Foster Care Training

In this workshop, we will demonstrate through theory and practice how support strategies that integrate play can help enliven, sharpen, and make more authentic the interactions between professionals and youth.

This course is designed to provide participants with practical strategies to address the increasing issue of school refusal among system involved students. Participants will gain a deep understanding of the causes and impact of school refusal, learn to identify signs of school refusal, and explore evidence-based approaches to support system involved students in returning to school. Through case studies, interactive discussions, and practical exercises, participants will leave with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement individualized strategies for students experiencing school refusal. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, breakout (small group) discussions and participant workbook (handout).

Successful conflict resolution requires a bundle of skill sets. Observation skills, communication skills, and problem-solving skills, just to name a few. Through experiential activities, we will take a deep-dive into the skills required for successful conflict resolution and explore how service providers can teach system involved youth what they need to peacefully solve conflict. In addition, we navigate the interplay between conflict resolution and restorative practices in the educational setting.

This course is designed to help crisis responders develop effective communication strategies for intervening in crisis situations. The workshop will cover key concepts related to crisis intervention, including common crisis situations, reactions to crisis, and the role of communication in crisis intervention. Participants will learn about different types of communication, including verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening skills, and empathy and rapport building. The course will also cover ethical considerations related to crisis intervention, including confidentiality, privacy, and professional boundaries. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, breakout (small group) discussions and participant workbook (handout).

This course is designed to help crisis responders develop effective communication strategies for intervening in crisis situations. The workshop will cover key concepts related to crisis intervention, including common crisis situations, reactions to crisis, and the role of communication in crisis intervention. Participants will learn about different types of communication, including verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening skills, and empathy and rapport building. The course will also cover ethical considerations related to crisis intervention, including confidentiality, privacy, and professional boundaries. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, breakout (small group) discussions and participant workbook (handout).

This course is for therapists, counselors, social workers, and other service providers who are interested in learning how to apply directive and nondirective play therapy techniques and work with elementary aged clients and families in the child welfare or probation systems. This training is a continuation of the intro to directive and nondirective play and helps providers go beyond the basics and takes a step deeper into understanding and implementing play interventions. The aim for this training is to provide participants with experiential activities in order to provide effective play-based interventions and how to process them with youth and families in the child welfare and probation systems.

This course is for therapists, counselors, social workers, and other service providers who are interested in learning how to apply directive and nondirective play therapy techniques and work with middle and high school aged clients and families in the child welfare or probation systems. This training is a continuation of the intro to directive and nondirective play and helps providers go beyond the basics and takes a step deeper into understanding and implementing play interventions. The aim for this training is to provide participants with experiential activities in order to provide effective play-based interventions and how to process them with youth and families in the child welfare and probation systems.

This training is designed to equip program staff at FYFP with a comprehensive understanding of intensive case management as a vital intervention for supporting former foster youth. Participants will explore the core principles of intensive case management and its importance in fostering positive development among this vulnerable population. The training will also introduce specific tools and skills that staff can effectively utilize when engaging with youth. This includes strategies for building trust, developing individualized plans, and facilitating access to essential resources and services. By the end of the training, participants will be better prepared to implement these practices, ultimately aiming to enhance the overall outcomes for the youth they serve.

This training focuses on equipping educators with effective strategies and techniques for engaging and supporting at-risk and underserved youth with social-emotional and behavioral disorders, particularly those dealing with substance abuse disorders. Through interactive sessions, case studies, and collaborative activities, participants will gain practical tools and insights to address these challenges effectively.To register please email Tim Schulte @ [email protected]

This course will focus on suicide risk factors, protective factors, assessment of risk severity, and safety planning in the context of telehealth. Attendees will identify potential challenges when assessing suicidality by text, on the phone, and while using video platforms. The course will cover standardized and non-standardized suicide assessment tools and the means of titrating the use of these for telehealth. Attendees will then translate assessment information into a dynamic safety plan that includes warning signs, formal and informal supports/contacts, supportive environments, and coping strategies. Attendees will discuss how to address the limitations of confidentiality for the different telehealth modalities. The day will end with a discussion around initiating emergency […]

*This fifteen-hour training is required for those who are becoming supervisors for ACSWs, AMFTs, APCCs, and Psych interns.* Clinical Supervision is an important tool used to enrich the relationship between providers and clients in child welfare. This fifteen-hour training shows providers supporting youth in foster care how clinical supervision is performed, and how that performance directly effects clients in care. It discusses how clinical supervision courses are required every two years for those supervising MFTis, LPCCis and Psych interns. Topics covered will include effects of paperwork in supervision, exploration of supervisory styles and choices, as well as challenges and obstacles encountered in supervision. Time will be allowed for questions, cases […]

*This fifteen-hour training is required for those who are becoming supervisors for ACSWs, AMFTs, APCCs, and Psych interns.* Clinical Supervision is an important tool used to enrich the relationship between providers and clients in child welfare. This fifteen-hour training shows providers supporting youth in foster care how clinical supervision is performed, and how that performance directly effects clients in care. It discusses how clinical supervision courses are required every two years for those supervising MFTis, LPCCis and Psych interns. Topics covered will include effects of paperwork in supervision, exploration of supervisory styles and choices, as well as challenges and obstacles encountered in supervision. Time will be allowed for questions, cases […]

Peer pressure impacts many at-risk system-involved youth. Developmentally, teens are seeking approval from their peers, placing them at heightened risk for succumbing to peer pressure. This course will equip participants to have conversations with youth about peer pressure as well as strategies to teach them for how to navigate peer pressure.

We all know that communication goes far beyond words, especially when working with autistic youth in the system. Paralinguistics – the art of everything we express without speaking, from the flicker of an eye to the shift in our tone – can bridge the gap when words fall short. In this interactive workshop, we’ll not only explore these subtle, non-verbal cues but also introduce you to the basics of American Sign Language (ASL). You’ll learn key ASL signs and practical paralinguistic techniques to help youth convey their needs, wants, emotions, and thoughts in a way that feels safe and true to them. Whether it’s managing the heavy weight of trauma, […]

After many years of working with foster and adoptive families, it is clear that there are a few key things that have helped families find greater ease at home. This workshop provides some understanding of the way that children with trauma histories and/or attachment disruptions can have differing brain and body chemistry. The training will also explore common relationship triggers that require distinct parental understanding. Sensory issues can also contribute to challenging behavior and parenting children with sensory integration challenges will be specifically discussed. Many common parenting approaches and frequently recommended behavioral interventions may not be effective in foster and adoptive homes. The aim of this workshop is to rethink […]

This course will provide an overview and introduction (or refresher) on the impact of domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) on families and children for both new and experienced clinicians. DV/IPV work truly starts where the client is; the work touches on multiple theories from the work of Dr. Bruce Perry to Harm Reduction to Attachment theory to CBT and EMDR. This training provides statistical information and current and past research to illustrate just how many people in the U.S are impacted daily by DV.

This engaging and interactive workshop equips participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to create neuro-inclusive environments that support and respect neurodiverse individuals, including children, youth, and professionals in foster care and juvenile justice systems. By understanding the evolution of the disability access movement and fostering a social and cultural model of disability, participants will learn to recognize and amplify the strengths of neurodiverse individuals. The session emphasizes practical strategies for implementing neuro-inclusive practices in various settings, especially those serving court-dependent families, and highlights the importance of ally behaviors and creating accessible, power-neutral spaces that empower all abilities.

This introductory training is designed to foster a deep understanding of neurodiversity and equip participants with practical strategies for promoting inclusivity and advocating for the rights of neurodiverse individuals. This training will delve into the diverse spectrum of neurodiverse conditions, their impact on various environments, and the significance of creating accommodating spaces that celebrate differences. Through interactive sessions, case studies, and practical exercises, participants will gain valuable insights and tools to create an inclusive and supportive environment for neurodiverse individuals in their communities, workplaces, and educational institutions. The material will be delivered by PowerPoint presentation, short video clips, group discussion, breakout (small group) discussions and participant workbook (handout).

All learning and memory is based on neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to wire new connections. Abuse and neglect can teach system involved youth that they are not safe in the world and people are not trustworthy. In order to change these belief, all individuals working with these youth can support new learning through the types of interactions and interventions they have with them. You will learn how brain plasticity impacts learning and re-learning and how to apply this theory to the types of interactions you have with both youth and their families.

This training will assist direct service professionals in reflecting on their own power and privilege within their personal identities, while also considering the intersectional context of youth clients they may assist in out-of-home care. Through personal assessment, group discussion, and multimedia, participants will define microaggressions, bias, power, privilege, and learn to recognize them. Finally, through group activity and roleplay, participants will develop personal strategies to intervene when witnessing the perpetration of damaging messages and embody what it feels like to respond in uncomfortable situations, particularly if clients or colleagues are not responsive to feedback. All definitions will be discussed in the context of system-involved youth.

Conscious Nonviolent Parenting is an intentionally chosen and practiced lifestyle of raising children in a safe, respectful, environment where clearly delineated high expectations, high values, and high mutual regard reign within a consciousness of ‘the personal is political’. Woke, means to be awake and aware, conscious, and concerned about social injustices with the context of current socio-political landscape of our society.

The subject of money, socioeconomic status and class are all topics that we tend to avoid and find as taboo subjects in our society. And, because of this cloud of secrecy that keeps many of us in a place of shame or embarrassment, it is very easy to have a lot of misperceptions about one’s own class status, how we measure up in relation to others, and what the common story is out there as to who is considered wealthy, who is considered middle class, and who is below the poverty line. This workshop will begin in a self-reflective process, where participants will unpack and better understand how they were […]

In a world where conversations about equity are gaining momentum, disabled and neurodivergent individuals – particularly those who are people of color – often remain marginalized. The intersections of race, disability/neurodivergence, sex, and gender can create unique barriers for youth in the child welfare system. As our understanding of social justice evolves, it’s essential that we adopt a disability justice framework that recognizes these intersections and advocates for the full humanity and dignity of disabled individuals. This workshop brings the concept and the practice of disability justice to the forefront, focusing on how ableism interacts with racism, sexism, and other systems of oppression to create compounded challenges for youth in […]

Like many systems of oppression, sexism pervades every facet of our lives and every corner of the United States, irrespective of our individual genders. We all conform to gender roles imposed by societal perceptions. What does this mean for our personal experiences and those of others? How does the damage caused by sexism affect us, our clients, and our efforts within the child welfare system? Statistics on domestic violence, gun violence, abuse, and social isolation reveal the profound impact of societal norms surrounding gender and the way masculinity and femininity are ingrained, leading to suffering and fractured communities. Sexism affects us all. How can we envision a world beyond this […]

Conflict is often avoided, feared and seen as negative. In a world of “Cancel Culture” and hypercriticality on social media, the “good/bad” binary persists and perpetuates the idea that there is only one right way to exist. How can we shift the concept of conflict and understand it as a means for deeper connection and more trusting relationships with one another and ourselves? In this interactive workshop, participants will explore their own experiences with conflict in the way they were socialized from childhood to adolescence and into adulthood. We will look at models for giving and receiving feedback and engage in small group discussion about the way conflict pushes our […]

In this course, participants will be review risk factors and exposure to trauma that Central Americans experience in their country of origin, as well as while residing in the United States. Participants, initially, will review a general introduction to the LatinX American population, such as differences between Latinos/Hispanics/LatinX. The diversity found throughout Latino America will be highlighted to create a foundation in exploring the trauma and challenges that are specific to Central America. Lastly, participants will identify ways to engage and work with LatinX families that are considered supportive and culturally responsive.

This course offers care professionals a foundation in understanding and respecting the diverse cultural traditions that can play a pivotal role in the lives of system-involved youth. Often, youth in the child welfare system come from backgrounds rich with cultural traditions, practices, and beliefs that they may have been separated from, or they may have limited exposure to these traditions due to family circumstances. Introduction to Multi-Cultural Traditions for Care Professionals explores how acknowledging and integrating these traditions can offer profound comfort to youth, helping them to build a sense of identity, continuity, and belonging. Through this workshop, participants will learn about the cultural practices that can become essential tools […]

As we wind down the calendar year, many of us, including our system-involved youth clients, find ourselves at work parties and family gatherings. While these are hopefully fun times of connection, they may also inspire apprehension, anxiety, and other negative feelings as we anticipate potentially difficult or painful interactions. It’s common to hear or engage in conversation about foods, bodies, health, and how ‘good’ we have been as part of the annual traditions and connection rituals for many of us and the communities in which we find ourselves. Shame, exclusion, exhaustion, and more can overwhelm us, whether we are the direct targets of such comments or not, and take us […]

In this workshop, white-idenified professionals who work with systems-impacted youth will deepen awareness and acceptance of their white racial identity in order to more effectively serve youth of color. Participants will learn tools and strategies to create meaningful change at four different levels of oppression – personal, interpersonal, institutional, and cultural. This workshop offers frameworks for personal reflection and continuous learning, in service of lasting and long term growth. Through practical exercises, attendees will develop skills to address and transform feelings of shame around their racial identity in order to foster more honest and supportive relationships with the youth they work with. This workshop is designed for white-identified people to […]

During racial interactions, especially those that are cross-racial, racial reactivity and defensiveness are often major deterrents to having meaningful conversations and constructive interactions. Emotional explosiveness, distancing, disengagement, and toxic interactions laced with rigid expressions of (self) righteousness are merely a few examples of the types of racially based reactivity and defensiveness that often undermine the helping process and overall effectiveness.

In all our relationships (work, social life, family) we consciously or unconsciously set personal and professional boundaries. In the work setting, it is important to be conscious and thoughtful about the boundaries we set with clients to maximize the therapeutic impact of our interactions with system involved youth and their families. In this class we will discuss how to set culturally appropriate boundaries with clients in different situations including use of technology, physical contact, dual relationships and accepting gifts. We will also explore particularly challenging situations and have time to think through boundary issues in participants’ current caseload.

Given how many immigrants are in the United States, it is important for social service and behavioral health providers can work with immigrant families. This course will provide an overview of immigration issues that can arise during treatment such as cultural barriers, assimilation, acculturation, etc. Participants will learn strategies to partner with immigrant families more effectively. This workshop will provide an overview of acculturation, stages of acculturation, and biculturalism. We will also discuss strategies providers can use to support caregivers in raising culturally diverse youth.

This course will focus on the importance of professional self-care for those who work in the child welfare system. Through didactic, collaborative, and interactive learning, participants will explore what self-care is and why it is an essential practice for those supporting system-involved children/youth who have been traumatized, grieving, or distressed. Participants will explore the various stages of a crisis, define compassion fatigue and the obstacles to practicing self-care, and identify the six domains of professional self-care. Participants will learn how creative arts-based tools can teach self-compassion, develop greater insight and connection with ourselves, and improve our mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

This course invites participants to consider their experiences and social identity. We examine the relationship between privilege and power through the Matrix of Oppression and Power (Hill-Collins, 1990) and consider the necessary steps to embark upon a process of change in personal, interpersonal, systemic, and cultural ways. We consider various dimensions of power (power over, power with, power to, and power within) and discuss options for pushing the boundaries of status quo thinking in care-centered and sustainable ways. The workshop weaves through practices of reflective solo journaling, small group breakout room discussion, collaborative meaning-making using interactive online tools such as padlet.

Given the disproportionate number of youth of color in the foster care system, it’s imperative for social service providers to provide culturally relevant services. This 3-hour webinar will explore cultural perspectives on trauma, healing, and resiliency. With a greater cultural understanding of these concepts, providers will be able to increase their engagement with youth and families in more culturally meaningful ways.

This training will educate providers about diagnostic criteria, gender identity frameworks, social transition strategies, and outcomes for youth who express a desire to transition their gender before puberty (appx. 11 years of age & under.) Participants will explore how to support children, caregivers, and other providers with gender questioning and gender creative children, while engaging ethical and diagnostic concerns.? Participants will complete three video case studies. Participants will define gender-affirming care in terms of both medical and mental health care through exploring its six premises: 1) gender variations are not disorders 2) gender is diverse and varied across cultures 3) gender is: bio-psycho-social 4) gender is not binary but fluid […]

This training will introduce Crisis Prevention Interventions, with an emphasis on early intervention and nonphysical methods for preventing or managing disruptive and assaultive behavior. Trainers will review effective communication and human physiology during aggressive moments, as well as core philosophy of maintaining Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security, which provides the training’s solid foundation. Many human service professionals around the world have participated in CPI training programs to learn proven strategies for safely resolving situations when confronted by anxious, hostile, or violent behavior, while protecting the therapeutic relationships with those in their care.

This training is designed to introduce prospective Resource Families to the Child Welfare System and the role of a resource parent. Participants will receive an overview of the steps to becoming a resource parent with Alternative Family Services.

This training is designed to introduce prospective Resource Families to the Child Welfare System and the role of a resource parent. Participants will receive an overview of the steps to becoming a resource parent with Alternative Family Services.

Presenter will review the basic care and precautions while caring for infants in the foster care system. The training covers best practices in sleep rules when caring for infants. Presenter will discuss new crib standards, crib recalls, safety hazards and how they affect a safe sleeping environment. Training addresses the proper way to feed and burp a new born infant and how to make certain the infant is consuming the proper amount formula, basic diaper rash symptoms and how to properly treat and prevent rashes. Presenter also discusses common health issues in infants and toddlers in Foster Care. Presenter will discuss teething, infant development stages and milestones, well baby checkups, […]

This training is designed to prepare resource families to work with youth in the foster care system. Participants will receive a better understanding of the foster care system structure and explore how to provide a well-planned, safe, and secure environment designed to meet children’s individual and unique needs, and how to create an environment that promotes children’s social emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Participants will continue to review; Interim Licensing Standard, Child Growth and Development, Medication Guidelines, Discipline, Working with Biological Families and understanding the Effects of Trauma.

This training is designed to prepare resource families to work with youth in the foster care system. Participants will receive a better understanding of the foster care system structure and explore how to provide a well-planned, safe, and secure environment designed to meet children’s individual and unique needs, and how to create an environment that promotes children’s social emotional, cognitive, and physical development. Participants will continue to review; Interim Licensing Standard, Child Growth and Development, Medication Guidelines, Discipline, Working with Biological Families and understanding the Effects of Trauma.

This training will explain the purpose of the Child Welfare system and the Resource Family Approval application process. We will define what a Resource Parent is and go over the responsibilities that come with the role, where the Resource Parent is in the larger team of supports for foster youth, as well as the five competency categories guiding a Resource Parent. The Aldea Staff will introduce Aldea’s history, its programs, and support services provided to Resource Families. She will explain the steps in the process to become an approved Resource Parent: the required documentation, pre-service trainings, submission of background checks, how to prepare your home for RFA approval, and review […]

The purpose of this training is to create a renewed and heightened awareness of boundary issues in work with foster youth. Having boundaries is not just a matter of being professional. Appropriate boundaries are a key ingredient in providing the children in our care with the highest quality of care, which often times requires us to build trusting and healing relationships with them. Frequently the relationships we build with clients can have ambiguous boundaries, making it important to develop an awareness of possible danger signs for boundary issues that might result in poor practice or which might be red flags for potential exploitation of clients.

This training will focus on challenges maintaining safety for yourself, clients, and families in the community. Strategies and safety tips will be provided to utilize before going into the community, once a situation begins to escalate, and follow-up steps after safety issues.

Youth Professionals who provide services in the community or in home-based settings have a wide range of safety issues to consider in order to ensure the safety of children, families, and themselves. This course will review key concepts and give participants time to apply these ideas to real-world situations. Throughout the training, there will be a discussion of how bias can impact judgements about safety, responses to safety, and personal comfort levels of safety. Participants will receive strategies to mitigate this bias and reactions.

Participants will discuss several different categories of behavior support strategies to use with youth including individual and group support strategies as well as crisis communication techniques. Participants will learn how to prepare youth to support themselves and work toward their goals when they are no longer in care. Didactic presentation, group discussion, art and visualization exercises are utilized.

Dangers of Restraint and Seclusion (Ch. 7 “Safety and Dangers”) Examines the physical, emotional, and mental risks of using restraint and seclusion both for clients and for staff. Also places the use of crisis interventions into a cultural context and examines public perception of the work we do. Covers the particularly serious physical dangers that can occur, including death, and methods of preventing them. Objectives for participants are to comprehend the seriousness of using restraint and seclusion, to participate in discussion and roleplays about how to make restraint as safe as possible, and to gain skills in assessing situations of crisis intervention and responding safely.

This training is designed to help participants get a clear understanding of when to hold a youth focused team meeting. Participants will learn the components of running an effective meeting in order to use staff time to improve the program’s ability to serve the foster youth under their care.

“Many girls and young women struggle with self-esteem. Whether the low self-esteem is related to a history of trauma, depression, comparing oneself to others on social media, etc., it’s important to understand the challenges girls and young women face with self-esteem. In this training you’ll also learn some strategies to help them increase their self-esteem and self-worth.

During this training, participants will review their roles in assessing and intervening to prevent suicide as defined by professional organizational ethics and legal statutes. Participants will deepen their knowledge and understanding about the drivers to suicidal ideation and what they can do when they are working with a client with suicide risk.

Pain affects 1/3 of the adult population. Pain is pervasive and interrupts functioning. Pain also shifts mood and often erupts into angry outburst. Pain medication can be addictive and may progress into illegal, unregulated Opioid usage. The approaches in this workshop are non- addictive ways to aid in releasing pain safely. Thus, helping family members have a safe way to release pain, to stay away from potential addiction, and out of proportion anger is useful for the entire family, promotes more normalcy, and is an aid in the battle against the opioid epidemic. Main points of this training will include: scope of practice, effects of acute and chronic pain on […]

System-involved youth can engage in risky behaviors such as running away, using substances, involvement in the commercial sex industry, etc. and not be ready to stop engaging in those behaviors. If providers try to pressure youth into changing their behaviors before they’re ready, we can experience a lot of resistance. The Stages of Change Model and Motivational Interviewing help providers better assess where one is at in their change process and how to support them on identifying goals and steps to achieve those goals.

This training explores the purpose of actively working with youth in care to help them meet preferred behaviors. The training highlights four things to think about in any given situation before choosing how to support youth: your personal state, the desired outcome, the situation and environment, and which approach to use. Didactic presentation, group discussion, art and visualization exercises are utilized.

This 4.5-hour course is designed to provide staff serving in Group Homes and STRTP’s behavior management strategies for youth suffering from fragile attachments with original caregivers. The aim of the course is to assist adults working with system-involved children and teens experiencing actual or perceived abandonment in developing healthy relationships.

Meeting ethical and legal standards is foundational in the provision of competent mental health and recovery service. Many dimensions of these standards are clear and have remained constant over the years. Yet others continue to evolve, and social workers and mental health professionals (MHPs) routinely confront complex and ambiguous ethical and legal situations. The purpose of this course is to give MHPs an opportunity to renew and sharpen their ability to engage in knowledgeable and effective ethical decision-making, and to understand and apply ethical and legal standards to challenges inherent in clinical work. The course also has the goal of assisting participants in better managing the risks of clinical practice. […]

Shame can be a debilitating force for many. Often times in the helping profession, providers experience compassion fatigue and frustration in supporting those who have intense shame due to many reasons, including providers feeling hopelessness, providers and clients “getting stuck in the healing process,” and the possibility of a client’s shame touching our own experience of inadequacy which ignites further shame. In this training, participants will gain a better understanding of shame and its impact on the youth and families they serve as well as themselves. Also, participants will explore ways to address shame while building resilience and hope through a compassionate approach to service delivery.

This skill-building workshop is designed to help mental health professionals develop the tools necessary to navigate difficult conversations about systemic oppression. Through a combination of theory, practice, and real-world scenarios, participants will explore the cycle of oppression and its impact on communication and relationships, particularly when working with marginalized youth in care.

This course is designed for supervisors of youth professionals and will explore the Ecological Lens including how we understand the impact of identity, community, and context around youth and families on their well-being. Participants will review the key components of an Ecological Assessment and the impacts of various domains on the relationship and behaviors of youth and families. Then the group will review examples of micro-level, mezzo-level, and macro-level strategies to support families and explore common barriers and solutions in supervision. This course will also consider the parallel process of how various ecological factors impact supervisees and how to address those challenges in supervision

Many providers are familiar with the concept of gender dysphoria, the sense of distress related to the perception of one’s gender as it relates to gender diverse identities. However, many providers are not familiar with its opposite, gender euphoria—anything that makes a person feel affirmed or aligned in their gender. In this session, rather than focusing on factors that cause gender diverse youth to feel incongruent in their gender, we will explore sources of gender euphoria—not only for our clients & colleagues, but for ourselves. As we discover what makes us feel joyous & authentic, we can support others in doing so for themselves.

Training Summary: As social services case planning, mental health treatment, and general support has become more commonly provided via telehealth, it is important that those who support system involved youth are aware of the legal and ethical issues related to services and support provided via telehealth. In this class participants will learn: 1) California Telehealth legal codes and Telehealth professional codes of ethics including: informed consent, privacy, working with people out of state, preparing for crisis, and handling technology failure; 2) Research on Telemental Health and 3) best practices when providing online support for system involved youth. Class Objectives: (what knowledge, ideas or skills will participants explore, learn, practice, etc […]

This 4.5-hour course is designed to provide staff serving in Group Homes and STRTP’s behavior management strategies for staff working with traumatized youth and families. The aim of the course is to assist adults working with Severe emotional disturbance differentiate between the variety of Depressive Diagnoses and Co-morbid possibilities, (eg, Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation, etc.) Participants will use resources, large and small group discussion as well as lecture to consider best practice treatment options.

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This course will provide an overview and introduction (or refresher) on the impact of domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) on families and children for both new and experienced clinicians. DV/IPV work truly starts where the client is; the work touches on multiple theories from the work of Dr. Bruce Perry to Harm Reduction to Attachment theory to CBT and EMDR. This training provides statistical information and current and past research to illustrate just how many people in the U.S are impacted daily by DV.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children 102 is designed to help individuals working with foster youth increase their engagement skills with youth at-risk of involvement in the commercial sex industry and youth already caught up in the industry. The trainer will discuss vicarious trauma and an overview of trauma. She will then demonstrate how to apply the Stages of Change Model with system-involved youth who are being commercially sexually exploited. Lastly, the trainer will discuss peer recruitment and running away.

The course will begin with an overview of issues faced by the LGBTQ community such as discrimination and the overrepresentation of LGBTQ youth in the foster care system. The course will then look at risk factors and pathways of entry into sexual exploitation and commercial sexual exploitation for LGBTQ youth. The course will then focus on experiences of LGBTQ youth in the commercial sex industry. Finally, the course will conclude with strategies to more effectively work with LGBTQ youth in the commercial sex industry

Trauma is a deeply complex and multifaceted experience, and understanding its layers is crucial for effective healing and recovery. This training aims to provide professional working with foster youth – such as social workers, educators, and caregivers – with a comprehensive understanding of trauma and its profound impact on these young individuals. Trauma will be explored from the lenses and contexts of: immediate, persistent emotional, cognitive, relational, comatic, historical and cumulative, and secondary. Participants will engage in a though exploration of trauma theory, therapeutic techniques, and practical strategies to support effective treatment.

Common issues for grieving children will be explored, including factors affecting grief and the grief response, how grief is expressed at various ages and stages of development, needs of grieving children, and considerations for varied religious and cultural backgrounds. A variety of creative & expressive art techniques will be presented that social workers can utilize throughout the stages of bereavement. Participants will have the opportunity to explore some of activities experientially, utilizing hands-on materials and creative techniques appropriate for use with children ages 6-17. The workshop will also provide participants with strategies for assisting parents/caregivers in talking to children about death, and resources for caregivers and social workers to assist […]

Grief is a natural response to loss – death losses as well as non-death losses. While grief is the most universal experience, how each individual system involved youth or caregiver processes loss and feels supported is highly unique. This training will explain four primary grieving styles, explore complications that arise when grieving styles are unacknowledged, highlight best practices for providing support for system involved youth or their caregiver with each unique style, and help participants understand their own personal style. Participants in this training will be informed through presenter instruction, case study review, self-reflection, learning activities, breakout rooms, guided discussion, and questions & answers