Protective and Compensatory Experiences that Influence the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Lifecourse Health

Megan Lipsett, MA, MS, PhD candidate

Training Description

Foster youth more frequently experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) (Clarkson Freeman, 2014), which have a cumulative impact on lifecourse health and social outcomes (Felitti et al., 1998; Hayes-Grudo & Morris, 2020). ACEs in foster youth are risk factors for homelessness, education incompletion, employment and financial instability, mental health concerns, substance use disorder, and chronic health conditions later in life (Rebbe et al., 2017; Rebbe et al., 2018). This workshop will present the Intergenerational and Cumulative Adverse and Resilient Experiences (I-CARE) framework (Hayes-Grudo et al., 2021). We will focus on Protective and Compensatory Experiences (PACEs): positive experiences that have been shown to increase resilience and protect against mental and physical illness. Specifically, we will discuss the importance of protective relationships (e.g. unconditional love from a caregiver, being part of a social group, and having a mentor), contextual resources (e.g. food availability, regular physical activity, and having family routines), and targeted interventions (e.g. mindfulness-based practices, programs to enhance cognitive, social, and emotional development) in mitigating the effects of ACEs on foster and system involved youth.

Learning Objectives

● Acquire knowledge about the prevalence of ACEs and how they impact lifecourse health and well-being outcomes (e.g. how social relationships and biological processes interact, how childhood stress becomes biologically embedded).

● Identify at least 2 biobehavioral adaptations that clients have developed in response to early adversity and identify at least 2 appropriate targeted resilience-building strategies across developmental stages using the Intergenerational and Cumulative Adverse and Resilient Experiences (I-CARE) framework.

● Identify the ten evidence-based protective and compensatory experiences that mitigate the effects of ACEs and programs that enhance access to Protective and Compensatory Experiences (PACEs) for foster youth.

Agenda

12:00-12:15pm  Welcome & Introduction

12:15-1:00pm  Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Prevalence and Lifecourse Impacts

1:00-1:45pm  Social, Neurobiological, Epigenetic, and Behavioral Responses to Stress and Adversity

1:45-2:30pm  The Intergenerational and Cumulative Adverse and Resilient Experiences (I-CARE) framework

2:30-2:45pm  BREAK (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

2:45-3:30pm  Protective and Compensatory Experiences (PACEs): Evidence and Strategies

3:30-4:00pm  Applications & Group Work

Meet Our Trainer

Megan Lipsett is a doctoral candidate in Social Health Psychology, conducting research in the Social Affective Neuroscience Lab. Megan also holds an MA in Integrative Health Studies from CIIS and is an assistant Professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and the founder of COPIA Health. As a practitioner, Megan has worked with clients who have experienced complex trauma and uses a mindfulness-based approach to supporting resilience. As a research psychologist, she examines how our perceptions impact physiology (such as inflammatory biomarkers and cortisol), social connection, and long-term health behaviors underlying noncommunicable diseases. With an interest in factors that promote resilience to adversity, she focuses on translational work that informs how research on health mindsets can inform behavioral interventions and public policy. She has done program development and facilitation for diverse organizations, including integrative medicine centers, transitional women's homes, social worker training centers, environmental awareness groups, benefit corporations, and health and wellness centers.

This course meets the qualifications for (3.75) BBS CE Hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.