Protective Factors and Resilience-Building Activities for those Who Work with Youth with Adverse Childhood Experiences

Megan Lipsett, MA

Training Description

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are widespread, largely unrecognized, and play a decisive role in health risk behaviors, overall health, well-being, and social function. An overview of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) including definition, prevalence, measurement, risk factors, and short and long-term outcomes will be provided. There will be a strong focus on summarizing and translating the trainer’s research findings regarding what practices are demonstrated to be protective following ACEs and designing resilience-building practices for your work to implement these. We will explore stress and resilience frameworks, such as Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) stress and coping framework and the adaptive calibration model (Eliss 2014). We will consider the biopsychosocial mechanisms (e.g. neurobiological, immune, and self-regulatory processes) by which ACEs impact development and health-relevant behaviors. We will learn about psychophysiological responses to stress, as well as the role of cognitive appraisal and coping mechanisms. Through engaging in discussion, reflection, and embodied practices, we will explore findings from social science research to consider how effective social work practice can prevent ACEs and mobilize resilience and recovery from childhood adversity. We will apply a biopsychosocial perspective to discuss key protective factors (e.g. social networks, mindsets and cultural norms, clinical interventions, spiritual resources, family-support programs, culturally-relevant parenting services, and cross-sector partnerships) that can be enhanced to promote resilience and improve overall health. We will consider culturally-appropriate interventions, including for working with refugee youth.

Learning Objectives

• Identify risk factors and outcomes of ACEs.
• Explore the key factors named by those with ACEs as most supportive of resilience outcomes
• Illustrate how to connect childhood experiences to later life health and consider lifespan in plans to improve individual and collective health.
• Describe how ACEs impact health-relevant developmental processes.
• Review theories of stress and resilience.
• Identify 3 strategies to enact ACE-informed community development and services that mobilize protective factors and resilience.
• Identify 5 preventive and protective resources for responding to ACEs.
• Explore 3 key elements of considering culturally-adapted approaches for refugee youth.

Agenda

10:00-11:00 am Overview of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - definition, prevalence, measurement, risk factors, and short and long-term outcomes.

11:00-11:30 am Lecture and Discussion: Stress and resilience frameworks, biopsychosocial mechanisms, and coping.

11:30-12:15 pm Experiential activity: mindfulness-based interventions, body-based interventions, cognitive reappraisal and meaning-making, and social connections.

12:15-12:45 pm LUNCH (CEUs will not be issued for this time)

12:45-1:45 pm Overview of prevention strategies, biopsychosocial approach to ACEs, protective factors, clinical interventions, family-support programs, and cross-sector partnerships

1:45-2:30 pm Project: Creating action steps to enhance resilience and national health outcomes in your community; Wrap-up and Course evaluations

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 (4) BBS CEUs for LCSWs and MFTs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.