Iowa City Community School District Health Services Coordinator Susie Poulton (third from left) speaks during the WorldCanvass: Resilience Over Trauma event in the Recital Hall of the Voxman Music Building on Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. Important advances are being made in the recognition and treatment of health issues related to adverse childhood experiences, many of them led by physicians and researchers at the University of Iowa. (The Daily Iowan/Lily Smith)
By Madeleine Neal, The Daily Iowan
Although a child’s environment might be traumatic, resiliency is the key to a successful future, according to mental-health and social-work experts.
A series of panels discussed resilience over childhood trauma in the Voxman Music Building on Monday evening.
The three-part discussion was hosted by “WorldCanvass,” which is produced by UI International Programs and puts on events monthly.
The discussion began with the impact that trauma has on brain development and behavior.
Corinne Peek-Asa, a UI professor of occupational & environmental health, described childhood adversity as an event “so traumatic” to a child that it threatens her or his development.
Childhood trauma, she said, can refer to abuse, neglect, and family disruption.
“It’s not normal stress,” she said. “[It’s] something persistent.”