AGENDA

9:00-9:45 Registration

9:45-10:00 Welcome and Conference Overview AKA President Dawn Scott

10:00-12:30 Keynote Address:
Nurturing Resiliency: Trauma and the Brain- Deborah Gray, MSW, MPH (2.5 CEU)
What is happening in brain development when children are under the stress of neglect and trauma, including prenatal stress and substance exposure? This keynote will describe the changes in the way children process information and meet their world after maltreatment. Scientific advances are helping parents and professionals better understand the brain based changes that occur in children's processing after exposure to trauma and neglect. Ms. Gray will define executive dysfunction and the audience will learn about the effects of chronic trauma in the early years including how we can help children with executive dysfunctions best processes information. This keynote will also examine the latest research on children's brains and the impacts of moves on vulnerability to stress and development of pathological grief, Attention Deficit Disorder, and/or Executive Dysfunction.

12:30-1:30 Lunch (on your own)

1:30-4:00 Keynote Address:
Resiliency: Ethical Child Welfare Practices- Deborah Gray, MSW, MPH (2.5 ethics).
Moving children between families: What are the techniques that work best for children with prenatal exposure? What are the time frames that are important based on the children's ages? The specific and practical methods of moving children will be described in depth.
Attachment-oriented Home Studies: How do we assess for qualities that are the best fit for today's children coming into foster and adoptive homes? What home and parental qualities help children to develop emotional resilience? This session will equip the audience in focusing on the "right stuff" when assessing families. It will also help them to encourage and protect these key qualities in foster and adoptive families.

8:30-8:45 Registration

8:45-9:00 Welcome

9:00-12:00 Keynote Address:
Attaching in Adoption- Deborah Gray, MSW, MPH (3 CEU)
What are attachments and why is "attachment" such an issue in adoption? Ms. Gray will provide the essentials of building secure and mutually gratifying relationships over the growing-up years. She will describe specific challenges to secure attachment after maltreatment-and appropriate tools for overcoming obstacles. This keynote address will give participants practical tools to use with children and teens by examining the following questions: What is the role of attachment in stress regulation, empathy, and social relatedness? What are the effects of disorganized attachments (the most common style after neglect and abuse) on children's development? What are some practical methods of helping parents and children move into a secure attachment style and methods of protecting that secure attachment relationship. What are the effects of trauma on children's attachments, and the need to prevent continuing stresses and trauma for children?

12:00-1:00 Lunch (provided)

1:00-2:30 Session I Breakout Sessions:

A. Reconnecting When Your Open Adoption has Fizzled Out - Patricia Martinez Dorner, MA, LPC, LMFT (1.5 CEU)
At the beginning of most open placements, contact is exciting and central to the experience. For various reasons, however, the relationship everyone agreed to may fade, become unpredictable, or cease. This workshop address both the birth family and the adopting family's complicated emotions about this development, and a panel will share their experiences with rebuilding communication after a breach in open adoption.

B. Healing Hidden Wounds: Grief and Shame in the Adopted Individual- Tammy Linseisen, LCSW (1.5 CEU)
People who are adopted experience different variations of loss as part of their adoption processes. This workshop will offer information about developmental grief responses and highlight the attachment milestones in which these grief responses might emerge more readily. Participants will be asked to reflect on their own experiences while also learning about ways that attachment relationships both enhance and mitigate loss.

C. So You're Thinking about Adoption?- Janie Cravens, LCSW (1.5 CEU)
There are only a few absolute "rights" and "wrongs" when it comes to adopting because all the world's children need parents. Despite this, making the decisions about where to focus one's adoption efforts can be confusing and fear ridden. This workshop will address Pros and Cons for domestic, international, older child, infant, and independent adoption options.

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45-4:15 Session II Breakout Sessions:

A. Healing Hidden Wounds; Grief and Shame in the Relinquishing Parent - Donna Crews Finney, LMSW (1.5 CEU)
The emotional complexity of being a person who has a child being raised in another's family spans one's whole life time.   Often the grief from this experience hides underground, wears disguises, and invites coping mechanisms that cause new problems. A panel of relinquishing parents will share their experience and strength in this interactive workshop.

B. Exploring the Gift of Resiliency - Nyla Lengacher, LCSW (1.5 CEU)
A panel of adoptees will discuss the commonalities in their different experiences growing up as adopted children. We will examine what elements they believe contributed to their resiliency as children and ultimately their success as adults. This panel will include adults adopted internationally, as an older child, and in open and closed adoptions.

C. What Do Prenatal Exposures Mean to Your Baby?- Lori Wolfe, MS, CGC (1.5 CEU)
Pregnancies are often exposed to many different substances including alcohol, cigarette and marijuana smoking, prescription medication, and illegal drugs. All of these substances can have different effects on a pregnancy depending on the timing and the dose of the exposure. This presentation will look at the common pregnancy exposures and the possible risks to the unborn baby.

4:15-4:30 Closing Session and Conference Wrap Up

SPONSOR

By co-sponsoring at the $550 or $1000 level, your organization will be an integral part of our conference with an opportunity to have:

• A booth showcasing your organization at the two-day conference.
• An advertisement in the conference program (see website for details).
• Complimentary conference registrations for your staff or board members (see website for details).
• One complimentary yearly AKA agency membership (includes 4 members from your agency).
• Recognition on our website.
• Flyers available for distribution to your clients and staff.

Click here for the sponsor, advertiser or exhibitor form.