Building Community Resilience

Description

Join an essential conversation about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

Join us on Wednesday, September 25^th for a free event in Benzie County that will explore the health impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences and what our community can do to change the trajectory.

This event is for parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors, business owners, healthcare providers, schools—everyone who has a passion for thriving, resilient communities.
 

Meet the Panelists

Mary King Gruman, MS, LPC, NBCC, Birchbark Counseling (Moderator). A licensed professional counselor with Birchbark Counseling in Traverse City, Michigan, Mary is active in the Traverse City based Licensed Professional Counselors of Northern Michigan group and currently serves as a Master Trainer for the Michigan ACEs Initiative which led her to speak at the 2019 TEDx Traverse City. She is on the board of the local National Alliance for Mental Illness chapter and the advisory board of the Generations Ahead teen parenting program. Her practice serves people aged 13 and up and she specializes in helping. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Mary received her MS at the University of the Southwest.

Kristen Ryder, Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District. Kristen Ryder is a School Psychologist, mindfulness instructor, and a trauma-informed yoga instructor. Within the scope of her yoga practice, she has completed certifications with the Yoga 4 Survivors oncology program, Mindful Schools, Yoga 4 Classrooms, Connection Coalition, and the Street Yoga program out of Seattle, WA, which focuses on assisting homeless and traumatized youth. Kristen is also a yoga instructor at Cowell Family Cancer Center. Within the scope of education, she currently serves TBAISD's New Campus center-based program, which provides educational services for students with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities. She is an ACEs Champion Trainer, trained through Michigan DHHS, and a Certified Family Trauma Professional.'

Robert Sprunk, MD., Grand Traverse Children's Clinic. Dr. Robert Sprunk studied medicine at the University of Michigan, did both his medical internship and residency at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, and extended his studies with a fellowship at Wayne County General Hospital. Sprunk's special medical interests include ADD/ADHD in children, adolescent/teen medicine, asthma, immunizations and neonatology.

Megan Stilwill, DO., Traverse Area Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic. Her pediatric internship and residency were both at PBCGME Palms West Hospital. She also attended Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing, MI and Denison University in Granville, OH. Her background is in behavioral therapy and has worked extensively with children with various developmental disabilities in the classroom, home and medical setting. She has two daughters, Madeline and Emmy.