Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
The most direct line to adult addiction and incarceration runs through childhood. This module helps participants see it without being undone by it.
What the module covers.
The research on adverse childhood experiences is among the most consistent in behavioral health. The higher a person's ACE score, the higher their risk for addiction, incarceration, chronic illness, and early death. For the populations Brighter Path serves, ACE scores are often high.
This module gives participants language and a framework for understanding their own histories — not as excuses, but as context. The goal is to help participants connect early experience to current patterns in a way that supports change rather than collapsing into despair or self-blame.
Topics.
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The ACE study and what the research actually shows
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How childhood experience shapes adult coping
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The link between ACEs and addiction
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Resilience factors — what protects against ACE effects
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Naming history without being captured by it
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Pathways forward — what change looks like with high ACE scores
Module package contents
- Facilitator deck (correctional version)
- Facilitator deck (community version)
- Implementation guide
- Activity list and required materials
- Discussion prompts
- Pre-test and post-test (editable)
- Print-ready handouts and worksheets
- Trauma-informed facilitator guidance
Adapted for context
| Correctional | Community |
The correctional version includes additional pacing and safety considerations for delivering trauma content in confined settings.
A note on trauma-informed delivery.
This module receives extra attention to trauma-informed practice. Facilitators receive specific guidance on pacing, language, and protocols for participants who become activated. The correctional version is further adapted — with slower pacing, fewer triggers, more time held in the room, and explicit protocols for what happens when material surfaces something acute in a setting where outside support is harder to access.
BRING BRIGHTER PATH TO YOUR FACILITY
We work with correctional facilities, reentry organizations, and community recovery programs.
Whether you're looking for a complete eight-module series or a single workshop to fill a specific gap, Brighter Path is built to fit the facility, the population, and the facilitator.