Exploring the Scope and Influence of Social Workers’ Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Panel Discussion

Moderator(s)

Kim M. Anderson, PhD

Professor
University of Central Florida

Panelist(s)

Michael C. LaSala, Ph.D., LICSW

Dean
School of Social Work, Simmons University
PH

Pedro M. Hernandez, MS, MSW, LMSW, PhD (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
Jackson State University
JL

Jaegoo Lee, PhD

Associate Professor
Jackson State University

Contributor(s)

Jeffrey Steen, PhD, LCSW (he/him/his)

Assistant Professor
Simmons University

Social workers report elevated rates of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), events that impact their career trajectories and practice. This panel session highlights scholarship of faculty studying the scope and impact of ACEs among social work students and professionals. Strategies for leveraging these challenges to enhance professional effectiveness will be identified.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:

Participants will be able to discuss the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) scale and how findings from this measure can inform understanding of the social work workforce.
Participants will be able to describe the multifaceted educational and professional influence of ACEs among social workers.
Participants will be able to identify strategies to support themselves, their students, and their colleagues who have histories of ACEs to protect from burnout and promote professional effectiveness.