PLEASE NOTE - All workshops have been approved for foster parent credit. Some of our workshops have also been approved for Social Worker CEUs and are noted next to the training titles listed below.
Session D (Saturday 9am-11:00 am)
D1
Talk Saves Lives
Suicide is the SECOND leading cause of death for youth and young adults ages 10-24. (2014 CDC WISQARS) This session focuses on statistics, research, suicide prevention, and how you can save a life. Participants will hear stories from the perspective of a survivor, a person with lived experience, and a suicide prevention advocate. Ryan is very experienced with teens in leading a youth group, speaking in high schools/colleges, and has lost a teen friend to suicide. Participants will learn how to reduce stigma, how to recognize the signs leading to suicide, and how to support survivors of suicide. Presenter: Ryan Nesbit
D2
Meeting the Needs of Foster Youth In and Out of Court
This workshop will provide foster and adoptive parents with the information necessary for them to find services to meet the mental health and trauma needs of the youth in their care without the necessity of court involvement. Attendees will also learn about alternatives to the juvenile justice system that are available to youth who have violated the law in order to avoid court involvement. Finally, the workshop will discuss the keys to effective advocacy for youth with mental health challenges, trauma history, or other needs in court proceedings. Presenter: Jerry Foxhoven, JD (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
D3
Understanding LGBTQ Youth: Concepts, Terminology, and Disparities
The acronym "LGBTQ" encompasses a broad range of identities, terms and concepts. This session will define terms while encouraging understanding of “big concepts”. LGBTQ youth also experience significant health disparities compared to their peers, including representation in homeless and foster care populations. This session will increase knowledge of who LGBTQ youth are and issues they face. Presenter: Molly Herrmann, MA (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
D4
Strengthening the Parent-Child Relationship in Children with Developmental Trauma (This class is repeated in Session E4)
This session will focus on insecure attachment patterns in children who have suffered developmental trauma. Participates will learn about the neuroscience behind trauma, and trauma’s impact on the brain, emotions, and behaviors. Practical strategies from prominent clinicians and researchers such as Dan Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne-Bryson, Ph.D., will be discussed, along with useful strategies I use with children and families in my own clinical practice. Basic skills from evidenced-based treatments, such as Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), will also be shared. In general, parents will gain a better perspective on how trauma impacts the brain and learn strategies to enhance the parent-child relationship. Presenter: Jennifer Blacksmith, NCSP, HSPP (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
D5
No More Secrets: Understanding Child Sexual Abuse
This collaborative session will help attendees further their understanding of healthy sexual development in childhood, in addition to learning preventative strategies to help prevent child sexual abuse from occurring. Participants will learn to identify developmentally appropriate sexualized behaviors, receive guidance on handling identified concerns and prepare for conversations with children regarding body safety. Participants will also gain an understanding of sexual abuse dynamics and how to protect children from abuse, how to respond appropriately to children’s disclosures of sexual abuse and how to report abuse to professionals. Presenters: Mikki Hamdorf and Katy Sowden (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
Session E (Saturday 12:15pm-2:15pm)
E1
Changing Language, Changing Perception, Changing Stigmas Around Mental Health
Stigma persists attached to trauma experiences and labels of “mental” and “behavioral health.” The cutting edge science of the human brain indicates that the words we use have a great deal of power over our perceptions and our behaviors, and that there is much we can do individually and in our homes to support the recovery of our brains from trauma. This workshop will challenge all of us to be better parents, allies, and advocates for kids with labels by learning this science, bringing it down to earth, and sharing it broadly and accurately in accessible language. We will also explore a variety of “out of the box” supports that create environments of healing for our youth who live with the effects of trauma, empowering our youth with knowledge and concrete everyday practices for supporting healthy brains. Presenters: Lois Smidt and Krista McCalley (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
E2
A Hard Pill to Swallow - Psychotropic Medication for Foster Parents (Part 1 of 2)
This is a two-part course - participants must also register for session F2. Children in foster care, especially those who have experienced trauma, often require mental health treatment. Many times, the child’s treatment involves prescriptions for psychotropic medications. In this two part session, we will explore how psychotropic medications are used and how various classes of these meds work, their side effects, and examples in each class. Additionally, we will address the need for a complete psychiatric evaluation prior to giving these medications, and what to do if you have concerns about the meds prescribed to children in your care. Finally we will examine other interventions that may be considered before the use of psychotropic medications, and how to monitor a child for possible side effects or to see if the medication is working. Presenter: Chris McCormick-Pries, ARNP (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
E3
Welcoming LGBTQ Youth Into Your Home
This session will increase your skill and comfort engaging with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) youth. LGBTQ youth are disproportionately represented in the homeless youth population and foster system. They also have often experienced a lack of acceptance in their families of origin. This presentation will offer practical tips for creating a safe and supportive environment where LGBTQ youth can thrive. Participants can expect to learn, stretch, and grow as they build their skills in being a positive and supportive adult in the lives of LGBTQ youth. Presenter: Molly Herrmann, MA (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
E4
Strengthening the Parent-Child Relationship in Children with Developmental Trauma (This is a repeat of Session D4)
This session will focus on insecure attachment patterns in children who have suffered developmental trauma. Participates will learn about the neuroscience behind trauma, and trauma’s impact on the brain, emotions, and behaviors. Practical strategies from prominent clinicians and researchers such as Dan Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne-Bryson, Ph.D., will be discussed, along with useful strategies I use with children and families in my own clinical practice. Basic skills from evidenced-based treatments, such as Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), will also be shared. In general, parents will gain a better perspective on how trauma impacts the brain and learn strategies to enhance the parent-child relationship. Presenter: Jennifer Blacksmith, NCSP, HSPP (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
E5 Class is Full
CPR AND FIRST AID (Part 1 of 2)
This is a two-part course - participants must also register for session F5. All licensed foster homes must be trained in CPR & First Aid through a nationally recognized training organization or by an equivalent trainer within their first year of licensure and every three years thereafter. Foster parents shall maintain a certificate indicating the date of training and expiration. IFAPA’s CPR and First Aid class is designed to give you the confidence to respond in an emergency situation with skills that can save a life. IFAPA’s CPR class is not a certified course, but does meet the requirements for foster care licensing. Please be aware it may not be appropriate for other licensing situations (i.e. childcare, nursing, EMT, etc.). Trainer: Maria Calhoun
Session F (Saturday 2:30pm-4:30pm)
F1
Fostering Attachment, Hope and Restorative Justice Through Trauma-Informed Consequences
Parenting youth with trauma means, to some degree, parenting a person whose ability to attach to others, family, and community is compromised. Without healthy attachment, understanding the effects of our behaviors on others, and understanding consequences, is very difficult. Traditional “punishments” and “consequences” typically don’t work, and can contribute to re-traumatizing youth, and further damage attachment. Grounded in the groundbreaking science of the brain, we will become curious detectives, seeking to understand the needs youth communicate through troubling behaviors like lying, stealing and self-harm. We will practice ways to share accurate information about their trauma with youth and individualize trauma informed consequences with them. These trauma-informed consequences build attachment, engage the youth’s “decision-making brain,” and restore justice and dignity to the offending youth. Presenters: Lois Smidt and Krista McCalley (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
F2
A Hard Pill to Swallow - Psychotropic Medication for Foster Parents (Part 1 of 2)
This is a two-part course - participants must also register for session E2. Children in foster care, especially those who have experienced trauma, often require mental health treatment. Many times, the child’s treatment involves prescriptions for psychotropic medications. In this two part session, we will explore how psychotropic medications are used and how various classes of these meds work, their side effects, and examples in each class. Additionally, we will address the need for a complete psychiatric evaluation prior to giving these medications, and what to do if you have concerns about the meds prescribed to children in your care. Finally we will examine other interventions that may be considered before the use of psychotropic medications, and how to monitor a child for possible side effects or to see if the medication is working. Presenter: Chris McCormick-Pries, ARNP (Approved for Social Work CEUs)
F3
Opioids: From Ancient China to Modern Pain Medicine
Opioids have had a place in many cultures around the world for centuries. Opioids have also been abused since they were first discovered. Opium dens were found across the United States when the country was in its infancy, which eventually led to the heroin epidemic in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Over the last 15 years, opioids in the form of prescribed pain killers have become increasingly problematic. This course will provide a history of opioid use leading into current trends and use today. We will explore how opioid use impacts foster and adoptive parenting, what to look for in suspected use/abuse, and intervention and treatment options. Presenter: Trace Kendig
F4
Basic Ethnic Hair and Skin Care
This course offers insight into African origin hair and skin care. African origin includes African, African- American, and Bi-racial with African or African American. Course participants can expect a brief explanation of trichology, skin care, cultural connections, product knowledge, terminology, challenges, and resources. Presenter: Kanisha Tillman
F5 Class is Full
CPR AND FIRST AID (Part 2 of 2)
This is a two-part course - participants must also register for session E5. All licensed foster homes must be trained in CPR & First Aid through a nationally recognized training organization or by an equivalent trainer within their first year of licensure and every three years thereafter. Foster parents shall maintain a certificate indicating the date of training and expiration. IFAPA’s CPR and First Aid class is designed to give you the confidence to respond in an emergency situation with skills that can save a life. IFAPA’s CPR class is not a certified course, but does meet the requirements for foster care licensing. Please be aware it may not be appropriate for other licensing situations (i.e. childcare, nursing, EMT, etc.). Trainer: Maria Calhoun
