Presented by Ruth Sager Creative Coping: Unpacking adversity & creative practices in self-care. Presented by Ruth Sager

Ruth Sager Ruth Sager is Program Director at Creatively Ruthless. Ruth has devoted herself to working in and with communities through creative mentorship. She takes pride in facilitating transformative artistic experiences in public, private, social and civic sectors. Ruth has trained over 5,000 volunteers, teaching artists, social service staff and educators to bring healing arts programs to over 80,000 young people that have experienced the trauma/toxic stress of abuse, neglect and homelessness. She is a certified trainer in the Youth Quality Programs Assessment tool, Kids at Hope and Art Heals methods. She teaches and presents nationally on artistic programming, creative community development, youth development, trauma informed practice, mentorship and leadership.

Todays goals Discuss the brevity of adversity and how it effects everyday connection Identify behaviors found within ourselves and our neighbors that help us develop connect Explore creative tools to mitigate the biologically programmed reactions that hold us back from making connection.

I may have experience but I also know we have some experts in the room. I believe that we are stronger together and encourage you to share your insights as they come.

Adversity vs. Toxic Stress About to talk about Prolonged stress = toxic stress

ACE Study Details: Agencies involved Dr. Vincent Felitti Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Preventive Medicine in San Diego Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) San Diego State University Dr. Vincent Felitti More than 17,000 participants Middle Class, College-Educated, White Americans Standard physical examination & Surveys about family health history Origins Training & Consulting

More Symptoms of toxic stress What did we learn from the ACES Study??? Higher the dose = More Symptoms of toxic stress

Origins Training & Consulting Out of 100 People These are the symptoms

Fight, Flight, Freeze Whole Body Response Relax, Recover, Restore Origins Training & Consulting Whole Body Response Fight, Flight, Freeze Relax, Recover, Restore Stress is a whole body response.

Toxic stress puts the lizard in charge! Safety  CHOICE!! “Keep it Real” Learn Connect with others Empathy/ Compassion Understanding Questions/Critically think Origins Training & Consulting

LIZARD SELF

Your lizard What behaviors do you have when you are stressed? What qualities do you have that folks told you were negative? What reactions are you less than proud of having?

How humans regulate stress What are the daily things that you do for you? What are the things you do to bring yourself into control? The good, the bad, the ugly.

Our neighbor’s lizard What are the behaviors that your neighbors exhibit when you are attempting to help them but they are too stressed? How do you respond? How can we help?

Muscle Memory Origins Training & Consulting

Empathy

Our neighbor’s lizard: How to help Be empathetic. See the world as others see it. Take in their perspective. Be nonjudgmental. Understand another person's feelings and communicate your understanding of their feelings.

Our neighbor’s lizard: How to help What empathy does not look like: Sympathy Gasp and awe The mighty fall The block and tackle The boots and shovel If you think that’s bad…

Our neighbor’s lizard: How to help Be empathetic. Help them understand that their reactions are normal. Brain storm ways to process their experience. Check in and remember their experience.

RELATIONSHIPS + Skills = RESILIENCE PEOPLE + Art = HEALING

Expectations Be BRAVE There are no mistakes in art Respect Have fun It’s not about the product, trust the process Respect Don’t interrupt another person’s process Have fun

I am activity Poetry and connection cards

I like… I notice… I wonder… Final Reflection I like… I notice… I wonder…

Resources Bronfenbrenner Ecological Systems Theory Center for Child and Community Development Center of the Developing Child, Harvard University Dr. Sandra Bloom. The Sanctuary Model http://www.sanctuaryweb.com/ Felitti, Vincent et al. ACE Study. Journal of American Medicine. 1998 International Association of Trauma Professionals SAMSHA- Trauma Informed Approach and Systems https://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/trauma-interventions Dare to Lead, Brene Brown 2018 Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona’s Mentor Training Images: unless otherwise cited, images come from dreamstime stock images Andi Fetzner Lori Robinson

Angela.Ruth.Sager@gmail.com Creatively Ruthless 602-499-0753