II
Forewords
“ Dr. Vincent Felitti, co-principle investigator of the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood
Experiences Study (ACE Study), a groundbreaking research project that identified the link between
childhood trauma and adult onset of chronic disease, violence, and being a victim of violence, once
said that there weren’t enough therapists in the world to help people who suffer from the effects of
childhood trauma.
He believed that people in the helping professions — teachers, clergy, emergency medical
technicians, home visitors, youth workers, etc. — can benefit by education and tools to help
others heal.
Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience — A Toolkit for Empowerment is just that.
It’s a well-written, well thought-out, and tested 12-hour course. It can stand alone or be integrated
into other courses. It can be used with people of all ages — including teens, youth, and adults —
in schools, community-based organizations, the justice system, foster care, shelters, and group
homes. The instructors’ manual is a remarkably clear and concise guide.
Dr. Carolyn Curtis and Charles Stolzenbach have truly created a gift to the community of people
looking for a way to help others learn about just how normal childhood adversity is, how profound
its effects are on our brains, bodies, lives, and communities, and, most importantly, how to soothe
and heal ourselves.
Healing begins, within ourselves. From there we can continue to pay forward this new knowledge of
human behavior and help people help themselves heal, with this toolkit tucked under our arms.”
JANE STEVENS
Founder, publisher
ACEs Connection Network
ACEsTooHigh.com/ ACEsConnection.com
“ This is a long-overdue curriculum. We’ve known for years that many of our students experienced
trauma and other adverse life events that compromise their ability to learn the social and
cognitive skills needed for success in today’s world. Perhaps we imagined that we could do a
work-around — that our curricula could be effective without attending to the central issues of
adversity and resilience. Or maybe we assumed that other professionals or programs were taking
care of those issues.
Now that we have “Mind Matters,” there is no excuse for this blind spot. With a blend of up-to-date
teaching strategies and scientific understanding, along with good pacing and sensitivity to student
privacy and boundaries, this curriculum will be welcomed in a wide range of settings. It’s the
missing ingredient we’ve needed.”
WILLIAM J. DOHERTY, PH.D.
Professor of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota
Regular contributor to Psychotherapy Networker
Forewords
“ Dr. Vincent Felitti, co-principle investigator of the CDC-Kaiser Permanente Adverse Childhood
Experiences Study (ACE Study), a groundbreaking research project that identified the link between
childhood trauma and adult onset of chronic disease, violence, and being a victim of violence, once
said that there weren’t enough therapists in the world to help people who suffer from the effects of
childhood trauma.
He believed that people in the helping professions — teachers, clergy, emergency medical
technicians, home visitors, youth workers, etc. — can benefit by education and tools to help
others heal.
Mind Matters: Overcoming Adversity and Building Resilience — A Toolkit for Empowerment is just that.
It’s a well-written, well thought-out, and tested 12-hour course. It can stand alone or be integrated
into other courses. It can be used with people of all ages — including teens, youth, and adults —
in schools, community-based organizations, the justice system, foster care, shelters, and group
homes. The instructors’ manual is a remarkably clear and concise guide.
Dr. Carolyn Curtis and Charles Stolzenbach have truly created a gift to the community of people
looking for a way to help others learn about just how normal childhood adversity is, how profound
its effects are on our brains, bodies, lives, and communities, and, most importantly, how to soothe
and heal ourselves.
Healing begins, within ourselves. From there we can continue to pay forward this new knowledge of
human behavior and help people help themselves heal, with this toolkit tucked under our arms.”
JANE STEVENS
Founder, publisher
ACEs Connection Network
ACEsTooHigh.com/ ACEsConnection.com
“ This is a long-overdue curriculum. We’ve known for years that many of our students experienced
trauma and other adverse life events that compromise their ability to learn the social and
cognitive skills needed for success in today’s world. Perhaps we imagined that we could do a
work-around — that our curricula could be effective without attending to the central issues of
adversity and resilience. Or maybe we assumed that other professionals or programs were taking
care of those issues.
Now that we have “Mind Matters,” there is no excuse for this blind spot. With a blend of up-to-date
teaching strategies and scientific understanding, along with good pacing and sensitivity to student
privacy and boundaries, this curriculum will be welcomed in a wide range of settings. It’s the
missing ingredient we’ve needed.”
WILLIAM J. DOHERTY, PH.D.
Professor of Family Social Science, University of Minnesota
Regular contributor to Psychotherapy Networker
