Iowa Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (IAPSAC)

09/05/2024

Please join us and learn from our very own IAPSAC member, Polly Iben! To register go to APSAC.org and click on trainings.

02/25/2023

Via GoZen: Anxiety Relief for Children

02/02/2023

07/21/2022

Linn County Employee Recognized for Helping to Close Loophole in Criminal Justice System

07/16/2022

"Tonight, after 2.5 years of living here, my oldest son sat down at the table with this.

He was about to chow down when I stopped him and asked what in the world he was doing.

He said, ‘I made myself dinner.’

‘But it isn’t cooked. I can cook that, you know.’

‘Well, I wanted to eat something I used to eat a lot with my old family.’

So, we sat down and I asked him to tell me about it.

He said that they wouldn’t feed him due to being passed out (you can guess why) and he would have to make dinner for himself and his brothers (ages 2 and 4 months when they came to us).

He said that all the money they had would be spent on ci******es and other ‘fun things’ and so he would find change in their van and buy Ramen packets at the store down the street, at 6 years old!

He said he didn’t know how to boil water, so he would eat it like this. And, he actually grew to like it.

So, he would break it up for his siblings, and would try to make bottles for the baby (at 6!!!!!!).

I asked him to make me some.

I sat there beside him and crunched it down with lots of water because it’s not great…and he just started talking about how the first time I made them Ramen, he wouldn’t eat it and I told him I remembered.

He said it’s because it reminded him of his Ramen packets and he didn’t trust me (big thoughts for 9!).

He said he isn’t sad he’s not with his ‘old family’ (his words) anymore, but that sometimes HE LIKES TO REMEMBER HOW STRONG HE HAD TO BE.

I write this so everyone knows trauma isn’t healed quickly (sometimes never), and adoption doesn’t erase the past or the memories.

Kids can change, and they will change with love, but please never give up on a kid because ‘they are hard.’

I walked away in shock, in sadness, and so so so proud of how strong my baby is. He’s so wonderful. And, we love him so much.

Friends, THIS is the life experience of kids who come from hard places.

THIS is living a trauma-informed life.

We can’t imagine what kids from hard places have lived through. It is not just about one act of abuse or neglect, it is about living in survival mode and doing it day in and day out.

It is about making sure younger siblings are also surviving, even at the expense of childhood.

Trauma infuses itself into every pore. Kids just don’t forget it. Their brains and bodies won’t let them.

Those of us privileged enough (yes, I said privileged) to enter into the lives of children with hard life experiences must be willing to sit down, eat uncooked Ramen noodles, and listen. We must not give up.

Our kids didn’t.”



Credit: Aubren D. & Barren to Blessed

05/17/2022

Thank you to the many law enforcement heroes across Iowa. We thank you for helping keep Iowa’s children safe 💙

05/10/2022

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Professionals who work at protecting children have very challenging jobs that can lead to secondary traumatization. Normalize getting help. ❤️

05/09/2022

Virtual training on drug trends and associated health effects from local Iowa experts.

05/06/2022

Update:
THE CLASS IS NOW FULL.
Thank you all so much for your interest. There is a possibility another session will be added later in the summer.
We look forward to meeting each of our participants!
_________________________

The Cedar Rapids Police Youth Academy is now accepting 5th-8th grade participants. Class is limited to the first 20 registrations.
Call now to sign up. 319-286-5629.
We will update this post when the class is full.

05/06/2022

We invite the community to join us for these upcoming free events we have planned for Mental Health Awareness Month! Visit tanagerplace.org/mhm for more details!

05/05/2022

Special thanks to IAPSAC member and therapist at Creative Counseling Group for supporting victims of crime this past weekend at the Go the Distance for Crime Victims 5K!