Please join us for “Providing Trauma-Informed Care: Responses That Don't Work and Five Tools to Help Kids Thrive” with Katie Crosby, M.S., L.P.C.

Katie Crosby is a Licensed Professional Counselor who specializes in the treatment of childhood/developmental, trauma, and human trafficking in children and adolescents. Prior to this, Katie served as the Program Director for a long-term residential treatment facility for youth who were survivors of human trafficking or who are at high risk of exploitation. During this time, Katie developed the first innovative program that was grounded in neuroscience, early childhood development, and traumatology for survivors of domestic minor sex trafficking victims in the state of Arkansas.

After starting a family of her own, she left the non-profit organization and founded Surviving Trauma Specialty Care Clinic that provides counseling, assessment, education, and consultation services to families and organizations. Through her innovative approach that is grounded in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, she provides assessment and counseling services that utilizes the brain’s ability to grow and heal.

STS Care Clinic also provides online or in-person workshops, public speaking, and consulting on initiatives to spread awareness about childhood trauma and teach parents, caregivers, and professionals how to help children improve their mental health. Using the latest research available, Katie shares practical, evidence-based skills for healing and preventing trauma.

Throughout her career, Katie witnessed an outrageous gap between the number of children that experience trauma and the number of adults who know how to support them. In response, she founded Surviving Trauma Specialty Care Clinic (STS Care Clinic) to help children, adolescents, and families heal from the wounds of trauma through neuroscience & trauma-focused services. Through her innovative approach that is grounded in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, she provides assessment and counseling services that utilize the brain’s ability to grow and heal.

STS Care Clinic also provides online or in-person workshops, public speaking, and consulting on initiatives to spread awareness about childhood trauma and teach parents, caregivers, and professionals how to help children improve their mental health. Using the latest research available, Katie shares practical, evidence-based skills for healing and preventing trauma.

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Please join us for “Step Into My Shoes: An Interview with Author Rebecca Engle About Her New Children's Book.”

Rebecca Engle is a graduate student at Texas Tech University who is passionate about educational policy and leadership. Rebecca made history in Texas politics at 19 and is devoted to advocating for positive change. Alongside her studies, Rebecca is a Neurodivergent public speaker and creative writer. She actively serves her community, support women in business, and nurture young minds as a special education teacher. Rebecca’s goal is to inspire and collaborate for a brighter future.

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Please join us for “Rethinking Challenging Behaviors: An Interview with Maria Sanders.”

Maria Sanders is a Licensed Social Worker, PCI Certified Parent Coach® and is certified in the Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) approach by Think:Kids, a program based at the Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Her work is supported by Conscious Parenting and Collaborative Problem Solving®. She works with parents struggling with any parenting challenge, from getting a child to sleep to addressing parent-teen conflict.

Maria works one-on-one with parents virtually or in her Montclair, NJ office. She offers programs to schools (public and independent), pediatrician offices, professional organizations, and corporate meetings.

Maria started her professional career as a school social worker doing work for the Child Study Team and running social skills groups. Additionally, she has 15+ years experience as an Early Intervention Specialist serving as a teacher and social worker.

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Please join us for “Heart-Strong Changemakers for Children™, a New Program from HEART-STRONG International” with Sandi Lerman.

Sandi Lerman is the Founder and Program Director of Heart-Strong International and the creator of the Heart-Strong Model™ - a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming system for growth, healing, and transformation in children and adults.

Heart-Strong International (HSI) provides certification programs and training for heart-centered practitioners and aspiring coaches to build confidence, learn an effective coaching system, and make money doing work they love.

Sandi is a certified transformational coach, mindfulness teacher, and somatic practitioner. A lifelong educator, she has over twenty years of teaching experience in K-12, university, and adult education settings and has been a university instructor for a master’s program in trauma and resilience in schools.

In addition to her training certified transformational coaches, parent coaches, and educational trainers, she has coordinated two state-wide non-profit parenting and community mental health education programs in Indiana.

Sandi is also a former American Sign Language interpreter, speaks Spanish, and has lived and worked as an international educator in both Scotland and Mexico.

Most importantly, she is the proud Mama Bear of Hiro, a young adult adopted at age ten who has overcome extreme challenges resulting from complex developmental trauma.

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Please join us for “Making Sense of Even the Most Baffling Behaviors: An Interview with Robyn Gobbel.”

Robyn Gobbel, MSW, loves coffee, P!NK, and everything about the brain. Once (recently!) her teenager went ballistic on her for getting ANOTHER (glitter!) coffee mug in the mail. Robyn loves cultivating deep, resonant connections with anyone who is up for it, and is especially fond of all the grown-ups in the world who love and care for kids impacted by trauma- helpers, healers, educators, and parents. 

Robyn's favorite thing ever (besides glittery coffee mugs) is teaching anyone who will listen to harness the power of neuroscience so they can cultivate deep, resonant connections. What would change in the world if we could all do that? To see, be with, feel, and deeply know each other…and ourselves. Robyn thinks everything could change. 

Robyn is an author, educator, and former therapist turned community creator. She runs a virtual community for parents of kids with big, baffling behaviors and teaches professionals how to help the families no one else knows how to help. You can get your hands on all sorts of free resources at www.RobynGobbel.com, including her podcast, The Baffling Behavior Show.

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Please join us for “All Our Instincts About Behavior Are Wrong” with Diane Gould.

Diane Gould is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in serving autistic individuals. As the Executive Director and Founder of PDA North America, she founded the annual PDA North America conference held in Chicago which has changed the lives of hundreds of PDA families.

Currently, Diane has a private practice in the suburbs of Chicago, where she serves neurodivergent children, adults, and their families. Over the last 40-plus years, she has worked for both private agencies and school systems. Diane was the Childhood Disability and Family Support Specialist for the Jewish Children’s Bureau for over a decade. She created many different types of programs and support groups, family camps, and parent education. She also established inclusion consultation and home visiting programs. She also has worked for two special education cooperatives which resulted in working in 14 schools during her career.

She served on the Professional Advisory Board of the Autism Society of Illinois for many years. Diane also facilitates a program to improve relationship skills for teens and adults.

She has served as a consultant and guest lecturer for many area school districts, parent associations, and private agencies.

Diane provides assessments and consultations to families and school districts and frequently attends school meetings. Diane has always been interested in human behavior and works with individuals, parents, and schools to create support plans that increase emotional regulation. She has been vocal with her concerns that our commonly used practices increase dysregulation and make behavioral challenges worse. She fights against punitive practices including seclusion, restraint, suspension, and expulsion.

It was the understanding of behavior and support in the PDA literature that first drew her to learn more about PDA. And learning about PDA, led her to begin the new PDA movement in North America. Diane formed PDA North America at the first American PDA conference in March 2020. She has written a book with Ruth Fidler on Navigating PDA in America which will be published in June 2024.

She is making it part of her life’s mission to gain more awareness and understanding of PDA in North America through this non-profit organization.

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Please join us for “An Interview with Julie Roberts: The Gold Standard Fallacy of ABA."

Julie Roberts, M.S., CCC-SLP, founding CEO of Therapist Neurodiversity Collective, Inc., is a late-diagnosed Autistic ASHA-certified, licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who has been practicing since 1999. She is a frequent speaker, educator, and trainer who delivers high-energy presentations that challenge audiences to reexamine their beliefs about Autism and re-access outdated and damaging therapy and education practices.

Julie’s work focuses on professional and public education about empathetic evidence-based therapy alternatives to ABA and behavioral therapy models that are non-trauma inducing and respectful of autistic social communication differences, social justice, and human rights. Her articles and educational resources have reached well over three-quarters of a million people and are frequently cited in other presentations and articles.

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Please join us for “Accessible Neuroscience and Connecting Strategies that Bring Calm into the Home and Classroom” with Ginger Healy MSW, LCSW.

Ginger Healy MSW, LCSW started her career as a child abuse investigator, hospital social worker, and school therapist. She spent 15 years as the social service supervisor at an international adoption agency, where she learned about developmental trauma and attachment needs in children. She is currently a clinical social worker and the director of programs at the Attachment & Trauma Network. She co-anchors the podcast “Regulated and Relational” with Julie Beem, executive director of ATN. Ginger speaks and teaches across the nation on trauma-informed schools and therapeutic parenting. Ginger is the author of Regulation and Co-Regulation: Accessible Neuroscience that Brings Calm into the Classroom, and she is also the author of the accompanying workbook that aims to reach beyond the classroom for caregivers and child-serving professionals. Her third book, Managing Big Emotions: Identifying Triggers, Developing Coping Strategies, and Communicating Effectively, was released just this month! (Oct 2024)

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Please join us for “Lessons in Leadership: An Interview with Charles Williams about Shifting School Discipline Practices.”

Charles Williams, a dedicated educator with nearly two decades of experience, has made impactful contributions in various capacities, including teacher, assistant principal, and principal within the K-12 educational sector. His unwavering commitment to fostering equity is highlighted through his advocacy work with the Equity Offices of both the City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Charles extends his passion for promoting inclusive narratives as the host of "The Counter Narrative Podcast" and as a former co-host of the educational show "Inside the Principal’s Office." In addition to his educational endeavors, Charles is the founder of a consulting firm, where he thrives as a best-selling author and is celebrated for his compelling workshops and motivational keynote speeches.

Expanding his influence beyond his immediate professional circle, Charles contributes his expertise and insights as a board member for the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences at Purdue Northwest. His commitment to educational excellence and leadership development is further exemplified through his roles on the boards of Lead by Learning and the Leadership EDIT Conference. Through these positions, Charles continues to advocate for transformative educational practices and leadership strategies that resonate across diverse platforms and communities.

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Please join us for “The Journey to Develop Reframing Behavior: A New Neuroscience Aligned Program for Educators” with Susan Driscoll, Patricia Bosco, and Connie Persike.

Susan Driscoll is President of Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) and oversees the development of all products and programs, the trainers who deliver them, and for the support and care of the clients who use them. She joined CPI in 2017 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in 2022 was named a Director of the company.

Prior to joining CPI, Susan served as President and CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health, Professional and Education, where she transformed the business from a traditional book publisher to a subscription-based healthcare content business. She has extensive experience in both healthcare and higher education publishing and training.

Susan also has startup experience: prior to joining Wolters Kluwer, Susan was CEO of iUniverse, an internet-based provider of self-publishing services that was funded by Barnes & Noble and Warburg Pincus.

Patricia Bosco is the Instructional Designer for Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI).

Patricia is passionate about creating change and growth through effective and engaging learning experiences. An avid advocate for designing learning that places the learner’s needs, capabilities, and experiences at the center of the design process.

Connie Persike, M.S., CCC/SLP, is a highly experienced Speech Language Pathologist and Educational Consultant. She has 20+ years of experience in educational settings and holds a certificate in instructional coaching, positive education, and applied educational neuroscience.

She served as a member of the multi-state work group to help develop the Common Core Essential Elements for English Language Arts. Connie is a published writer for Autism Parenting Magazine and writes for Exceptional Needs Today. She created an innovative process to assess student behavior, which deviates from the traditional behaviorism approach and aligns with current relational and neuroscience while maintaining a trauma-sensitive and neurodiversity approach.

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