Adverse childhood experiences as context for youth assessment and diagnosis

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) should be considered as context for assessment and diagnosis of depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems for youth aged 0–18. The researchers conducted a cross‐sectional study, using the public data set from the 2017–2018 National Survey of Children's Health, which represented 52,000 households of a nationally representative sample of children ages 0–17. The parent/caregiver participants reported their children aged 0–5 had higher odds than children aged 6–11 and 12–17 of a one‐unit increase in ACEs, resulting in anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Professional counselors can use the results as a basis to consider ACEs‐informed assessment and diagnosis practices when working with youth who present with mental health or behavior problems.

Supporting Students Who Are Grieving: Interventions and Practices for School Counselors

“…For school counselors working from an evidence-based school counseling approach, ambiguous grief is a reminder that many issues that are worthy of school counselor attention may not show up in traditional needs assessments. Using assessment strategies that include social/emotional outcomes and screeners to develop a more holistic, ecological assessment of symptoms and root causes is essential for best practice from an EBSC perspective (Johnson et al, 2023; Zyromski & Dimmitt, 2022). An ecological assessment provides school counselors the opportunity to examine behaviors through a holistic lens, allowing the school counselor to consider grief and loss as a potential by-product of the behaviors exhibited by the student.…”

School counseling prevention programming to address social determinants of mental health

“…School counselors should address social determinants either directly through policies focused on eliminating poverty, inequality and discrimination or indirectly through strategies designed to disrupt the pathways between social risks and poor health outcomes (Halfon et al, 2010). For example, although adverse childhood experiences have been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes (Johnson et al, 2022), growing research has provided evidence that trauma-informed practice can disrupt the cycle of the detrimental influence of ACEs on students' outcomes (Koplan & Chard, 2014;Zyromski et al, 2018).…”

Integrating the social determinants of mental health into case conceptualization and treatment planning

“…To do so, counselors must move beyond the rote accounting of client demographics and historical events, lists of named identities, and developmental events to integrate the SDMH into the case conceptualizations meaningfully. Through a this, and approach to representing these details, counselors can leverage their awareness of SDMH frameworks into an interconnected representation of the client issues that cues them as both witness and partner in the affirmation and redress of conditions and experiences that influence well-being (Johnson et al, 2023;Keith et al, 2023;Pester et al, 2023). Throughout these activities, counselors must be sensitive to the influence of power and privilege associated with a counselor's characteristics and how these may influence aspects of the client case conceptualization through cognitive priming of key life event recognition, preferred theoretical interpretations, selection of interventions, and favored strategies for advocacy, engagement, and linking to supportive resources (Baldwin & Imel, 2013;Beutler et al, 2004;Kress & Paylo, 2019).…”

“…Diagnosis alone provides few insights about the developmental course and functional implications of someone's mental health status (Johnson et al., 2023; Macneil et al., 2012). Similarly, while there are numerous evidence‐supported treatments for the symptoms of diagnosable mental health syndromes, nosological categories alone do little to advance a practitioner's confidence regarding which interventions may work for whom, how, and under what circumstances.…”