Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in Adolescents
Building healthy brains reduces the impact of childhood toxic stress across one’s lifespan.
No one gets to choose their parents, family situation, or major stressors in their early childhood. These early challenges have been shown to cause toxic stress that children carry into the rest of their lives.
These types of stressful events have been named, “Adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs). This toxic stress may weaken brain architecture and often presents an increase in risky behavior as children become teenagers. Our workgroup seeks to understand, educate, and prevent the effects of ACEs within adolescents.
Subcommittees
Community Engagement/Anti-Stigma Subcommittee
Vision Statement: Frederick County is a community where mental health is accepted as an important component of overall health, where residents feel comfortable seeking mental health services, and where residents with mental health concerns are treated with respect and dignity.
Subcommittee Goal: All Frederick County residents are aware that mental health is health and know how to access and receive mental health care. Mental health is health and viewed by the community as an essential and acceptable piece of an individual’s overall healthcare considerations. Reducing stigma is essential to the achievement of both of these goals.
Suicide Prevention Subcommittee
Vision Statement: Frederick County has a sustainable and responsive Suicide Prevention Coalition.
Subcommittee Goal: Eliminate suicide in Frederick County (Zero Suicide Model).
Workforce Development/Capacity Building Subcommittee
Vision Statement:
Mental health treatment slots are available regardless of insurance status at the time an individual seeks services.
Individuals have reliable access to services in their native language, either directly or by certified interpreter.
Subcommittee Goal: Frederick County residents will be able to access the full continuum of culturally competent, trauma-informed, high-quality mental health treatment services in a timely manner, through an increased capacity of mental health professionals and other trained support persons (i.e., Recovery Coaches, Community Health Outreach Workers) who can offer services.
What is categorized as an “ACE?”
The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2021) identified these ACE categories:
Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence
Separation from Parent or Guardian due to Incarceration or Detention
Household Mental Illness or Depression
Household Substance Misuse
Emotional Abuse by Parent or Adult in Home
In Frederick County, more than 50% of high school students report at least one ACE.
What’s the good news?
Protective factors reduce risky behavior in teens.
Even teens that have two or more ACEs will benefit from these protective factors, such as food security or a trusted relationship with at least three caring adults.
For more information, visit our YouTube Channel for ACEs.
What can we do about toxic stress from ACEs?
Decrease Risk Factors:
Poverty
Community Violence
Social Isolation
Increase Protective Factors:
Reduce concrete sources of stress
Positive responsive relationships
Core adaptive skills
Workgroup Leadership
Pilar Olivo
Workgroup Lead and Board President
Frederick County Office of Children & Families, ACEs Liaison
Erin Gambrill
Awareness Co-Lead
Frederick County Public Libraries, Youth Services Coordinator
Pat Rosenteel
Awareness Co-Lead
Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership, LHIP Board Member
Kathy Allen
Prevention Co-Lead
Frederick County Public Schools, Coordinator of ECE & Judy Centers
Barb May
Prevention Co-Lead
Frederick County Health Department, Director, Family Partnership
Lynn Davis
Treatment & Intervention Co-Lead
Frederick County Public Schools, Coordinator of Mental Health Services
Jay Hessler
Treatment & Intervention Co-Lead
Frederick County Health Department, Assistant Director of Behavioral Health Services Division
Staff Representative Coordinators
Lisa Allen
LHIP ACES Workgroup Coordinator
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
Ashley Bennett
LHIP Program Manager
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
Malcolm Furgol
Executive Director
Coalition for a Healthier Frederick County
