Entries by Andi Fetzner

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The Time is Now: How a Principal Changed a School’s Response to COVID

Now is the time for taking action! We are all passionate about making the world a better place but we can sometimes struggle with how to get started. With so much trauma in the world right now, knowing where to start can seem overwhelming.

In this video, Lori shared how one Resilience Champion took a fundamentally different approach to the pandemic in her school and how that made all the difference for the children and families in the community. From how she managed academics to mental wellness needs of both students and staff, looking through the lens of a trauma-informed approach supported the resilience of the community. 

June 18, 2020 by
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Mental Health Awareness: When Suffering Is Not an Illness

When I was an adolescent and young adult, I struggled with depression. As I reflect back on that time, so much of what I was experiencing was deeply tied to coming to terms with my sexuality. Growing up in the 1980’s in a relatively conservative town, I was closeted (even to myself) until I was a young adult. The pain and fear of being different, of not belonging, of being judged or rejected for who I was more than my adolescent brain could wrap its conscious head around. To protect myself from being “found out,” I often turned inward, keeping a safe distance from many.

May 21, 2020 /1 Comment/by
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Navigating the Storm: We’re in the Same Storm, but Not the Same Boat

At Origins, we encourage self-reflection as we navigate advocacy during this social justice revolution. While we are all in this storm together, we recognize the reality that we are not all in the same boat. In scrolling through social media this last week, I came upon a poem that speaks to this truth. The author is unknown.

April 22, 2020 by

Facebook Live Video #4- A Trauma-Informed Approach for All!

In this last video, “A Trauma-Informed Approach  For All!” we will wrap it all up and talk about how all of these concepts can be translated into practice in both organizations and communities. We will introduce established concepts from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration aka SAMHSA. We will discuss the 4 R’s of a trauma-informed approach- Realize, Recognize, Respond, and Resist Re-traumatization. We will also discuss the 6 principles including Safety, Trustworthiness & Transparency, Peer Support, Collaboration & Mutuality, and Cultural, Historic, & Gender Issues.

April 16, 2020 /0 Comments/by

Facebook Live Video #1- Is a Pandemic Trauma?

In this first video of this four-part series, Andi talks about what we are all feeling and why during this COVID-19 (aka coronavirus) pandemic. Using the foundational concepts to a trauma-informed approach that are outlined in The Basics, she explains the impact of the collective stress we are experiencing. Adapting an analogy used by Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, Andi talks about the tigers that are lurking around in all our lives right now. She discusses how we adapt and how each of us may respond differently to them. Some of us may react with a fight or flight response; others with a freeze or fawn response–all normal responses to an abnormal situation. She also talks about some of the common ways we might be adapting to these challenging times. (Over-consuming media anyone?)

April 7, 2020 /0 Comments/by
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Resilience During a Pandemic

Costco is out of toilet paper and CVS is out of cough syrup. Your group fitness class and your favorite restaurant are closed. Your cousin keeps posting memes on instagram about some conspiracy theory and your co-worker brags on about how she hasn’t been sick in years so she’s not worried about germs. This is not a nightmare. This is real life in 2020 thanks to COVID-19, aka the coronavirus.

March 13, 2020 /0 Comments/by