HOPE (Healthy Outcomes through Positive Experiences)

Presenters

• John Richardson-LauveFollow

First Presenter's Highest Degree Earned

MSW

Year First Presenter's Degree Was Awarded

1997

First Presenter's Field of Study

Clinical Social Work

Institution Where First Presenter Received Highest Degree

New York University

First Presenter's Institution

St. Joseph's Villa

First Presenter's Brief Bio and Description of Credentials for This Presentation

John Richardson-Lauve is a licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience working in community mental health. He has worked with veterans who were experiencing homelessness in New York City, in a hospice home for those with HIV in the early years of the AIDS crisis, 6 years living together with his wife in a home with 8 teenage girls in foster care, and 10 years as clinical director for a child and adolescent mental health facility specializing in trauma and mental health crisis. His skills include organizational leadership, group training and facilitation, and support after grief, loss, and tragedy. He is the Senior Director of Community Outreach and Trauma-Informed Care Specialist at St. Joseph’s Villa in Richmond, Virginia. He and his wife have an 18-year-old son and have worked with over 50 children in foster care in their home.

Location

Ballroom F

Document Type

Individual Presentation

Primary Strand

Youth Resiliency

Relevance to Primary Strand

Research on Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) is the foundation of the HOPE framework. Based on research first conducted in 2015 through the Wisconsin BRFSS, evidence was found proving that PCEs are not only advantageous for an individual but can actually mitigate the impact of childhood trauma (ACEs). This leads to a resilience-building framework of engaging with intentional and strategic PCEs throughout childhood to promote lifetime health outcomes.

Alignment with School Improvement Plan Topics

Family and Community Engagement

Brief Program Description

The Healthy Outcomes through Positive Experiences (HOPE) framework is built on an evidence-based framework to promote lifetime health outcomes. Research into Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) shows that the infusion of PCEs can not only create better outcomes for children throughout life but also mitigate the impact of childhood adversity. The HOPE framework has emerged to create these experiences. In this workshop we will review history of PCE research, the building blocks of HOPE, and how to implement them within a school context to support our students.

Summary

The HOPE framework comes from research that quantifies the impact of positive experiences, particularly in childhood (PCEs- Positive Childhood Experiences), on development and outcomes across the lifespan. In this workshop we will review history of PCE research, the building blocks of HOPE, and how to implement them within a school context to support our students.

Research began in 2015 when seven questions about PCEs were inserted into the Wisconsin BRFSS (Brief Risk Factor Surveillance System):

As a child, how often did you…

1. Feel able to talk to your family about feelings
2. Feel your family stood by you during difficult times
3. Enjoy participating in community traditions
4. Feel a sense of belonging in high school
5. Feel supported by friends
6. Have at least two non-parent adults who took genuine interest in you
7. Feel safe and protected by an adult in your home

These results were then correlated with other health and behavioral data to show that those with a higher number of PCEs also had a myriad of positive outcomes, such as lower rates of heart disease, smoking, depression, and even unemployment. And the higher rates of PCEs mitigated the impact of childhood trauma (ACEs).

More information on the HOPE framework can be found at https://positiveexperience.org/.

Research on PCEs and their impact:

Sege RD, Aslam MV, Peterson C, et al. Positive Childhood Experiences and Adult Health and Opportunity Outcomes in 4 US States. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(7):e2524435. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.24435

California Department Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch; California Department of Social Services, Office of Child Abuse Prevention; California Essentials for Childhood Initiative; All Children Thrive, California. (2023, September).

Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences Data Report: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2015-2021: An Overview of Adverse and Positive Childhood Experiences in California.

Graupensperger S, Kilmer Jr, Olson Dc, Linkenbach Jw.Associations Between Positive Childhood Experiences Andadult Smoking And Alcohol Use Behaviors In A Largestatewide Sample. Journal Of Community Health. 2022 Nov15:1-9.

Evidence

The HOPE framework is housed within Tufts University and is led by Dr. Robert Sege, one of the principal researchers on the original 2015 BRFSS study and subsequent publications. The HOPE website offers a number of completed projects and publications showing evidence of effectiveness. https://positiveexperience.org/our-research/.

Some publications include:

• Protective factors associated with reduced substance use and depression among gender minority teens – https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19361653.2023.2230462.
• Integrating Positive and Adverse Childhood Experience into Pediatric Care – https://positiveexperience.org/research/ipace/.
• The Impact of Positive and Adverse Experiences in Adolescence on Health and Wellbeing Outcomes in Early Adulthood – https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/9/1147.
• Reimagining the Juvenile Justice System Through the Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences Framework – https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/5/782.

Learning Objective 1

Participants will be able to articulate the power of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) to mitigate the impact of childhood adversity.

Learning Objective 2

Participants will be able to identify the four building blocks of HOPE and how they impact youth

Learning Objective 3

Participants will be able to apply the building blocks of HOPE within their daily work.

Start Date

6-2-2026 10:15 AM

End Date

6-2-2026 11:30 AM

Recommended Citation

Richardson-Lauve, John, "HOPE (Healthy Outcomes through Positive Experiences)" (2026). Southeast Conference on School Climate. 40.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/secsc/2026/2026/40

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.