prevention and treatment is essential. In June 2019, Pinetree was awarded a grant by Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth Rotary to facilitate the Portsmouth Community Coordinated Response to Substance Misuse. This process includes leaders from virtually all sectors of community service: Police, Fire, Mental Health, Hospital, Addictions Treatment, Schools, State Legislature, Courts, Corrections, Domestic Violence Programs, Housing, Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Commission, City Council, and others in a series of conversations about how best to work together to address the substance misuse crisis. The group has identified several target areas and formed task forces to address key issues in an integrated manner. This approach is a potential model for effective community action and Pinetree is exploring opportunities to facilitate this approach in other communities.
Resilience and Trauma-informed Care
One of the primary goals of the ACEs awareness initiative is to develop education and training for helping professionals and community leaders in affective approaches to trauma-informed care. Over the past 10 years, communities around the country have been achieving positive results by changing their approach to delivering services for people in need. Instead of asking “What’s wrong with you?” trauma-informed approaches ask, “What happened to you?” and base their programs on developing an empathetic and compassionate response. Pinetree is developing workshops and seminars that help people learn about trauma-informed care and think about ways to evolve their own services toward a more restorative approach.
A key part of developing well-being for individuals and families is learning about Positive Life Skills and the Social/Emotional Learning that helps build the coping strategies that increase resilience. Positive approaches to Social/Emotional Learning have been developed over the past 20 years based on research in Positive Psychology and related Behavioral Science fields. Pinetree is working with several organizations that have developed programs to develop Social/Emotional Learning in schools ages K to 12. As part of this process, Pinetree is actively seeking to partner with teachers and schools interested in developing the Social/Emotional Skills portions of their curriculum.
