Beyond Adversity: How Positive Experiences Help Children Heal
Every child deserves to grow up feeling safe, supported, and loved. While childhood should be a time of learning, exploration, and joy, many children experience challenges that can have lasting effects on their health and well-being. Understanding these experiences helps us better understand the importance and incredible power of positive relationships and experiences.
Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur before the age of 18. They can include abuse or neglect, witnessing violence, experiencing parental separation, or living in a home affected by mental illness, substance use, or instability.
A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that childhood adversity can increase the risk of long-term physical and mental health challenges. But the research also makes something equally clear: adversity does not determine a child's future.
The Power of Positive Experiences
Researchers have found that positive relationships and supportive environments can serve as protective factors for childhood adversity. These experiences, often called Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs), strengthen and help children develop healthy coping skills, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
A trusted adult who listens. A safe place to call home. A teacher who offers encouragement. A caring mentor. Opportunities to learn, play, and connect with others. These moments may seem small, but they can have a lifelong impact.
How Cumberland Creates Opportunities for Healing
At Cumberland Youth & Family Services, creating these positive experiences is woven into everything we do.
Whether a child is receiving counseling, finding stability through our Foster Care and Adoption Program, living with their family in our Family Residential Program, or preparing for adulthood in our Supervised Independent Living Program, our goal is the same: to create an environment where healing can happen.
That healing often begins with consistency. A therapist who provides a safe place to process emotions. A foster parent who celebrates birthdays and school achievements. Staff members who show up day after day with unwavering support. These everyday moments build trust, strengthen relationships, and remind children and families that they are not alone.
Healing rarely happens because of one extraordinary event. More often, it grows through ordinary moments of care repeated over time.
This is why Cumberland is committed to trauma-informed care. We recognize that past experiences shape how children see the world, and we intentionally create opportunities for new experiences rooted in safety, connection, and hope.
Every volunteer, donor, foster parent, and community partner helps make those moments possible. Together, we aren't just responding to adversity; we're helping children build resilience, discover their strengths, and believe in brighter futures.
Because while adversity may be part of a child's story, it does not have to define how the story ends.
References
Bethell, C. D., Jones, J., Gombojav, N., Linkenbach, J., & Sege, R. (2019). Positive childhood experiences and adult mental and relational health in a statewide sample: Associations across adverse childhood experiences levels. JAMA Pediatrics, 173(11), e193007. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3007
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). About the CDC-Kaiser ACE Study. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). https://www.cdc.gov/aces/
Petruccelli, K., Davis, J., & Berman, T. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences and associated health outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect, 97, 104127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104127
