A group in Georgia is working to equip people and organizations to combat what are known as Adverse Childhood Experiences, the traumatic events in a child's life that can affect them into adulthood.

They include violence, abuse and growing up in a household with mental health or substance abuse issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports they cause toxic stress, which can alter brain development and lead to chronic health problems.

Teresa Raetz, chief operating officer of the Gwinnett Coalition, said her group's Resilient Gwinnett initiative zeros in on specific groups to promote safe and stable home environments, to keep Adverse Childhood Experiences from being passed to future generations.

"It's not just something bad that happened when someone was five or six, or whatever age," Raetz pointed out. "We want people to understand that the body keeps a record of what happens, and it can have lifelong impacts. So, healing that trauma is really critical in order to mitigate those health consequences."

She noted Resilient Gwinnett provides community organizations and individuals with training on how to better understand trauma and resilience, and increase awareness of child sexual abuse, mental health first aid, and suicide prevention. According to the CDC, 61% of adults weathered at least one major trauma as kids, and 16% experienced four or more.

Raetz emphasized while such events can affect anyone, there are factors which can put some individuals and communities at higher risk, and stressed it is important to bring resources directly to those who may be most vulnerable.

"Poverty is a significant factor in creating Adverse Childhood Experiences, and so, we are able -- through our data partner -- to take a look at the different population statistics and different indicators, and see where there are some neighborhoods and areas where the risk of ACEs is higher," Raetz said.

She added Resilient Gwinnett tackles the problems as community issues rather than individual concerns, and with proper resources, addressing them early, they can foster more resilient communities.

Georgia is taking on its mental-health care challenges head-on through new legislation.

One bill is aimed at increasing the number of providers in the state. Senate Bill 480 offers loan repayment assistance to mental-health care professionals who choose to work in underserved areas.

Rep. Sharon Cooper, R-Marietta, highlighted the state's access landscape, noting that of its 18 public health districts, 12 are located in rural areas. She said the goal is to ensure equitable access to mental-health services for all.

"Georgia is terribly short of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family providers, all levels of people that deal with various aspects of mental illness," said Cooper.

According to the Rural Information hub, most of Georgia struggles with having enough mental-health providers. The data shows out of 159 counties, only six have no shortage, and two only have shortages in parts of the county.

Cooper elaborated on the multifaceted challenges Georgia faces in mental-health care, citing historical underinvestment and rapid population growth as contributing factors to the current shortage. She described the evolution of mental-health care policy in Georgia, including previous legislative efforts to promote parity between mental and physical health care.

"We are trying to make up for mistakes of the past and trying to do what's right for mentally ill people and to put their illness on parity with anybody that would have a gallbladder or heart disease," Cooper added.

Cooper pointed out that in this past legislative session, 19 bills were signed to help increase the state's ability to care for mental- and behavioral-health needs. Other legislation includes SB 373, which helps provide expedited licenses to marriage and family therapists.


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New York's 2025 budget improves access to mental-health services.

Budget legislation stipulates commercial insurers have to pay rates similar to Medicaid for in- and-out-of-network behavioral health services.

While many New York adults can access care, younger people can't because of insurance coverage.

Matthew Shapiro - senior director of government affairs for the National Alliance on Mental Illness-New York State - said people are glad this broadens access to often limited mental health services.

"We hear from people all the time that they can't access care, they can't find a psychiatrist, they can't find a social worker, they can't find someone who'll prescribe medication," said Shapiro. "It can be very, very difficult, especially in parts of Upstate New York where these services just aren't readily available."

Some insurance companies pushed back, saying it would raise customers' rates. Shapiro noted that this will hopefully resolve long-standing issues in obtaining mental-health care.

A state Attorney General's office report finds 86% of the listed, in-network mental-health providers were either unreachable, not in-network, or not accepting new patients.

The budget allocates millions of dollars to other programs that establish new inpatient psychiatric beds statewide, and increase mental health support for first responders.

But, Shapiro noted that other insurance companies' barriers prevent New Yorkers from getting the best mental-health care they can.

"It's so important those people get the medications their doctor believes are best for them, and their individual set of symptoms as quickly as possible," said Shapiro. "So, eliminating things like fail-first procedures and what they call step-up procedures."

He added that these policies can significantly set back a person's recovery.

A 2024 survey finds 1 in 5 adults required to fail first had to visit the emergency room or be admitted to a hospital as a result of the policy.




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As Children's Mental Health Awareness Week kicks off in Arkansas, an expert said parents can help their children have a healthy brain to thrive.

Charles Fay, child psychologist and president of the Love and Logic Institute, said national data show roughly 42% of adolescents aged 12-17 in Arkansas, mirroring national trends, receive services for severe depression.

He argued a healthy brain is the foundation of good parenting and Arkansas parents could foster children's ability to become mentally strong, responsible and successful.

"Parents creating a home where kids are really expected to take good care of themselves and show them how to do it, with the eating, the diet, with sleep," Fay outlined. "We're seeing more young people getting hardly any sleep and one of the biggest reasons is they have their phones or other devices in their bedrooms."

For children struggling with depression, anxiety or adjusting to challenging situations, the state program ARKids provides mental health resources online.

Fay stressed it is important for parents to identify signs of mental health struggles in their children. One indicator he suggested is a child's lack of interest in activities they normally enjoy. He added it is important for parents to consistently be firm and caring with their children.

"Firm means healthy limits and accountability," Fay emphasized. "There's been a number of studies recently that show that when kids do not have consistent limits, when they are not held accountable, they are far more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and a whole host of other mental health disorders."

Fay noted the importance of guiding children to translate their natural talents into fulfilling careers. He believes the path leads to greater happiness. His book, "Raising Mentally Strong Kids," features a strategy combining brain science with practical tools to cultivate resilient minds in children.