August 4, 2026 in Blog by Dee

How to Support Sexual Trauma Survivors

By: Centerstone

Every 68 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted. The probability that you know someone who has experienced sexual trauma is high. Individuals who are at particularly high risk of sexual assault include children and young adolescents, elderly people — especially those with dementia — as well as individuals with developmental disabilities. Whether the assault occurred recently or years ago, each person has the right to be heard and supported with treatment interventions.

Recent educational campaigns and public discussions are providing a broader understanding of the damage caused by sexual assault and sexual trauma.

Here are several ways to support survivors of sexual trauma.

Know the Misconceptions

We can stop the spread of false information about sexual assault and trauma by knowing the misconceptions that exist.

First, sexual assault is often more about power and control than only about sex.

Second, sexual assault may be committed by a person who is not a stranger to the victim. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), in 93% of juvenile sexual abuse cases reported to law enforcement, the survivor knew the perpetrator.

Further, sexual trauma can have a profound effect on the life of a child or adult. “Survivors may experience both immediate and continuing effects as they establish and navigate their interpersonal relationships,” says Brittany Haemmerlein, Director of Nursing for Centerstone. There are physical and emotional effects of such trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder and other anxiety disorders, as well as depression.

Don’t Blame the Victim

Sexual assault thrives on secrecy and blaming the victim or survivor. Statements like, “Why didn’t they run?” or, “They should take sexual defense classes,” may come across as blaming the survivor without a person even realizing it. Phrases like this make it more difficult for an individual who has experienced sexual assault to speak out about their experience. According to RAINN, only 310 out of 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to the police. Encourage appropriate reporting of sexual assault to authorities to whatever degree they are comfortable with.

Provide Support

Support individuals who have endured sexual assault by listening to their narrative and offering to help in whatever way you can. If the incident was recent, seek out medical attention first. Regardless of whether they want to report, they can still receive medical attention and a forensic exam. This will give them access to treatment for possible STD exposure and can help preserve evidence.

Another important way to support them is to help connect them with advocates and clinical providers who specialize in treating survivors of sexual abuse. An effective treatment referral could incorporate evidence-based practices, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and other psychotherapy strategies; some individuals can benefit from psychiatric treatment also targeted to co-occurring conditions like anxiety and depression.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline, 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), is free and confidential. Trained staff members are there 24/7 to listen, support, answer questions, and provide resources. At Centerstone, we have professionals trained to provide treatment to rape and sexual abuse survivors of all ages. Our advocates provide unconditional support throughout every stage of the process, including the medical exam, law enforcement report, and criminal justice.

Sexual trauma should not ultimately determine an individual’s future life path. With understanding and support, we can begin to ensure no one goes through their healing alone.

August 4, 2026 in Blog by Dee

Benefits of Trauma-Informed Teaching

By: Southeast Missouri State University

Students arrive at school each day with a variety of challenges; unfortunately, one challenge many students face is having experienced trauma.

According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, more than two-thirds of children will have experienced at least one traumatic event by the time they reach age 16.

Trauma associated with a variety of issues can significantly affect a student’s ability to learn. But educators who are trained in trauma-informed teaching can implement strategies to address the impediments to learning that trauma introduces. By creating a safe learning environment for students and following other trauma-informed teaching practices, educators can support students who are facing the effects of trauma and help improve their educational outcomes.

What Is Trauma-Informed Teaching? 

Students can experience trauma related to any of a host of factors such as abuse, neglect, community violence, domestic violence, stress or a natural disaster. These experiences can lead to students’ being fearful, withdrawn or angry, which can make it more difficult for them to learn. Using trauma-informed teaching practices enables teachers to help students address these challenges and get the most out of their education.

Think of trauma-informed teaching as a set of practices designed to create a safe and supportive environment for students who are facing or have faced trauma. These practices take into account the ways in which trauma can affect students, and they seek to help students feel more empowered. Trauma-informed teaching practices are meant to improve students’ ability to feel secure and help them form trusting relationships with teachers.

Characteristics of Trauma-Informed Teaching 

Employing trauma-informed practices when teaching students involves:

• Cultivating strong relationships with students. Teachers create relationships with students that are based on trust.

• Instilling feelings of safety. Teachers work to ensure that students feel they are in a safe environment throughout the entire school day, in any location on campus.

• Demonstrating compassion. Teachers refrain from judging students’ behavior and, instead, show students compassion.

• Enabling students to express their feelings. Teachers help students communicate by actively listening to them and encouraging them to communicate both orally and in writing.

• Providing students with positive reinforcement. Teachers take advantage of opportunities to give students honest feedback regarding their successes and accomplishments.

• Recognizing triggers and acknowledging students’ need for additional help. Teachers know which activities or other educational approaches might trigger traumatic responses in students. Additionally, teachers remain alert to signs that students may need additional support services or counseling.

Trauma-Informed Teaching Benefits in the Classroom 

Using trauma-informed teaching practices can result in a wide range of benefits. Some examples of these benefits are highlighted below. 

Improved Student Resilience 

Trauma-informed teaching can boost students’ resilience, which can lessen the effects of trauma and make it easier for students to learn. Teaching students using trauma-informed approaches enables students to build emotional intelligence and feelings of belonging, which can also facilitate learning. 

Enhanced Student Focus 

By strengthening students’ ability to focus, trauma-informed teaching can improve students’ school attendance and reduce their disciplinary issues. Using trauma-informed teaching methods can also result in fewer incidents in which students become physically aggressive. 

Better Academic Outcomes 

Because trauma-informed practices can create an environment in which students improve their ability to learn, the ultimate result of trauma-informed teaching is improvement in students’ overall academic outcomes. 

Improved Campus Culture for All Students and Teachers 

Creating an atmosphere of compassion through trauma-informed teaching can change the entire culture of a school for the better, which can benefit all of the school’s students and teachers. 

Greater Teacher Confidence 

Teachers who employ trauma-informed teaching practices have more strategies at their disposal and can opt for more compassionate approaches to addressing students’ learning challenges. This can empower teachers and give them a greater sense of confidence in their work. 

Trauma-Informed Teaching Helps Students Achieve Academic Success 

When students have teachers who employ trauma-informed teaching practices, they can learn in environments that improve their odds for academic success. Trauma-informed teaching approaches enable educators to offer instruction in ways that acknowledge the challenges students face and that encourage students to engage in the learning process.

August 4, 2026 in Blog by Dee

How Does Tutoring Help Students?

By: Oxford Learning

August 4, 2026 in Blog by Dee

Feeling the L-O-V-E for Me!

By: Centerstone

Self-love. It’s a concept we may hear a lot about, but what does it mean? Simply stated, self-love involves our mindset and attitude about ourselves. It’s how we talk to ourselves and embrace our positive characteristics along with things that we might see as flaws. Self-love also involves being able to see the ways that we’ve grown and the ways we want to keep growing.

The difference between self-love and self-care

“Self-care is action-based ways that we take care of our health and wellness, and self-love is our mindset and our feelings towards ourselves,” says Brittany McCrady, Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Centerstone. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are separate practices. However, when we engage in those self-care actions, we are fostering love because we’re taking care of ourselves.

Is loving myself the same as being full of myself?

“So much in life is about balance,” McCrady adds, “things can tip towards being egotistical or being full of yourself when you are excessively inserting yourself, or talking about yourself in a context when it isn’t necessary and, in turn, you aren’t able to be present for someone else.”

We can be confident and believe in ourselves without putting other people down, dismissing others, or believing that we are superior to others. We can want to be the best version of ourselves without thinking we’re better than other people.

Different ways to practice self-love that come from within:

Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend or loved one. Speak to yourself with the same compassion, encouragement, and support that you would for your best friend.

Set boundaries and expectations with others. Show yourself and others that you and your time are valuable by saying “no” to things that don’t prioritize your time or energy.

Recognize challenges you’ve overcome and celebrate achievements. Take the time to intentionally say ‘heck yes, I did that’. Make space to reflect and sit in that accomplishment and give yourself credit for a job well done. Every accomplishment no matter how big or small can be celebrated!

Practice positive affirmations. While affirmations aren’t for everyone, they need to make sense for you if you want them to be effective. Generic affirmations can be ineffective because they may not apply specifically to your goals. For example, instead of saying, ‘I’m a good leader,’ try being more specific and say ‘I create a safe and calm environment for the people that I supervise.’

Choose to surround yourself with positivity. We can work on how we treat ourselves and how we talk to ourselves, but that gets easier when we’re around others and in environments that send us the same types of messages.

Challenges to cultivating self-love

Things happen in life that can impact our inner dialogue. This could be trauma or significant, repeated events that instilled certain messages that can be hard to unlearn. “Some people aren’t starting with a clean slate when it comes to being proud of themselves,” adds McCrady. This could also come from our environment or how we saw our parents, siblings, and friends talking to and about us and themselves. These influences have the power to form how we talk about and see ourselves.

What are the mental health benefits of self-love?

• Self-love can develop your confidence and resilience. When hard things happen, having confidence and self-assurance can help make it easier to bounce back
• Improves your self-esteem and overall view of yourself
• Help you handle stressful situations more easily
• This can lead to improved relationships with others. When you love yourself, you’re better at loving others

August 4, 2026 in Blog by Dee

Forgiving Family: Setting Healthy Boundaries

By: Centerstone

Have you seen the way that family is portrayed in television and films? Sometimes it can paint the picture-perfect family and more often than not it has a dysfunctional family. The one thing they all have in common, despite the portrayals of perfection or dysfunction, is the common theme that no family is, in fact, perfect. Family can be stressful for any person to deal with, but what about maintenance? How do we continue to repair and build healthy relationships with family members? One answer to this is learning to set healthy boundaries.

To determine what kind of boundaries to put in place for yourself and your family members, there needs to be a sense of self-reflection. Understand that no family is alike and everyone’s experiences are completely different with upbringing and previous trauma. There can be a lot of unlearning to be done and parenting is not always a success. Know that there is always room for growth and change within yourself and your relationships, but understand that without communication there is no moving forward.

Imagine that you and a family member are arguing, and there does not seem to be any improvement. Forgiveness might be one way to reach a resolution, but this is not as simple as saying I forgive you, there needs to be some work done on yourself and by those other family members. Below are some tips to forgiving your family and to begin having those conversations about healthy boundary setting.

• Reflection. There needs to be self-reflection. What is your worth? Determine what your needs are from this relationship. Ask yourself: Why do I have these beliefs or values? Why do I use these coping mechanisms? Recognize where it all stems from and you can see that you do have a choice in the matter.
• Communication. There needs to be an open conversation about feelings to begin setting boundaries. This is a stage where you can acknowledge feelings, really naming and normalizing them. Modeling communication from a therapeutic perspective can help engage your loved one. Try saying something like this: “I just noticed you seem uncomfortable about this—let’s talk about it.” Creating a safe space to discuss is imperative when articulating your feelings.
• It takes time. Know that it is never too late to repair a strained relationship. There is always a chance to try and reconcile with your family. “Sometimes boundaries will be met with resistance and that is normal. If the relationship is that important to you, keep adjusting those boundaries and determining what that they might look like for you,” says Ericka Davis, In-Home Therapist for Centerstone’s Early Childhood Services.
• Offer to understand. “Understanding that for family and parents to give something that they never experienced is hard. Though, likely most parents and family can remember their time as a child and can relate through their own experiences,” says Davis. Once there is understanding present there is recognition and acknowledgment that there is a way to work towards a healthier relationship.

Family relationships and healing are non-linear. Understand that people can revert back to old behaviors and attitudes, but you can keep setting those boundaries and adjusting to best suit your needs. Setting boundaries is a very brave and personal choice to make but know that you hold the power.

August 4, 2026 in Blog by Dee

The Power of Saying No

By: Centerstone

Learning when to say “no” and when to say “yes” is a powerful act of self-awareness. Setting boundaries isn’t about being selfish; it’s about making intentional choices that align with your values, energy, and goals. Saying “no” can protect your time and well-being, while saying “yes” at the right moments can open doors to growth and connection. Mastering this equilibrium is key to living a more balanced life.

First, let’s talk burnout. Burnout is the state of emotional, mental, or physical exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. While there are several different factors that can lead to burnout, the lack of setting boundaries can be a primary factor for many people. Saying “no” is a key boundary-setting skill that can take time to develop. People-pleasing tendencies also tend to contribute to burnout. This may look like saying yes to or committing to things when you’re already at capacity in an effort not to disappoint others.

Though saying “no” to someone can feel intimidating, keep in mind that it is possible (and important) to stand firm while also remaining kind.

• “I appreciate the offer, but I am unable to help at this time.”
• “Thank you, but I’m not interested.”
• “I’m flattered, but I am unable to commit.”
• “I can’t, but maybe another time.”

Brief statements like these are polite yet also set a firm boundary that allows you to protect your energy.

When it comes to identifying your “yes,” there are a few considerations to keep in mind. First, ask yourself questions: “What does my gut say?”, “What is my intention in saying ‘yes’ to this?”, “How much of my time and energy will this require?”. By taking a moment to answer these questions, you can ensure that you are taking the time to thoroughly think through the situation and its potential outcomes.

Figuring out when to say “yes” and when to say “no” can be a challenging balancing act. However, it’s important to remember that a balance between downtime and social time is crucial when it comes to prioritizing your well-being. While picking up that extra work shift or going to a concert with friends may feel like an easy “yes” in the moment, don’t forget to consider your needs and determine if this additional activity will help meet them. Rest is both productive and essential. Not only does rest help prevent burnout, but it also helps you connect with yourself, creating time for you to tune in to your feelings and needs, which can be hard to do when you overcommit. Additionally, rest is not the opposite of productivity – it helps make productivity possible! In this scenario, rest can look different for everyone. It could mean turning off your phone for an hour or two, taking a nap, taking a walk, or going for a drive. Ultimately, you need to consider your needs and what makes the most sense for you in the moment.

Ultimately, the power of saying “no” and knowing when to say “yes” comes down to honoring your needs and priorities. Trust that both your “no” and your “yes” carry weight, and that using them wisely is a form of self-respect and strength.