Upcoming Meetings
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Quarterly Large Group Educational Meeting & Spring Fundraiser
Next Meeting: May 19, 2021 Topic: An Evening of Connection and Conversation with April Dinwoodie: A collaboration with AKA & STAR Time: 7 - 9 pm CDT - Doors open at 6:30 Meeting location: ABGB, 1305 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704 Summary: Click here to register (required) For Texas social workers, therapists, and qualifying professionals: CEUs and/or certificates of attendance will be awarded to professionals. Please sign attendance sheet at the event. Certificates will be emailed to the address you provide. *This event is being hosted in collaboration with Support Texas Adoptee Rights and is serving as a fundraiser for each organization. We are thankful to the ABGB for their ongoing support of the adoption community in Austin. |
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Past Large Group Meetings
"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 - Annual Conference, "Journeys of Discovery: Navigating the Intersections of Adoption" (Virtual Format)
September 2nd - "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
February 2, 2021 - DNA Discoveries Panel Event w/ Moderator Tracy Onders of Adoption Network Cleveland
October 23 & 24, 2020 - Annual Conference, "Journeys of Discovery: Navigating the Intersections of Adoption" (Virtual Format)
September 2nd - "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
