Honoring advocates and memorializing victims of child abuse
Training programs designed to empower
Tools to prevent
trauma & support child well-being
We provide upstream interventions and strategies for reducing adverse childhood experiences and promoting resilience so children can have positive, supportive, and healthy relationships. Our mission is to equip professionals with innovative tools to create lasting change in communities.
UP Programs
Training programs designed to empower professionals, caregivers, educators, and youth with tools to prevent trauma and support child well-being.
UP FOR CHAMPIONS, in partnership with THE UP INSTITUTE, supports the professionals working to solve child abuse and neglect globally, through advocacy, public education, and family support programs. It is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that aims to create safe and healthy communities for children and their families. UP FOR CHAMPIONS works with community, state, and national organizations to expand and disseminate knowledge about child abuse and neglect.
Our Services
We provide upstream interventions and strategies for reducing adverse childhood experiences and promoting resilience so children and families can have positive, supportive, and healthy relationships.
Upstream Solutions By the Numbers
45
Publications
705
Expert Testimonies
1132
Presentations
72258
Professionals and Teens Trained
Testimonials
Follow Us Upstream on Facebook
Moving Upstream in Denver with brilliant colleagues and leaders shaping the future of Social Work education. Proud to celebrate the next generation of scholars as Chair of the Awards Committee for the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education GADE Social Work #cswe25 #nsuacademicaffairs
I gained 1,198 followers, created 6 posts and received 95 reactions in the past 90 days! Thank you all for your continued support. I could not have done it without you. 🙏🤗🎉
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Grateful to the American Psychological Association Society for Child and Family Practice for spotlighting No Hit Zones. Join us Upstream today!
1 CommentsComment on Facebook
Guiding the Upstream movement in Michigan. Thank you to Mott's Children's Hospital and The Children's Advocacy Centers of Michigan for all that you do to protect children and families.
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Protect brains. Prevent childhood trauma.Recent brain scans have revealed that children living with unstable families where the child is exposed to constant arguing between the parents or themselves are abused/neglected, have brain changes similar to combat solders after returning from active duty. In some cases, the brains of abused children are in even worse shape than the combat soldiers.
Childhood trauma and the trauma experienced by combat soldiers can create similar, long-lasting changes in the brain’s structure and chemistry. The core reason is that the brain, whether developing or mature, adapts to a high-stress, unpredictable environment by entering a persistent state of hypervigilance, prioritizing survival over other functions.
The key difference lies in the context of the trauma. A child’s brain is still developing, making it highly susceptible to having its core structures and functions altered. A soldier’s brain, which is already mature, is changed by extreme stress but is less fundamentally altered than a child’s.
The shared neurobiological process: an over-activated internal alarm system.
Trauma forces the brain to initiate a “fight or flight or freeze” response for survival. When this state becomes chronic, it changes the brain’s baseline functioning, creating a state of constant, heightened alert. This process affects key brain regions involved in emotion, memory and rational thought.
I am running out of rom here but I will put a breakdown in the comments section of each brain region affected and altered by trauma.
If you have children, it is best to never argue in their presence and always treat your child with love, patience, respect and tender care, punish gently when necessary and use bad behavior as a teachable moment instead of harshly punishing your tiny creation.
If you experienced trauma as a child and never actively did intentional work to heal your brain or nervous system, you are likely experiencing chronic symptoms well into adulthood as a result. The good news is, any damage done is likely not permanent if you’re willing to do the work. Your trauma was never your fault, but healing has become your sole responsibility. See comments for exercises.
PMID: 26831814
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
I was honored to present on Forensic Social Work to more than 100 amazing MSW students at Cal State Monterey Bay! 💙💛Their passion for justice is exactly what inspires me to continue teaching and sharing this work. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Karen Rotabi-Casares for the kind invitation, and to Dean Phil Post, the faculty, and students for such a warm welcome and truly inspiring conversation. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to connect with the next generation of social work leaders who will carry this important work forward. #nofsw #forensicsocialwork #fswalliance #nsuacademicaffairs #ChildAdvocacy #socialworkeducation #theupinstitute #csumb
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
0 CommentsComment on Facebook