Adverse Childhood Experiences – Awareness for Faith Leaders (Trauma Responsive Congregations)
Twenty-five years ago, the Center for Disease Control discovered 10 “Adverse Childhood Experiences” that if they occurred before the age of 18 potentially has long lasting impacts on one’s psychological and physical health. In this presentation Dr. Brown will provide a framework for understanding how early experiences can have long lasting impacts on adult development. Furthermore, he will provide information on ways that faith leaders can serve those suffering from psychological and emotional distress as a result of adversity early in life.
We will be joined by:
Eric M. Brown, PhD, M.Div, LPC is a counselor educator, a mental health counselor, and a researcher. He is an Assistant Professor in Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine program where he teaches classes on trauma counseling, addiction counseling, and group therapy. His research is focused on issues related to the burnout prevention of helping professionals. Currently he researches burnout and resilience of counselors and faith leaders. Prior to becoming a professor Dr. Brown was the senior pastor of a non-denominational church in Florida for 11 years.
Mary Page Wilson-Lyons is currently a doctoral student in Practical Theology at Boston University School of Theology. Her focus is centered on the experience of mental health challenges, especially with those who also live under traumatic systems and structures, and rethinking liberative theologies of healing. Before returning to her studies, she served as a strategy consultant for The Women’s Foundation of Alabama, an organization that develops approaches to connect women and families experiencing poverty with opportunities to thrive, and empowers the voices of women to be heard on the legislative level. Before her consulting experience, Mary Page worked as a Visiting Instructor of Religion at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL, taught high school abroad in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, and served as a chaplain intern at the Metro State Prison for Women in Atlanta, GA. She holds an MDiv from Emory University in theology and ethics and a B.A. in religion from Birmingham-Southern College.
The Trauma Responsive Congregations Project, based at Boston University School of Theology, is sponsored by Lilly Endowment, Inc.
You may also be interested in previous webinars from the Trauma Responsive Congregations project.