Does focusing on the “grit” of those who overcome adversity lead us to abdicate responsibility for improving our society? Children’s behavioral health expert, Antonio Valdés, CEO of Children’s Crisis Treatment Center, unravels the myth of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. He provides scientific background on Adverse Childhood Experiences and the negative health outcomes associated with early childhood trauma. He shares the key protective factors that are shown to improve likelihood of success and survival despite adversity. Valdés challenges listeners to think differently about how we view those who need assistance. Rather than focusing only on how to provide a safety net, we would do better to incorporate those “protective factors” into building a strong foundation for our society, making all children better equipped to thrive despite adversity.


Antonio (Tony) Valdés knows the real impact of adversity in childhood and questions the bootstrap mentality of the “rugged individual” through the lens of resilience research and trauma-informed training. Since his start as a behavioral health-care social worker in 1987, Valdés has raised the bar in providing innovative and much-needed behavioral health services in Philadelphia, while remaining sensitive to the needs of diverse communities. As Executive Director of the Child Psychiatry Center in Philadelphia, he was the catalyst for the organization’s greater involvement in the North Philadelphia community. In 1997, Valdés became the CEO of the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (CCTC), a Philadelphia nonprofit agency specializing in providing behavioral health services to children and families. Since then, the reach and impact of the CCTC has increased seven-fold as they now serve thousands of families annually.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx