This document looks at the college student who is an adult child from a dysfunctional family, applying Chickering's seven vectors of college-age student development to that student's experiences at college. Each of Chickering's seven vectors (developing competence, managing emotions, developing autonomy, establishing identity, freeing interpersonal relationships, developing purpose, and developing integrity) is examined separately to illustrate how the requirements of each task contradict the natural tendencies of the adult child and the environment from which he has come. Student affairs professionals are offered guidelines to follow in helping adult child college students who have experienced dysfunctional development. Student affairs professionals are advised to: (1) set clear limits and boundaries; (2) communicate; (3) instill trust; (4) respect the adult child experience; (5) encourage involvement; (6) discourage self-abuse; and (7) know their own limits. The document concludes that, by meeting students where they are and guiding them within a safe and functional environment, student affairs professionals can show students that they trust the students to succeed and that they will not reject students if they do not succeed. (NB)