Reflection Questions

These Reflection Questions are designed to help you think through where the strengths are in your community and how you can design your path forward.

  • In your community, which groups, agencies or individuals have already been exposed to the ACE study and the concepts of toxic stress and resilience?
  • In your community, who has yet to learn about this information?
  • What are some ways you can educate others about ACEs, toxic stress and resilience? Who can help you in this effort?
  • What kinds of data and research would help you understand the impact of ACEs in your community? Does any such data already exist? If not, how could you gather it?
  • In addition to the ACEs counted in the 1998 Kaiser study, are there other sources of adversity particular to your community, such as neighborhood violence, racial/ethnic discrimination or the trauma caused by a natural disaster like flood or fire?
  • Who can be your partners in the work of preventing childhood adversity and building resilience among individuals and families? Think about obvious partners and uncommon/unlikely allies and collaborators.
  • What would you or your organization do to prevent ACEs and boost resilience if you had absolutely no budget? What would you do if funds were unlimited?
  • What are the skills, assets and resources in your community that might be tapped in the work of preventing childhood adversity and building resilience? What skills, assets and resources do you need?
  • What kinds of education, training, supervision or mentorship could help your community become more trauma-informed?
  • When you envision a resilient community, what do you see? How would it be different from what currently exists? How will you get from here to there?

Please share comments or additional reflection questions that may help others advance the work on ACEs and resilience.