Quarterly Large Group Educational Meetings
For nearly thirty years, AKA has hosted hundreds of experts, thought-leaders, reformers, and advocates as presenters at our Educational Meetings. We bring all members of the adoption community and beyond together for the hard, insightful conversations. The result is often healing and new perspectives gained by participants, as well as attendees being activated to create positive change. Our large-group Educational Meetings occur Quarterly and are currently virtual over Zoom. Please check our events calendar or subscribe to our emailing list to receive event announcements and reminders.
For Texas social workers, therapists, and qualifying professionals: CEUs and/or certificates of attendance will be awarded to professionals. Please sign the attendance sheet at the event for credit. For virtual events, email aka@adoptionknowledge.org for documentation. Certificates will be emailed to the address you provide unless traditional mail is requested.
For Texas social workers, therapists, and qualifying professionals: CEUs and/or certificates of attendance will be awarded to professionals. Please sign the attendance sheet at the event for credit. For virtual events, email aka@adoptionknowledge.org for documentation. Certificates will be emailed to the address you provide unless traditional mail is requested.
Past Large Group Meetings
November 5 & 6, 2021 - Virtual Conference, Elevation: Voices in Adoption & Foster Care"
September 23, 2021 - "Book Club" meeting with Author Marcie Keithley
May 19, 2021 - An Evening of Connection and Conversation with April Dinwoodie: A collaborative AKA & STAR event.
March 25, 2021 - Book Club style discussion of the book, "American Baby," with the Author, Gabrielle Glaser.
February 2, 2021 - DNA Discoveries Panel Event w/ Moderator Tracy Onders of Adoption Network Cleveland
October 23 & 24, 2020 - Virtual Conference, "Journeys of Discovery: Navigating the Intersections of Adoption"
September 2, 2020 - "Getting back to basics during a crisis: Psychological tools that will help you navigate tricky interpersonal situations, challenging emotions, and goal setting," Pam Greenstone, M.A., LPC
March 18, 2019 - Screening and Discussion of the Documentary "Side by Side," by Glenn Morey
February 2019 - Texas Adoptee Rights & The Texas Legislature by Marci Purcell, STAR President & Joellen Peters, Ph.D.
January 2019 - "A Birth Mother's Journey Through Open Adoption", AKA Member
December 2018 - Annual Holiday Gathering
November 2018 - 26th Annual Conference: "What Adoption Can Teach the World!"
October 2018 - Expressive Art Therapy by Sandra Bravo, LPC
September 2018 - Closure: A Documentary about Adoption
August 2018 – Those Three Words: A birth mother's story of choice, chance, & motherhood by Chris Bauer
July 2018 – Vulnerability: The Power of Being Seen by Vanessa Flores, LCSW-S, CDWF & Sarah Jones, LCSW. CDWF
June 2018 – Debunking Grief Myths for the Adoption Triad by Candyce Ossefort-Russell, LPC-S
May 2018 – "Five Things I Want My Daughter to Know" by Erin Fitts
April 2018 – Relaxation and Diaphragmatic Breathing by Sandra Bravo, LPC
March 2018 – Book Reviews by Miriam von. Born Storm
February 2018 – The Impact of Adoption on Brain Development, Susan Phariss, Neurodevelopment Consultant
January 2018 – Miss Texas tells her story of the Value of Foster Care & Adoption, Shelby Patrice Jenkins
December 2017 – Annual Holiday Potluck
November 2017 – 25th Annual Conference: “Coming Home to Your Self”
October 2017 – Facilitating Healing and Deepening Our Connection through Prenatal-Birth-Attachment Therapy: Adoption, Birth, and Empowerment by Margery Segal, LPC
September 2017 – Adoptive Parent Panel
August 2017 – Screening of Holding Hands by Jean Strauss – Discussion moderated by Jason Ledlie, LPC-I
July 2017 – “How to Start the Tough Conversations in Open Adoptions” by Traci Pirri, LCSW
June 2017 – AKA Pioneers Panel & 25th Anniversary Celebration
May 2017 – Birth Parent Identity: Fusing the Many Selves Moderated by Erin Smith, MSW; Panel of Birth Parents
April 2017 – DNA & Genetic Genealogy: Testing & Interpreting the Data
March 2017 – “Reality of Foster Care” by Cortney Jones, MSW
February 2017 – 2017 Foster Care and Adoption Legislation: What’s in it for Us? OBC Access and More
January 2017 – Book Reviews
December 2016 – Annual Holiday Potluck
November 2016 – 24th Annual Conference “Changing the Face of Adoption”
October 2016 – Emerging Conversations in International Adoptions: How Adoptees are Leading the Way by Jena Heath & Kathi Thomas
September 2016 – 6 Word Adoption Memoirs – Viewing of Non-fiction short film. Workshop style meeting facilitated by AKA President
August 2016 – Thinking Differently About Foster Care by Julie Kouri & Ryan Parker, LCSW
July 2016 – How to Keep Open Adoptions Open by Traci Pirri, LCSW
June 2016 – Screening of the Documentary, FATHER UNKNOWN
May 2016 – Mother’s Day in Adoption: Birth Mother, Adoptive Mother & the Adoptee in the Middle
April 2016 – Jeffrey Togman documentary “We’re Not Blood”
March 2016 – Navigating the Uncharted Seas of Foster to Adopt
February 2016 – Beyond Love – Supportive Strategies for Building Healthy Bonds of Attachment After Adoptee Trauma
Dr. Carney Soderberg, Neurobehavioral Institute of Austin
January 2016 – What You Need to Know About Adoption Evaluations (Formerly Home Studies) by Laura L. Johnson, ATR-BC, LPC, LCPAA and attorney, Jennifer Cochran
November 2015 – Annual Conference “Finding the We Between You and Me”
October 2015 – Adoptee Sibling Legislation
September 2015 – The “Honeymoon Period” in Open Adoption Relationships by Erin Smith
August 2015 – The Lifelong Impact of Reunions
July 2015 – ‘An Adoptee Roared’ and ‘Four Birthmothers’ Jean Strauss Documentaries
June 2015 – Trauma Doesn’t Tell Time by Robyn Gobbel, LCSW
May 2015- The Nature of Grief and Loss and How We Can Learn from It by Candyce Ossefort-Russell, LPC-S
April 2015 – Supporting Adoptees in Their Journey of Self Acceptance
March 2015 – Genetic Genealogy with Randy Whited
February 2015 – Book Sharing
January 2015 – A Simple Piece of Paper Documentary by Jean Strauss
November 2014 – November 7-8, 2014 Annual Conference with Leslie Pate Mackinnon, L.C.S.W.
October 2014 – October 20, 2014 “Making Sense of Sensory Processing Issues-What You Need to Know” Tammy Santoro
September, 2014 – September 15, 2014 “What’s it Like to Have Biological Siblings Who Grow Up in a Separate Home?” Panel of Presenters
August 2014 – August 18, 2014 “Doing Their Best When Out of Your Nest; Helping Adopted and Foster Teens Prepare for Adult Living” with Janet Legler Luft LMSW
July 2014 – July 21, 2014 “What I Thought I Knew About Adoption as a Mental Health Professional of 40 Years And What I Have Come to Learn as an Adoptive Parent of 14 Years ” with Suzi McCoy
June 2014 – June 16, 2014 “Adoptee Rights to Their Records & Access to their Original Birth Certificates” with Shirley Dodson and Connie Gray
May 2014 – May 19, 2014 “Healthy Openness in Adoption” with Michelle Crawford, LPC
April 2014 – March 21, 2014 “Closure Ducumentary”
March 2014 – March 17, 2014 “Let’s Make a Lifebook…A Mini Workshop with Glitter, Glue and Guidance from the Adoption Guru” with Janie Cravens, LCSW
February 2014 – February 20, 2014 “Human Connections: They Power of Play” with Suzette Lamb, LPC-S
January 2014 – January 20, 2014 “Authenticity, Identity and the Adopted Individual” with Doug Feldt
November 2013 – November 8-9, 2013 AKA Conference “Chapters in Adoption: Telling Our Stories” with Keynote Speaker Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP
October 2013 – September 21, 2013 “Birthmother Stories” with Janet Mulcahy and Sheri Williams
September 2013 – September 16, 2013 “Back to the Books” Roundtable Book Review
August 2013 – August 19, 2013 “Race and Adoption” Panel with Families with Children from China
July 2013 – July 15, 2013 Lecture Video – Adoption & Addiction: Remembered not Recalled by Paul Sunderland
June 2013 – June 17, 2013 “The Father’s Perspective” A Panel of Adoptive Fathers
May 2013 – May 20, 2013 Unlocking the Heart of Adoption
April 2013 – April 15, 2013 “Greatest Lessons Learned/Greatest Lessons Needed” (with extended discussion group time)
March 2013 – March 18, 2013 “Trust-Based Relational Intervention: How To Empower, Correct, and Connect With Your Adoptive Child” by Katie Ludtke, MA, LMFT-A
February 2013 – February 18, 2013 “Martha McCutchan’s Adoption Story” by Martha McCutchan and Family
January 2013 – January 21, 2013 “Changed by Adoption: Stories from the Adoption Triad” by Janie McMahan
November 2012 – November 2-3, 2012, AKA Annual Conference with Keynote Speaker, Sherry Eldridge
October 2012 – October 15, 2012 “Openness in Adoption Panel” by Patricia Cody, PhD, MSW and a panel of adoptive parents representing the various paths to adoptions (private adoption, international adoption and adoption of children from foster care)
September 2012 – September 17, 2013 “Openness in Adoption” by Patricia Cody, PhD, MSW
August 2012 – August 20, 2012 “The Myth of the Five Stages of Grief & the New Science of Loss” presented by Suzi McCoy, M.S., LPC
July 2012 – July 16, 2012 “Teenage Adoption” presented by Sally Fussell, LCSW.
June 2012 – June 18, 2012 “A Birth Father’s Story” presented by the birth father (a member).
May 2012 – May 21, 2012 “The Hero’s Journey from the Primal Wound to Wholeness: The Development of the Self in Adoptees” presented by Michelle Bohls, LMFT.
April 2012 – April 16, 2012 “How to Talk about the Hard Truths of Adoption” presented by Robyn Gobbel, LCSW
March 2012 – March 19, 2012 Viewing and discussion of the movie First Person Plural.
February 2012 – February 20, 2012 “Nature vs Nurture” with Kathryn Paige Harden.
January 2012 – January 16, 2012 “20 Years With AKA – How Does AKA Serve the Core Issues of the Triad?” presented by a panel of AKA members
September 23, 2021 - "Book Club" meeting with Author Marcie Keithley
May 19, 2021 - An Evening of Connection and Conversation with April Dinwoodie: A collaborative AKA & STAR event.
March 25, 2021 - Book Club style discussion of the book, "American Baby," with the Author, Gabrielle Glaser.
February 2, 2021 - DNA Discoveries Panel Event w/ Moderator Tracy Onders of Adoption Network Cleveland
October 23 & 24, 2020 - Virtual Conference, "Journeys of Discovery: Navigating the Intersections of Adoption"
September 2, 2020 - "Getting back to basics during a crisis: Psychological tools that will help you navigate tricky interpersonal situations, challenging emotions, and goal setting," Pam Greenstone, M.A., LPC
March 18, 2019 - Screening and Discussion of the Documentary "Side by Side," by Glenn Morey
February 2019 - Texas Adoptee Rights & The Texas Legislature by Marci Purcell, STAR President & Joellen Peters, Ph.D.
January 2019 - "A Birth Mother's Journey Through Open Adoption", AKA Member
December 2018 - Annual Holiday Gathering
November 2018 - 26th Annual Conference: "What Adoption Can Teach the World!"
October 2018 - Expressive Art Therapy by Sandra Bravo, LPC
September 2018 - Closure: A Documentary about Adoption
August 2018 – Those Three Words: A birth mother's story of choice, chance, & motherhood by Chris Bauer
July 2018 – Vulnerability: The Power of Being Seen by Vanessa Flores, LCSW-S, CDWF & Sarah Jones, LCSW. CDWF
June 2018 – Debunking Grief Myths for the Adoption Triad by Candyce Ossefort-Russell, LPC-S
May 2018 – "Five Things I Want My Daughter to Know" by Erin Fitts
April 2018 – Relaxation and Diaphragmatic Breathing by Sandra Bravo, LPC
March 2018 – Book Reviews by Miriam von. Born Storm
February 2018 – The Impact of Adoption on Brain Development, Susan Phariss, Neurodevelopment Consultant
January 2018 – Miss Texas tells her story of the Value of Foster Care & Adoption, Shelby Patrice Jenkins
December 2017 – Annual Holiday Potluck
November 2017 – 25th Annual Conference: “Coming Home to Your Self”
October 2017 – Facilitating Healing and Deepening Our Connection through Prenatal-Birth-Attachment Therapy: Adoption, Birth, and Empowerment by Margery Segal, LPC
September 2017 – Adoptive Parent Panel
August 2017 – Screening of Holding Hands by Jean Strauss – Discussion moderated by Jason Ledlie, LPC-I
July 2017 – “How to Start the Tough Conversations in Open Adoptions” by Traci Pirri, LCSW
June 2017 – AKA Pioneers Panel & 25th Anniversary Celebration
May 2017 – Birth Parent Identity: Fusing the Many Selves Moderated by Erin Smith, MSW; Panel of Birth Parents
April 2017 – DNA & Genetic Genealogy: Testing & Interpreting the Data
March 2017 – “Reality of Foster Care” by Cortney Jones, MSW
February 2017 – 2017 Foster Care and Adoption Legislation: What’s in it for Us? OBC Access and More
January 2017 – Book Reviews
December 2016 – Annual Holiday Potluck
November 2016 – 24th Annual Conference “Changing the Face of Adoption”
October 2016 – Emerging Conversations in International Adoptions: How Adoptees are Leading the Way by Jena Heath & Kathi Thomas
September 2016 – 6 Word Adoption Memoirs – Viewing of Non-fiction short film. Workshop style meeting facilitated by AKA President
August 2016 – Thinking Differently About Foster Care by Julie Kouri & Ryan Parker, LCSW
July 2016 – How to Keep Open Adoptions Open by Traci Pirri, LCSW
June 2016 – Screening of the Documentary, FATHER UNKNOWN
May 2016 – Mother’s Day in Adoption: Birth Mother, Adoptive Mother & the Adoptee in the Middle
April 2016 – Jeffrey Togman documentary “We’re Not Blood”
March 2016 – Navigating the Uncharted Seas of Foster to Adopt
February 2016 – Beyond Love – Supportive Strategies for Building Healthy Bonds of Attachment After Adoptee Trauma
Dr. Carney Soderberg, Neurobehavioral Institute of Austin
January 2016 – What You Need to Know About Adoption Evaluations (Formerly Home Studies) by Laura L. Johnson, ATR-BC, LPC, LCPAA and attorney, Jennifer Cochran
November 2015 – Annual Conference “Finding the We Between You and Me”
October 2015 – Adoptee Sibling Legislation
September 2015 – The “Honeymoon Period” in Open Adoption Relationships by Erin Smith
August 2015 – The Lifelong Impact of Reunions
July 2015 – ‘An Adoptee Roared’ and ‘Four Birthmothers’ Jean Strauss Documentaries
June 2015 – Trauma Doesn’t Tell Time by Robyn Gobbel, LCSW
May 2015- The Nature of Grief and Loss and How We Can Learn from It by Candyce Ossefort-Russell, LPC-S
April 2015 – Supporting Adoptees in Their Journey of Self Acceptance
March 2015 – Genetic Genealogy with Randy Whited
February 2015 – Book Sharing
January 2015 – A Simple Piece of Paper Documentary by Jean Strauss
November 2014 – November 7-8, 2014 Annual Conference with Leslie Pate Mackinnon, L.C.S.W.
October 2014 – October 20, 2014 “Making Sense of Sensory Processing Issues-What You Need to Know” Tammy Santoro
September, 2014 – September 15, 2014 “What’s it Like to Have Biological Siblings Who Grow Up in a Separate Home?” Panel of Presenters
August 2014 – August 18, 2014 “Doing Their Best When Out of Your Nest; Helping Adopted and Foster Teens Prepare for Adult Living” with Janet Legler Luft LMSW
July 2014 – July 21, 2014 “What I Thought I Knew About Adoption as a Mental Health Professional of 40 Years And What I Have Come to Learn as an Adoptive Parent of 14 Years ” with Suzi McCoy
June 2014 – June 16, 2014 “Adoptee Rights to Their Records & Access to their Original Birth Certificates” with Shirley Dodson and Connie Gray
May 2014 – May 19, 2014 “Healthy Openness in Adoption” with Michelle Crawford, LPC
April 2014 – March 21, 2014 “Closure Ducumentary”
March 2014 – March 17, 2014 “Let’s Make a Lifebook…A Mini Workshop with Glitter, Glue and Guidance from the Adoption Guru” with Janie Cravens, LCSW
February 2014 – February 20, 2014 “Human Connections: They Power of Play” with Suzette Lamb, LPC-S
January 2014 – January 20, 2014 “Authenticity, Identity and the Adopted Individual” with Doug Feldt
November 2013 – November 8-9, 2013 AKA Conference “Chapters in Adoption: Telling Our Stories” with Keynote Speaker Debra Wesselmann, MS, LIMHP
October 2013 – September 21, 2013 “Birthmother Stories” with Janet Mulcahy and Sheri Williams
September 2013 – September 16, 2013 “Back to the Books” Roundtable Book Review
August 2013 – August 19, 2013 “Race and Adoption” Panel with Families with Children from China
July 2013 – July 15, 2013 Lecture Video – Adoption & Addiction: Remembered not Recalled by Paul Sunderland
June 2013 – June 17, 2013 “The Father’s Perspective” A Panel of Adoptive Fathers
May 2013 – May 20, 2013 Unlocking the Heart of Adoption
April 2013 – April 15, 2013 “Greatest Lessons Learned/Greatest Lessons Needed” (with extended discussion group time)
March 2013 – March 18, 2013 “Trust-Based Relational Intervention: How To Empower, Correct, and Connect With Your Adoptive Child” by Katie Ludtke, MA, LMFT-A
February 2013 – February 18, 2013 “Martha McCutchan’s Adoption Story” by Martha McCutchan and Family
January 2013 – January 21, 2013 “Changed by Adoption: Stories from the Adoption Triad” by Janie McMahan
November 2012 – November 2-3, 2012, AKA Annual Conference with Keynote Speaker, Sherry Eldridge
October 2012 – October 15, 2012 “Openness in Adoption Panel” by Patricia Cody, PhD, MSW and a panel of adoptive parents representing the various paths to adoptions (private adoption, international adoption and adoption of children from foster care)
September 2012 – September 17, 2013 “Openness in Adoption” by Patricia Cody, PhD, MSW
August 2012 – August 20, 2012 “The Myth of the Five Stages of Grief & the New Science of Loss” presented by Suzi McCoy, M.S., LPC
July 2012 – July 16, 2012 “Teenage Adoption” presented by Sally Fussell, LCSW.
June 2012 – June 18, 2012 “A Birth Father’s Story” presented by the birth father (a member).
May 2012 – May 21, 2012 “The Hero’s Journey from the Primal Wound to Wholeness: The Development of the Self in Adoptees” presented by Michelle Bohls, LMFT.
April 2012 – April 16, 2012 “How to Talk about the Hard Truths of Adoption” presented by Robyn Gobbel, LCSW
March 2012 – March 19, 2012 Viewing and discussion of the movie First Person Plural.
February 2012 – February 20, 2012 “Nature vs Nurture” with Kathryn Paige Harden.
January 2012 – January 16, 2012 “20 Years With AKA – How Does AKA Serve the Core Issues of the Triad?” presented by a panel of AKA members
