| by Paul Jay and Richard Trotta |
The critically acclaimed Netflix series Adolescents offers a microcosm, albeit exaggerated, of the troubled life of a 13-year-old boy in the UK. The main character is alienated from his family, school, and meaningful social connections. He is not the athlete his father wanted, not successful in school, not a good-looking teenager, and increasingly aware that he cannot have the girlfriend he wants, or any girlfriend, for that matter. He lacks meaningful friendships and derives a false and empty sense of value and identity from social media. He becomes involved with adult websites such as those promoting INCEL ideology, where rage and misogyny are normalized. These sites reflect a hollow world where people like this boy feel they belong.
He lives in an increasingly dangerous and unsafe environment. There is bullying and violence at school. His disinterest in activities outside of social media and dark video games further isolates him. At home, secrets are kept, and he struggles with a sibling who does not understand “what’s wrong with him.” His mother offers exaggerated, unconditional emotional expressions but does not truly understand his inner world. He recoils at being touched or held, especially by her. She is unaware of his deep feelings of self-loathing and degradation. His father, absorbed in watching soccer on TV, is indifferent to his son’s suffering. The boy vividly recalls his father looking away disgusted after a missed opportunity in a youth soccer game.
Over time, the boy forms the core belief that he is unlovable and will never be good enough. Once such beliefs become ingrained in childhood, they can impair functioning in all areas of life. Like Marsha Linehan’s biosocial theory of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), the symptoms of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) develop early and persist. In BPD, a child’s emotional expression is inconsistently accepted or rejected, leading to a distorted form of communication that manifests in mood instability and incongruent emotional expression. Anger becomes the language to express deep feelings of shame and worthlessness.
In the same way, ACEs shape persistent feelings that perceived injuries and insults will never end or be resolved. For many affected children, morality, ethics, and positive behavior lose significance.
Their behavior becomes governed by dark and unstable emotional states.
ACEs significantly impact on a child’s ability to learn and thrive in educational settings. The effects can include impaired academic performance, behavioral challenges, and difficulty forming social relationships. Many children with ACEs show symptoms that resemble PTSD. The causes of ACEs include:
- Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
- Childhood neglect
- Living with family members with mental health or substance use disorders
- Poverty, including housing or food insecurity
- Violence at home or in the community
- Racism, discrimination, or oppression
- Accidental or intentional injury by others
- Exploitation or victimization through social media
- Gender or sexual identity-related dysphoria
To understand what it is like to live with ACEs, consider the daily experience of a child who:
- Re-experiences traumatic events through intrusive memories or dreams
- Has dissociative episodes, including flashbacks or hallucinations
- Suffering intense psychological distress from internal or external trauma triggers
- Holds persistent negative beliefs about themselves
- Shows reduced interest in activities they once enjoyed and struggle to feel joy.
- Experiences extreme changes in mood and arousal, including irritability, self-destructive behavior, hypervigilance, and symptoms of depression such as poor focus, low motivation, difficulty with self-care, and disrupted sleep or appetite
The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Role of Education in Healing.
Chronic exposure to trauma can reshape brain structures responsible for emotion, memory, and decision-making. An overactive amygdala may heighten anxiety, while delayed development in the prefrontal cortex can impair attention, impulse control, and problem-solving. The hippocampus, critical for learning and memory, may shrink, making it harder for students to retain information and succeed in school.
ACEs also over-activate the body’s stress response system, creating a condition known as toxic stress. This constant state of alert can damage physical and emotional health and interfere with a child’s ability to focus, connect with others, and fully engage in learning.
Education can make a powerful difference. Schools can provide stability, structure, and consistent, caring adults who model trust and support. After-school programs extend this protective environment, offering safe spaces for students to build relationships, express themselves, and gain critical life skills through mentorship, group collaboration, and social-emotional learning.
ACEs significantly increase the risk of mental health challenges, chronic illness, and long-term difficulties. But education can reverse this trajectory. With supportive adults, safe environments, and meaningful learning experiences, students can build resilience, thrive academically, and begin to reclaim a sense of hope and purpose.
Children with ACEs often withdraw from others, including their own families. Many focus on social media and become angry or defensive when told to stop. Alcohol and substance use may begin in the early teen years. These children often cannot find safety in their environments or joy in daily life. They usually show delays or deficits in critical learning skills such as language development, communication, and reading comprehension, affecting academic success and social integration. Many do not participate in typical school-based activities such as sports, clubs, student government, band, or drama. These offerings do not address their emotional needs or sense of alienation.
Integrating mental health support with youth empowerment programs built around service helps students with ACEs develop new, healthier beliefs: “I am lovable. I am good enough.” They benefit from being part of a group with a shared purpose. They are no longer alone. And for many, it is the first time they feel hope. After-school programs can play a powerful role in helping students understand, process, and mitigate the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Public and private education systems can help mitigate the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by providing safe, supportive after-school programs built on group-based, project-driven learning. These experiences are more than extracurricular; they are healing, growth, and resilience opportunities. Centered on student-driven project planning (Project-Based Learning), these programs invite students to explore fundamental issues in their schools, communities, and peer groups. Active learning in this setting engages students in the learning process through meaningful, hands-on activities like discussions, problem-solving, and collaboration. Unlike passive learning, which centers on listening and memorization, active learning empowers students to think critically, work together, and take initiative. Topics like bullying, family separation, food insecurity, and mental health stigma often surface, not as abstract ideas but as personal realities.
When students work in small groups, each voice has more space to be heard. This structure invites participation, sparking interest and motivation even among those who might remain silent in a full class setting. As students collaborate on shared tasks, they become more invested in the outcome and willing to contribute.
This format also deepens learning. Rather than simply memorizing content, students engage in collaborative problem-solving, encouraging critical thinking. As they explain their reasoning to peers, they clarify their understanding and reinforce concepts through repetition and discussion. Peer teaching emerges naturally, with students helping one another grasp ideas in ways that feel relatable and accessible. Group work also nurtures essential life skills. Students strengthen their communication, collaboration, and conflict-resolution abilities by sharing ideas, managing disagreements, and making joint decisions. These soft skills are just as vital as academic knowledge, preparing students to succeed in the workplace and civic life. Group work builds community, deepens learning, and helps every student develop the academic and interpersonal skills they need to thrive.
Effective after-school programs have the following characteristics:
Establishing Emotional Safety – The first and most essential step is creating an emotionally safe environment. Before any projects begin, students are welcomed into a space built on trust, respect, and predictability. This foundation of psychological safety allows students to lower their defenses, feel supported, and begin to open up.
The Power of Group Learning -The group learning model provides significant social and emotional benefits. Students work collaboratively to identify pressing issues and develop projects to address them. Through this process, they build empathy, teamwork, and critical thinking skills while forming authentic peer connections.
Solving problems together teaches students to listen actively, negotiate respectfully, and appreciate diverse perspectives. They come to understand that their voices matter and that they have the power to effect change. These moments restore a sense of agency, often diminished by trauma. Because the projects are student-led, participants are empowered as creators of solutions, not passive learners.
Healing Through Helping
As students implement their projects, whether launching a kindness campaign, creating calm spaces, or organizing mental health awareness events, they experience the emotional benefits of helping others. Altruism becomes a pathway to healing. They begin to see themselves not as defined by their past but as capable leaders making a difference.
Building Belonging and Connection
Group-based learning also counters one of the most harmful effects of ACEs: social isolation.
Working in small, supportive teams fosters a sense of belonging. Students discover they are not alone in their experiences and learn the value of mutual support. These peer connections serve as protective factors, helping students build trust, reduce anxiety, and feel recognized and valued.
Strengthening Emotional and Social Skills
In group settings, students routinely practice emotional regulation and communication. They learn to manage frustration, express feelings healthily, and constructively resolve conflicts. These real- world interpersonal skills are especially vital for trauma-affected youth, who may struggle in these areas.
Creating Structure and Stability
The consistency of group engagement, regular meetings, supportive facilitators, and shared goals provides the structure that many students with ACEs need. This predictability reduces anxiety and builds a sense of safety and reliability, which supports long-term emotional resilience.
Working in small groups within an after-school program can significantly reduce the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) by creating a supportive, empowering environment where students feel seen, heard, and valued. Here’s how this approach helps:
Encourages Expression and Voice
ACEs can leave students feeling powerless or invisible. Small group settings create space for each student to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas without being overwhelmed by a large crowd. This fosters agency, boosts self-esteem, and affirms that their experiences and perspectives matter.
Promotes Peer Support and Empathy
In small groups, students often realize they’re not alone in their struggles. As they collaborate and open up, empathy grows. Hearing similar stories and being supported by peers can reduce feelings of shame, isolation, and anxiety, common effects of trauma.
Supports Regulation and Resilience
Trauma can disrupt a child’s ability to regulate emotions. Group work, predominantly when guided by a trauma-informed facilitator, can model healthy social interactions, help students navigate conflict constructively, and build coping skills. Group rituals (like check-ins, reflection circles, or shared celebrations) offer predictability and reinforce emotional resilience.
Encourages Collaborative Problem-Solving and Growth
Through group projects or shared tasks, students learn to tackle real-world problems together. These opportunities to lead, contribute, and succeed as a team help shift the internal narrative from “I’m a victim” to “I’m a capable and valued member of a community.”
A Path to Thriving
Small group learning in after-school programs nurtures connection, belonging, and empowerment, all protective factors that counteract the long-term effects of trauma. When students feel safe and supported, they begin to heal and thrive. For students coping with the effects of trauma, after- school programs rooted in group-based, student-led learning are more than enrichment; they are a lifeline. They offer a space to process experiences, regain confidence, and discover purpose through helping others. In these spaces, students move from surviving to thriving together. In group- based after-school programs, students with ACEs find more than support; they find purpose, connection, and the power to lead. By working together to create change, they heal, grow, and rediscover their strength – this is where recovery begins, and resilience takes root.
BIO: Paul B. Jay, BA, M.Ed., LCSW
Paul Jay is a dedicated mental health professional with over 30 years of experience in adolescent psychiatry and program leadership. He currently serves as a Triage Psychiatric Social Worker at Mass General Brigham–Salem Emergency Services. Previously, Paul spent two decades at McLean Hospital, where he was Residential Director for Child and Adolescent Programs and a Clinical Consultant for the Adolescent DBT Program. He received the McLean Presidential “Vision of Excellence” Award and a Distinguished Teacher Plaque from MGB Psychiatry Fellows. Earlier, Paul held senior leadership roles at the Northeast Family Institute (NFI), including Executive Director of NFI Boston, overseeing five residential programs for youth in DCF care. Known for his clinical expertise and mentorship, Paul has earned multiple honors for service and innovation, leaving a lasting impact on mental health care, program development, and the lives of the youth and professionals he has guided.
BIO: Richard Trotta, BA, M.Ed., CAGS
Richard has served in public education as a teacher, administrator, and program leader. He began as a secondary Social Studies teacher and later supervised district-wide programs in instructional technology, library/media services, art, music, curriculum, and professional development for Medford Public Schools. He has authored and managed numerous state and federal grants and served as Principal of an Alternative School Program. Richard has taught at institutions including Harvard, Salem State, and Simmons College and has served on the Board of Youth Tech Entrepreneurs. In 2012, he founded the Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility (www.ccsrmedford.org) to develop student leaders, securing over $750,000 in grant funding to support its mission. In 2023, he co-founded the Youth Community Action Network (www.youth- can.org) to further promote youth empowerment.