Clinical Topics & Methods Category

When Emotional Pain Becomes Physical: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pain, and the Role of Mood and Anxiety Disorders

2.25 CE Hours
285 members have taken this course

This course has been retired. We regularly update our course catalog to ensure relevance.

Try these categories:

About the Course

Authors used a 10-year longitudinal design to examine the relationship between retrospectively reported specified events and painful medical conditions. The mediating and moderating roles of affective and anxiety disorders were also examined. They found pernicious effects of adverse childhood experiences across physical and mental health domains.

This course is based on the article, When Emotional Pain Becomes Physical: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pain, and the Role of Mood and Anxiety Disorders created by Natalie J. Sachs-Ericsson, et al in 2017.

Publication Details

Publication Date: 2017

Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Natalie J. Sachs-Ericsson, PhD.

Dr. Sachs-Ericsson's research focuses on psychiatric epidemiology in general population and elderly population samples: Psycho-social factors (e.g., poverty, early childhood experiences, interpersonal functioning, racism) that influence the onset and course of psychiatric disorders and health problems (in particular depression and dementia); Racial, ethnic and gender differences in protective and vulnerability factors that influence psychiatric disorders; depression and cognitive decline in racially diverse elderly populations; Childhood physical and sexual abuse and its affect on the psychological, social, and health functioning of adults.

Julia L. Sheffler, PhD

Dr. Sheffler is a is a licensed clinical psychologist and a member of the research faculty at Florida State University. Her research focuses on aging, Alzheimer’s disease, diet, interventions, health, emotion-regulation, psychopathology, cognitive decline, adverse childhood experiences and lifespan.

 Ian H. Stanley, PhD

Dr. Stanley's research and clinical work are focused on suicide prevention, with an emphasis on first responder populations. Additionally, he aims to understand how to enhance treatment engagement, adherence, and retention of individuals at elevated risk for suicide.

Course Creator

Barbara F. McMillan, LPC

Barbara McMillan, BA, MS, EdD, LPC has 35 years of experience as a therapist, clinical director, and administrator in mental health and substance abuse programs. She holds degrees in psychology and education, and has been a licensed professional counselor and supervising counselor for many years. After 18 years in various roles in private and public mental health settings, she became a full-time college psychology and sociology instructor.

Target Audience

Counselors, nurses, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for intermediate and above levels of knowledge. This course content is at the intermediate level.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Recognize the relationship between adverse childhood events and chronic painful medical conditions.
  2. 2 Differentiate between mediating and moderating factors regarding adverse events, mood and anxiety disorders, and chronic medical conditions.
  3. 3 Discuss the relationship between ACEs and specific mental health conditions.
  4. 4 Identify possible connections between the variables of interest.
  5. 5 Identify strengths as well as limitations of the study.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Material Authors

Any relevant financial disclosures for course material authors can be found in the article.

Course Creator

Barbara F. McMillan, LPC – No relevant financial relationships.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Use our CE Approvals tool to look up your state requirements and how can help you meet them, or log in to your member account to show approvals relevant to your licensure.

National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Apr 30th, 2026
CE Learning Systems has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 5951. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CE Learning Systems is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 2.25 NBCC hour(s) awarded.
More Info
Logo: Approved Education Provider - NBCC

Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (FL CSW, MFT, MHC)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Mar 27th, 2027
Impact CE, a service of CE Learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling (Provider # 50-315).
More Info

Florida Board of Psychology

2.2 CE credit hours
Eligible until Dec 31st, 2030
Impact CE, a service of CE Learning Systems, is approved by the Florida Board of Psychology (Provider # 50-315).
More Info

Illinois Dept of Professional Regulation - MFT (IDFPRMFT)

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Feb 26th, 2027
CE-credit.com's distant learning courses are available for continuing education as required by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. CE Sponsor #168.000251.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Social Work

2.25 contact hours
Eligible until Mar 30th, 2027
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. Provider #0060.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Mental Health Counseling

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Jul 29th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Psychologists

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until Dec 29th, 2026
CE Learning Systems, LLC, (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for psychologists, # PSY-0016.
More Info

New York Education Department Board of Marriage and Family Therapy

2.25 CE credit hours
Eligible until May 30th, 2027
CE Learning Systems, LLC (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0045.
More Info

Course Material

References begin on page 122.

Course Material

Access Course Material

Viewing External Material

This course material is hosted by , a web site separate from Impact CE. When you're done, just close the tab/window to return to this course page.

Exam Questions

All exam questions for the course are visible on this page for members of Impact CE.

Membership is free, and you can register today! You'll only pay when you're ready to purchase a course, or if you take advantage of the Unlimited Package.

If you're already a member, please sign in to see the exam questions for this and all other courses.

Discuss this course

You can share your thoughts about this course after you pass the exam.

Sign In or Register to get started.
$20.25

Course Details

2.25 CE Hours
Reading Online
Course 102544

Profession Group

  • Behavioral Health

Availability

This course is retired. It is no longer available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, most likely. Look Up Your State Board for more detailed information. Logged-in site members will see the relevant approval information displayed in the Approvals tab for every course.

If you are having trouble using Impact CE, please contact us! We would be happy to accommodate your needs right away, and your input will help us make Impact CE more accessible for future users too.

Use the Enroll In This Course button and just follow the instructions! You don't pay anything until you're ready to take an exam.

To complete the course, review the course objectives, then review the material, and then pass the exam with a score of 75% or greater and lastly complete an evaluation.

Most of our self-paced courses are based on online articles available for free to the public. Some courses, such as those based on books, require that you purchase the material. Use the Materials tab for more info. Live courses simply require that you attend.

Your certificate(s) will be available to download or email immediately when you pass the course exam and complete the evaluation.

Yes! Use the Help widget at the bottom-right of the screen anywhere on Impact CE to search our help docs, or to ask our support team for help. Unlike most of our competitors, Impact CE has live US-based support reps to help you by email, chat, or phone.

Start your CE Journey now - complete your first course today, on us.

Try for free - no commitment required.

Start a Free Trial Course

Continuing Education

Copyright © 2026 CE Learning Systems LLC

Please Confirm