Dr. Donielle Prince: Is Mental Health just Health?
October 13, 2022
Hosted by Ingrid Cockhren
[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]
Guest Information
Episode Description
Research has found that there is credibility to the term mind-body connection. There is a clear link between our thoughts, feelings, emotions and our physical body. At this point, should we, as a society, stop separating mental health and physical health? Are they not one in the same? Please join us this week as our guest, PACEs Connection's very own Dr. Donielle Prince, discusses the mind-body connection with our host Ingrid Cockhren. Through contributing to and coordinating the PACEs Connection Creating Resilient Communities Accelerator, Donielle will continue PACEs Connection’s mission to support the growth of both statewide and local community resilience initiatives. Donielle brings to this work over 20 years’ experience as a program evaluator, focused on education, community based youth programming, mental health, and its intersections. Donielle’s core expertise is in understanding those elements of programming and initiatives that present challenges, as well as those that yield the potential for change. Donielle’s signature evaluation projects included youth development studies, trauma informed training evaluations, and educational equity focused program and curriculum evaluations. Donielle’s experience has taught her that evaluation research is above all a communication tool- the ability to examine a program and then organize those findings, a process which helps to bring clarity to a program mission. A well crafted mission then becomes a platform from which to create and sustain tangible change. In the community, Donielle’s experience with research, policy and reform is reflected in her deep commitment to advocating for social justice. This work has included youth mentoring, including first-time offending juveniles and foster youth; as well as community based organizing against state violence, educational inequity, and lack of access to mental health supports, particularly for members of marginalized communities- similar to the community where she was raised, in East Palo Alto, CA, located in the “Silicon Valley”. Currently, Donielle resides in Sacramento, CA. Donielle has studied education, counseling psychology and human development, and race and racism, earning her B.A. at Wellesley College (1995), her MS. Ed. at the University of Pennsylvania (1996), and her Ph.D. at Stanford University (2006).
History. Culture. Trauma
Thursday at 1PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel
According to Resmaa Menakem, trauma decontextualized over time looks like culture. We, at PACEs Connection, agree. 2020, with COVID-19, our climate crisis, and the racial reckoning, has shown us that trauma is embedded within our institutions, our culture, and our history. 2020 was a collective trauma. And, with the addition of technological advances like the internet and social media, we are more connected to our collective selves than ever before. We can no longer live in silos, focused on the individual. We know now that our shared experiences matter. Our podcast will examine trauma and resilience, not just at the individual level, at the systems and cultural level. How has the trauma of slavery and genocide impacted our current society? Why are the cultural manifestations of trauma, i.e., community violence, school shootings, etc., so pervasive? Together, our hosts and their guests will outline the true impact of trauma and resilience on the human experience.
Ingrid Cockhren
Ingrid Cockhren knows first-hand how impactful trauma and toxic stress can be for children and families and has dedicated her professional life to investigating and educating the public about the link between early trauma, early adversity, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), positive childhood experiences and the consequences that occur across the lifespan. Specializing in creating equitable and inclusive environments within organizations, collective impacts and grassroot movements, Cockhren uses her knowledge of stress, trauma, historical trauma, human development, and psychology to translate research concerning DEI into community, workplace, and organizational solutions. Cockhren graduated from Tennessee State University with a B.S. in psychology and from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College with a M.Ed. in child studies specializing in minority and impoverished children. Her research areas are African American parenting styles, positive and adverse childhood experiences, historical trauma, intergenerational trauma, brain development, developmental psychology, and epigenetics. Cockhren’s experience includes juvenile justice, family counseling, early childhood education, professional development, consulting, and community education. She is currently CEO at PACEs Connection and an adjunct professor specializing in Black psychology, developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, and personality theory at Tennessee State University.
