ChesterCountyMedicineWinter2018 - 32

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The Chester County ACEs Coalition
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difference in their lives with unconditional love and support.
"The film is inspirational, and it's been very well-received. I
had very positive feedback from Head Start staff who attended a
viewing in Coatesville recently," said Buckley.
ACEs Coalition member Brian McGinley is a licensed social
worker and school counselor who has worked at the Chester
County Intermediate Unit, which provides services to the 12
school districts in Chester County including Head Start programs
for low income residents, for 22 years. He's seen how ACEs can
impact a child's ability to learn and function in an academic
setting, and he developed a training to help educators adapt their
classrooms to improve student performance.
"Thirty years ago, we were talking about PTSD (PostTraumatic Stress Disorder), but today there seems to be a
growing awareness about ACEs," McGinley said. "Schools are
recognizing how students can be affected socially, emotionally and
academically."
ACEs can lead to difficulties with language and
communication skills, attention, memory and recall, problem
solving and organization, the ability to develop a plan and carry
out goals, among other concerns. Students with high ACEs scores
have lower standardized test scores, are more likely to be suspended
from school and are more likely to fail a grade. Students as young
as preschool age who are struggling with these or other challenges
may be eligible for educational services provided by the Chester
County Intermediate Unit.
Sometimes simple adjustments can be implemented to make a
classroom more conducive for learning, McGinley noted. Lowering
lights or playing soft music are two things that may create a more
soothing atmosphere for children who have experienced toxic stress
or trauma. This recognition benefits students, and helps teachers
manage their classrooms, avoiding vicarious trauma.
"When we make inroads to change behaviors, we can help
students learn," he said.
Chester County's Department of Human Services has joined
the efforts to educate the community about the impact of trauma.
For the past year the department has been offering a series of
free trauma classes through Drexel University. The classes, held
in different locations throughout the county, cover a range of
trauma topics. One series of classes is open to the public, and more
advanced classes are offered to professionals working in related
fields, with continuing education credits available. Since 2014, the
county has also been offering Mental Health First Aid, a public
education course that is provided throughout the county at no cost
to participants. Mental Health First Aid also includes information
on trauma. To find out about Department of Human Services

32 CHESTER COUNT Y Medicine | WINTER 2018

trauma class offerings in 2018, contact the county's offices
through the class schedule site, chescodhstrainings.com.
Kevin Olivo is the Clinical Director at Child Guidance
Resource Centers in Coatesville and a member of Chester County's
ACEs Coalition. A licensed social worker and a clinician, Olivo has
worked with children for almost 20 years. He first learned about
the ACEs study in 2009 when he and four colleagues attended a
training on the Sanctuary Model, created by Sandra Bloom, MD,
and a team of Philadelphia clinicians. Designed as a blueprint for
clinical and organizational change to promote safety and recovery
from adversity, the model focuses equally on the people who seek,
and the systems who provide, treatment.
"The Sanctuary training gave us at Child Guidance the tools
to implement a number of [trauma-informed] changes at our site
that are still happening today," Olivo said. "We begin discussing
trauma and ACEs with all staff during their orientation, because
this awareness is the first step in treating trauma."
The approach has helped Child Guidance create a healthier
atmosphere and better outcomes for both clients and staff. One
example is having community meetings as an opportunity for staff
to share feelings and support one another. Giving these individuals
an open forum to communicate their thoughts and feelings has
made a difference, said Olivo.
"Staff can support each other when they know what someone is
dealing with. This builds community, with a more energized staff
and less turnover. It creates a more nurturing environment. All of
these things, in turn, help our clients," Olivo said. "Being trauma
informed means understanding that trauma exists all around us,
and to help the clients we have to help the staff."
Child Guidance Resource Centers is one of four core mental
health treatment providers for children contracted by Chester
County's Department of Mental Health/Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities (MH/IDD). These providers are part
of the county's trauma-informed system of care, which includes
adult mental health services providers and drug and alcohol
services. All providers are listed at Chester County's MH/IDD or

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