Conference 2012

Concurrent Workshops – Friday 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Note: Workshop placement is subject to change. Check the web site for updates as we get closer to the conference.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Youth Track
West African Dance and Drumming – VIVA VOX – Session II
Diadié Bathily from the Ivory Coast, Viva Vox, St Louis, MO

High energy and fun filled taught by professional dancer and instructor Diadié Bathily, this workshop series will have three activities:

1. Introduction for students to the basic movement of West African dance. Through African dance, participants will develop coordination and concentration, and build an understanding of African culture. Participants will learn authentic African dance, gain an understanding of West Africa, and learn some of the languages and customs of Mali and the Ivory Coast. The history and cultural importance of the dance is taught to participants as they are learning the steps.
2. Students will learn basic drum rhythms with taught by Caph Guei; the musical director of Afriky Lolo. A native of Ivory Coast, West Africa, Caph holds the distinct title “Master Drummer,” having mastered several indigenous drum styles and rhythms including the djembe drum.
3. Students will create their own authentic West African masks and costumes! These costumes and masks will be the participants’ to keep.

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Reducing the Effects of Trauma Through a Neighborhood-based Approach

Dianne Shaffer, LMSW; Anthony Poplar, Advocacy Services for Kids, Kalamazoo MI

We will illustrate a partnership between a neighborhood association, ASK, a local trauma center, police and community members to provide a culturally responsive approach to incidents of violence within a particular neighborhood. Psychological First Aid is the curriculum utilized to train community members to respond to situations. Responders coordinate with a Family Support Partner for engagement of youth and families in follow-up support and services. Learn the strategies utilized and lessons learned in the process.

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A Caregiver Support Group for Healing: Utilizing a Trauma-Informed Lens

Craig Cypher, PsyD., Crestwood Children’s Center, Rochester NY; Lisa Kinney, Hillside Family of Agencies, Rochester NY

The Caregiver Trauma Support Group at Crestwood Children’s Center was developed to address the needs of caregivers to work through the always emotional and often traumatic aspect of raising children with behavioral needs. Participants will gain a greater understanding of the importance of the trauma experiences of caregivers and the personal impact of support, and learn ideas about how to develop curricula that can build caregiver connections and facilitate healing.

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Family Driven, Family Centered, What’s the Difference?

Lisa Lambert, Dalene Basden, Parent/Professional Advocacy League, Lynn MA

Children’s mental health systems aspire to a standard of family-driven care while medical homes, early intervention and child welfare are guided by the principle of family-centered care.  Because they share many common elements, “family driven” and “family centered” are sometimes used interchangeably. Massachusetts has developed a tool to understand how each is different and how they support one another to as well as what is at stake when we don’t know the difference.

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Youth and Community Driven Approach to Starting a Youth Group

Chesari Tempesta, Youth MOVE Maine, Lewiston ME

So you have a great idea. Maybe it’s part of your job… you’ve decided to start a youth group! How hard can it be? We have learned that starting a group in a new community takes time, effort, connections and perseverance. We developed a manual on how to start a new group, ensuring that the focus and direction of the group is driven by youth and molded around the resources in the community. Come learn our step-by-step approach!

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Peer Support for Kids (and Families Too!)

Terre Garner; Alex Cook; Laquita Howell; Bill Stidham, Ohio Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, Cincinnat, OH

Mental health challenges and behavioral issues (and the stigma surrounding them) create caverns of isolation for both youth and families. The resiliency component, “supportive connections,” is critical to the survival and well-being of teens, young adults and their families. Hear stories of how they built (and discovered) those connections that nurtured and supported their resiliency.

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Youth Track
Effective Communication with Your Child Psychiatrist: Making Your Voice Heard!

Malena Banks, M.D., Georgetown University, Washington D.C. Gary Blau, PhD, SAMHSA, Rockville MD

Youth often do not feel like they are a part of the conversation when it comes to their mental health treatment.  The purpose of this presentation is to capture the youth voice regarding how to communicate effectively with child psychiatrists in order to help empower youth in their mental health care treatments.

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Trauma-Informed Care WITH US: Prioritizing Youth Voice in Creating a Trauma-Informed Culture in a Behavioral Health Setting

Veronica Highley, MA, Truman Medical Center; Deborah Craigl Nikayla Morris; Truman Medical Center, Kansas City MO

Trauma is pervasive and affects how people approach services.  The service system itself has often been re-traumatizing.  Creating a Trauma-Informed Culture begins with the voice of the youth and the family.  This workshop will show how a community mental health center utilized the principles of safety, choice, collaboration, empowerment and trustworthiness to recruit and sustain a youth advisory board.  You will also learn how the youth advisory board is partnering with the community mental health center on its Trauma-Informed Care initiative.

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Alamance Alliance Family Partners

Gail Cormier, MS; Libby Jones; Rene Cordero; North Carolina Families United, Greensboro NC

The North Carolina County of Alamance received a System of Care grant to work with young children (birth – five) and their families who have experienced trauma. Alamance Alliance has adopted a Family Driven approach that includes Family Partners as peer support for the families as well as North Carolina Families United’s Family Partners as the family Care Coordinators. This presentation will address the positive impact and reduction in length of services when a Family Partner is involved in the care of the family. The NC Families United staff will share the design of the project, stumbling blocks along the way to a truly Family Driven successful approach to working with families and young children who have experienced trauma. Data will be discussed.

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Youth Track
Conversation with Jimmy Wayne

A great opportunity for youth attending the conference to have a dialogue with our opening keynote speaker – Jimmy Wayne.

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Trauma-Informed Behavior Support (TIBS): A Training and Coaching Model for Caregivers

Victoria Hummer, MSW; Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D.; Norin Dollard,Ph.D., University of South Florida, Tampa FL; Ryun Anderson, MSW, Youth MOVE Maine, Lewiston ME

This innovative intervention model is for caregivers working directly with children and youth with behavioral challenges as a result of trauma. Participants will examine research measuring caregivers’ ability to increase the frequency of positive interactions with children and youth, to decrease their over-reaction to problem behaviors, and to learn effective behavior management skills.  The workshop examines some research and implications for using these tools in the home and within youth peer groups.

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Youth Track
No Bullying Zone

James Martin; Kathy Rogers; Tennessee Voices for Children, Columbia TN

Our workshop will empower participants to identify groups to have discussions  about bullying and mental health concerns. We will teach participants how to network with guidance counselors and utilize the present school structure. In addition we will identify ways to get community support and build a more positive environment without bullying in the school system. Participants will learn how to teach youth how utilize their voice in the school system, and have a one day assembly called “No Bullying Zone.”

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CiviCRM – The Ultimate Affordable Toolkit for Taking Your Nonprofit Family-and-Youth-Run Organization Into the Future

Laura Rose Misaras, MPA, Oregon Family Support Network, Inc. and Youth M.O.V.E. Oregon, Salem OR

If you don’t know CiviCRM, you don’t know what you’ve been missing!  It’s a free, jam-packed, powerful, web-based, open-source solution designed for nonprofits from the ground up!  Interact with your donors, stakeholders, policymakers, staff, partners, members and other constituents based on dynamic real-time information with tagging, mapping, tracking, reporting, subscriptions and more.  We’ll show you how we customized it to serve our mobile statewide staff for day-to-day operations.

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YOUR POINT IS

Barbara Huff, National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, Rockville MD; Jane Tobler, Vanguard Communications, Washington D.C.

Often times family members need to speak out to gain buy-in and action from various decision makers and the media. They need to be able to effectively tell their story.

To help make family voices heard, family members need to be comfortable and strategic in telling their story. During this workshop, participants will learn to persuade through storytelling with an eye toward more effective communication.

 

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Evaluating Keys for Networking’s Efforts to Build Parent Capacity to Drive Services – Part I
Jane Adams, Keys for Networking, Topeka KS; Mary Tierney, MD, Senior Research Analyst, American Institute for Research, Washington DC

Keys for Networking uses a nationally demonstrated effective family strengthening parent engagement model, Targeted Parent Assistance (TPA), which builds parent skills in seven core areas: persistence, articulation of needs, resourcefulness, as well as being expectant, well networked, transparent and strategic.. In 2002 and again in 2009-2010, the American Institutes for Research confirmed TPA as effective. This pre-conference workshop will demonstrate the process of data collection and evaluation used to inform this peer-to-peer parent assistance. Keys has demonstrated that increased family engagement through peer-to-peer assistance improves school performance and enrollment in health insurance, and decreases recidivism for youth involved with the juvenile justice system.

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IDEA Consultation Room

Dixie Jordan, Cora WY

Got a question about IDEA? Come to the IDEA Consultation Room to get answers! Dixie Jordan will be available throughout the conference to answer your questions, share information and offer workable strategies tailored to your specific situation.

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