For Patients, Families and other Caregivers

You can encourage healing and resilience in youth by reviewing our online resources for patients and families to stay informed. If you think a child or teen is facing ACE-related challenges, discuss your concerns and a possible referral with their doctor. When a young person is referred to the CRW, we can offer personalized support.

Guided by a specialized pediatrician, the CRW team can assist with wellness evaluations, resources and education, and other services. We build on individual and family or group strengths while addressing areas of concern.

Working with your child’s doctor or other care providers, we tailor cross-specialty resources and services. If impacted by any type of ACE, your child or teen will learn how to:

• Build and maintain strong and nurturing relationships
• Perform better in daily tasks
• Grow in mental and emotional capacities
• Advance to higher levels of resiliency now and in the future
• Improve overall wellbeing

Adverse events experienced during the growing years can cause a variety of long-term health problems. They’re often due to related complications, including chronically elevated stress chemicals and hormones such adrenaline and cortisol.

Public health officials initially identified 10 primary ACEs that can change the health, wellbeing and lives of children and teens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other experts now recognize many more. These range from poverty and homelessness to bullying and racism.

Primary ACEs include:

1. Physical abuse
2. Sexual abuse
3. Verbal abuse
4. Physical neglect
5. Emotional neglect
6. Depressed or mentally ill family member
7. Family member addicted to alcohol or another substance
8. Imprisoned family member
9. Witnessing a mother being abused
10. Losing a parent to separation, divorce or death

Possible ACE-related complications

Common complications of ACEs in children and teens include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Eating disorders
• Mood disorders
• Overeating and obesity
• Smoking 
• Substance abuse or addiction
• Suicide risk
• Underperforming at school or work

Most Patients are referred to CRW by a pediatrician or primary care provider. We begin the process with a comprehensive wellness assessment. This includes a personalized evaluation of family or caregiver strengths, needs and protective factors or positive influences, such as:

• A close relationship with a nurturing and predictable caregiver
• A sense of purpose and meaning 
• Appropriate developmental expectations for the child or teen
• Caregiver knowledge and understanding of parenting 
• Community support  
• Parental resilience

Wellness Assessment and Resiliency Support

The wellness assessment aims to understand how your child and family interact. We focus on mental, physical, environmental and social dynamics within the family unit. To this end, the assessment includes a comprehensive inventory of family strengths, needs and certain positive or protective factors.  

Our goal is for the patient, together with their caregiver(s), to attend a minimum of seven sessions with a wellness nurse. If necessary – and desired by the child or teen and their caregiver(s) – a resiliency counselor may meet with the child or teen as well.

Science-Backed Approaches

The CRW’s approaches are backed by extensive research from experts in the field of childhood trauma. We start by working with you and your child or teen to set short- and long-term goals. We then introduce and practice building resilience through various methods and techniques. These include:

• Breathing techniques
• Healthy sleep, diet, nutrition and exercise
• Awareness and naming of emotions
• Mindfulness (awareness of feelings and emotions without judging them)
• Self-compassion (kindness and understanding of oneself)
• Self-efficacy (belief in one’s ability to affect a situation or accomplish tasks)
• Giving back to the community

Additionally, CRW’s resiliency counselors can offer short-term counseling to help kids understand their emotions. Resiliency counselors help improve communication skills with parents, caregivers and others. Kids learn to navigate difficult situations and strengthen resiliency – the ability to respond in a positive way in the face of adversity and return to a healthy state of being. Where needed, we’ll arrange long-term support from a community counseling professional.

Safe and Stable Nurturing Relationships

Adult relationships that are reliable, nurturing and consistent are necessary for healthy and optimal child/teen development. Some of the topics CRW addresses are:  

• Self-regulation – We offer ways to manage and respond positively to thoughts, emotions and feelings.
• Co-regulation – We share self-regulation and calming techniques to support your child, teen or another adult.
• Parenting support – We support parents and primary caregivers where needed and help build strengths and skills, so you’re better able to help your child.

The Phoenix Children’s Center for Resiliency and Wellbeing team consists of:

• Resiliency counselor (short term counseling and case management)
• Wellness nurse
• Pediatrician (oversees program)  
• Pediatric psychiatrist
• Other specialists as needed