Beyond Complex Trauma: An Existential View of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can trigger a variety of existential reactions that disrupt physical, mental, and behavioral health. This article explores the implications of ACEs for the development of children, adolescents, and adults. Examining ACEs through an existential lens, the authors provide a way to conceptualize clients with multiple ACEs and offer suggestions for interventions.

Adverse Childhood Experiences: A 20‐Year Content Analysis of American Counseling Association and American School Counselor Association Journals

“…The results of this investigation revealed that very few articles published in ACA-and ASCA-affiliated journals in the 20 years since Felitti et al's (1998) study explicitly named ACEs in the title, abstract, or keywords. Of the three articles published mentioning ACEs in the title, abstract, or keywords between 1998 and 2018, two were conceptual articles (Navalta et al, 2018;Zyromski et al, 2018), whereas the third (Rausch, 2016) was a quantitative analysis of the relationship between ACEs and intimate partner violence in adult samesex, female-committed, monogamous relationships. Rausch (2016) demonstrated an additional predictive link between ACEs and negative outcomes related to the development of healthy relationships.…”

“…Navalta et al (2018) suggested a neurocounseling approach, encouraging counselors to use ACEs and the neurobiology of the brain starting with case conceptualization and continuing with the integration of evidence-based treatments. Zyromski et al (2018) endorsed viewing ACEs from an existential counseling lens, proposing that counselors might better understand ACEs through clients' lived experiences and promote wellness using existential therapeutic interventions (e.g., emotion regulation, sense of self).…”

“…Of the three articles mentioning ACEs as a primary focus of the journal article, the earliest was published in 2016 in the Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling (Rausch, 2016). The following two articles were published in 2018 in the Journal of Mental Health Counseling and The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, respectively: Navalta et al (2018) and Zyromski et al (2018). Furthermore, only Rausch's (2016) article was coded as a quantitative research study, with the remaining two articles contributing conceptual work and suggestions for incorporating ACEs in counseling.…”

Toward Trauma‐Informed Career Counseling

“…The term trauma can describe many types of experiences, including experiencing interpersonal violence; witnessing violence against a loved one; and experiencing the effects of war, natural disaster, or ongoing toxic stress (Bucci, Marques, Oh, & Burke Harris, 2016; Coursol, Lewis, & Garrity, 2001). When individuals experience trauma early in life, it can negatively affect their physical, mental, and behavioral health across the life span (Anda et al, 2006; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2018; Zyromski et al, 2018). Ten specific types of childhood trauma were measured in the original ACE study (Bucci et al, 2016; Felitti et al, 1998).…”

“…Yet, the counseling literature remains in the early process of integrating these critical findings. Zyromski et al (2018) found that in 21 journals published by the American Counseling Association and its member divisions, only one article referred to the topic of ACEs (i.e., Rausch, 2016). The ACE study is changing practice across many disciplines in the helping professions, and counseling professionals could also use this information to examine counseling practices in light of the implications of ACEs, toxic stress, and trauma‐informed practices.…”