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,…