Exploring the impacts of adverse childhood experiences on anxiety and depression in adulthood: learning through practice

Abstract

This report focuses on my 450-hour advanced practicum at the Northern Ontario Counselling Clinic (NOCC) as a partial requirement of the Laurentian University Master of Social Work program. The Northern Ontario Counselling Clinic is a private practice located in Sudbury, Ontario that provides individual, couple, family, and group counselling in both official languages. The primary focus of my advanced practicum at NOCC was to explore the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and anxiety and depression in an adult client population situated in northeastern Ontario. My advanced practicum also examined how social workers, using various intervention approaches, can work with adult survivors of ACEs to support them in their path towards healing and recovery from early trauma. In this practicum report, I present my learnings derived from the literature as well as from my practicum experience at NOCC.