Alberta Family Wellness Initiative: Buffering toxic stress to build sturdy brain architecture and promote resilience

Author: Palix Foundation

The Palix Foundation founded the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative in 2007 to bridge the considerable gap between the scientific knowledge on brain development, mental health, and addiction and what is currently being done in policy and practice[1]. Through its online Brain Story Certification Course, the AFWI has shared this information with over 90,000 people from around the world in the fields of education, healthcare, justice, social services, and children’s services. 

One of the key messages of the Brain Story is that brains are built during childhood due to interactions between our genes and experiences, a phenomenon known as epigenetics. Toxic stress, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), derails brain development and can lead to impaired physical and mental health and addiction later in life[2]. However, the impacts of toxic stress can be buffered by the support of responsive, caring adults who can help teach the skills and abilities necessary to build resilience. These skills can also be taught to vulnerable adults who are experiencing hardship through engagement with brain story-informed organizations and programs. 

The AFWI is working with organizations throughout Alberta to shift how they perceive and interact with individuals experiencing trauma. Through mandated Brain Story Certification for staff or organization-wide training sessions, Brain Story science has infiltrated multiple systems in Alberta and is continuously expanding its reach. The most recent development from AFWI is the Resilience Scale[3], a metaphor that depicts how adversity, positive supports, and skills and abilities interact to determine health outcomes, with the goal being to tip the scale towards positive outcomes by mitigating toxic stress, adding positive supports and relationships, and enhancing executive function and self-regulation abilities. 

 The Brain Story Certification Course and many additional resources can be accessed through the AFWI website. For individuals seeking a brief introduction to these concepts, the Palix Foundation is currently field testing a 2-hour Resilience Scale training session that introduces the main metaphors from the Brain Story with a focus on the Resilience Scale as a tool in clinical practice. Information on this training session can be requested by emailing contact@palixfoundation.org.  

Together, we can apply brain science to enhance resilience and build better brains.

[1] https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/who-we-are/our-history

[2] https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/what-we-know/stress

[3] https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/what-we-know/resilience-scale