Big Sky Resilience is an independent public-information project about adverse childhood experiences, toxic stress and resilience, written with Montana readers in mind.
Independence
This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or operated by any government agency, health system, school district, nonprofit organisation, professional association or awareness campaign. Where public bodies such as the CDC, SAMHSA or the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services are named, it is because their published material is cited as a source. A citation is not a partnership and should not be read as one.
We do not run programmes, hold events, book presentations, train practitioners, coordinate volunteers, certify anyone, or operate local chapters. If you are looking for services or programmes, our resources page points to the organisations that actually provide them.
What this site is for
The research on childhood adversity is genuinely important and unusually easy to get wrong. It is frequently reported as though a questionnaire score were a diagnosis or a prognosis, which is neither what the original researchers claimed nor what the data support. The gap between the research and its popular version is where this site tries to be useful.
The aim throughout is a plain-language account that is accurate about what is known, explicit about what is not, and clear about where the limits of a web page lie.
How it is written
Sourced from primary material. Pages are written from published research and from public health bodies — the CDC, SAMHSA, the National Institutes of Health, the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, and comparable sources. Sources are linked in the text so you can check them.
Informational only. Nothing here is medical, psychological, legal or clinical advice. Nothing here diagnoses, screens or treats anyone. We do not administer questionnaires or calculate scores, deliberately — see ACE scores for why.
Conservative on sensitive ground. The subject matter includes abuse, neglect and household violence. Pages that touch on those describe them in general terms without graphic detail, carry a note where the material may be difficult, and direct readers to licensed professionals rather than attempting to substitute for them.
No personal information. This site names no private individuals, publishes no directory of practitioners, and does not identify families, communities or organisations as case studies.
What we ask of readers
Treat this as a starting point, not an authority. Follow the links to the primary sources. And take anything that concerns you personally — about a child, or about yourself — to a qualified professional rather than to a website.
If you have a correction, a question, or think something here is unclear or wrong, the contact page is the way to reach us. Corrections are welcome; we would rather be accurate than consistent.