Childhood Adversity and Trauma

Thursday, March 26, 2026, 8:00 AM - Monday, March 26, 2029, 9:00 AM

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (1.00 hours), ASWB Social Work Credit(s) (1.00 hours), CME-Designated Participation Credit (1.00 hours)

This one-hour video reviews Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and the basics of early childhood attachment. This is an overview for both mental health professionals and others who provide services and support to children and youth.

Presenter

Erin Barnett, PhD
Associate Professor Geisel School of Medicine
Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center

1. Describe the pathway from adversity during childhood to possible health and mental health problems in adulthood.
2. Describe two practical techniques to de-escalate children (or adults) who are highly stressed.
3. Identify three protective factors that occur during childhood that can help prevent problems following childhood adversity.

In support of improving patient care, Dartmouth Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. 

American Medical Association (AMA)
Dartmouth Health designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Dartmouth Health is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 general continuing education credits.

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Bibliographic Material

• Bethell, C., Jones, J., Gombojav, N., Linkenbach, J., & Sege, R. (2019). Positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relational health in a statewide sample: Associations across adverse childhood experiences levels. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(11), e193007. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3007

• Bhushan, D., Kotz, K., McCall, J., Wirtz, S., Gilgoff, R., Dube, S.R., Powers, C., Olson-Morgan, J., Galeste, M., Patterson, K., Harris, L., Mills, A., Bethell, C., Burke Harris, N., & Office of the California Surgeon General. (2020). Roadmap for Resilience: The California Surgeon General s Report on Adverse Childhood Experiences, Toxic Stress, and Health. Office of the California Surgeon General. DOI: 10.48019/PEAM8812. https://osg.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/266/2020/12/Roadmap-For-Resilience_CA-Surgeon-Generals-Report-on-ACEs-Toxic-Stress-and-Health_12092020.pdf

• Boers, E., Allen, A., Barrett, M., Benjafield, A.V., Rice, M.B., Wedzicha, J.A., Kaye, L., Zar, H.J., Sinha, S., Ozoh, O., Crotty Alexander, L.E., & Malhotra, A. (2025). Forecasting the Global Economic and Health Burden of COPD From 2025 Through 2050. Chest. 168(4), 880-889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2025.03.029

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (2021). Three Principles to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families, 2021 Update. https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/report/three-principles-to-improve-outcomes-for-children-and-families/

• Ellis, W. R., & Dietz, W. H. (2017). A New Framework for Addressing Adverse Childhood and Community Experiences: The Building Community Resilience Model. Academic pediatrics, 17(7S), S86 S93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2016.12.011

• Felitti, V.J., & Anda, R.F. (2014). The Lifelong Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences. In Chadwick s Child Maltreatment: Sexual Abuse and Psychological Maltreatment, (Vol. 2, pp. 203-216). St. Louis, MO: STM Learning, Inc.

• Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., et al (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14, 245-258.

• Greenberg, P., Chitnis, A., Louie, D., Suthoff, E., Chen, S.Y., Maitland, J., Gagnon-Sanschagrin, P., Fournier, A.A., & Kessler, R.C. (2023). The Economic Burden of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder in the United States (2019). Adv Ther. 40(10), 4460-4479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-023-02622-x

• Merrick, M. T., Ford, D. C., Ports, K. A., Guinn, A. S., Chen, J., Klevens, J., Metzler, M., Jones, C. M., Simon, T. R., Daniel, V. M., Ottley, P., & Mercy, J. A. (2019). Vital Signs: Estimated Proportion of Adult Health Problems Attributable to Adverse Childhood Experiences and Implications for Prevention - 25 States, 2015-2017. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 68(44), 999 1005. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6844e1

• Perry, B.D. (2006). Applying Principles of Neurodevelopment to Clinical Work with Maltreated and Traumatized Children: The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics. In N. B. Webb (Ed.), Working with traumatized youth in child welfare (pp. 27 52). The Guilford Press.

• Perry, B. D.& Szalavitz, M. (2006). The boy who was raised as a dog: What traumatized children can teach us about loss, love, and healing. Basic Books.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4884. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

• Shonkoff, J. P. (2016). Capitalizing on Advances in Science to Reduce the Health Consequences of Early Childhood Adversity. JAMA Pediatr, 170(10), 1003-1007.

• van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps score: Brain, mind and body in the healing of trauma. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Websites:

CDC ACEs websites:

• https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/index.html

• https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aces/index.html

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard [Key Concepts]

Recommended Videos:

• Nadine Burke Harris Ted Talk

• Center on the Developing Child at Harvard - Three Core Concepts videos

Further resource and infographics:

National Child Traumatic Stress Network

• Creating TI Systems

• Resources for working with families

• Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit

Echo Training

• Physical impact of trauma

• The impact of trauma

• How to support someone who has experienced trauma

• Trauma-informed support for children

• Do's and Don'ts of a trauma-informed classroom

• Trauma-informed arrow

Provider Contact Information
Provider contact information for questions regarding accreditation of the activity:

Center for Learning and Professional Development
ACE Office
Dartmouth Health
[email protected]

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Dartmouth Health adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.  Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including planners, faculty, authors, or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies^.  All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

^Ineligible Company is any entity whose primary business purpose is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.