La salud mental a temprana edad desarrolla la capacidad del niño(a) desde el nacimiento hasta los 5 años para formar relaciones cercanas, así como manejar y expresar emociones, explorar su entorno y aprender. ¡Únase a esta capacitación para obtener más información sobre por qué esta etapa es tan importante y qué puede hacer para construir una base de salud mental para los más pequeños que durará toda la vida!

Christine Gibson MD - or the tiktoktraumadoc, author of The Modern Trauma Toolkit due Spring 2023 - is pleased to be speaking with you all about trauma theories and practice. During this interactive discussion, she'll describe the polyvagal theory and how to recognize trauma responses in yourself and others. She'll mention the ways that these can shift using top-down and bottom-up approaches. We will have time for some experiential learning, but that will be up to you if you choose to participate. Learn more about her at www.christinegibson.net.

project Foster Power (pFP) is a group of current and former foster youth, ages 15 to 25+, who are using their voices and experiences to improve the Colorado child welfare system through youth-led organizing and advocacy. Hearing time and time again that youth did not feel adequately prepared or supported in their transition to adulthood, pFP identified their 2020-2021 issue for action: Improving Supports for Young People Exiting Foster Care. As part of this campaign, youth came together to develop best practice recommendations for professionals across three key areas: 1) Placements that Better Meet Youth Needs, 2) Self Care and Community, and 3) Education and Employment.

The first session of the series will focus on “Placements That Better Meet Youth Needs.” pFP developed these recommendations to help ensure that placements value youth voice, better meet youth needs, and better support youth during this critical time in their development. In this training, you’ll hear directly from pFP youth about how these tips were collectively created, why they are so important, and how you might incorporate them in your day-to-day work with young people.

Every foster parent’s situation is different and so are their needs. In this educational therapy class, our instructor will work to answer your questions about therapy and help you navigate the complicated world of therapeutic services.

You can look forward to a discussion of the following topics:

What therapeutic services and psycho-educational material is available to foster parents?

What is Online Therapy & Counseling?

Dispelling the myths of therapy

Figuring out what you (the foster parent) needs

What is going on in your brain?

What is going on in your child’s brain?

What can you do right now to address what’s going on?

What tools and services are available to you moving forward?

Present times are stressful. Our bodies are taxed, depleted and undernourished.

To complicate issues, traumas can contribute to all of these and long term health issues.

Christy will be discussing the link between food, traumas and healing.

How we can recognize the link and simple solutions.

When we put together the physical, psych, social and spiritual, food can be a common thread.

Food is a means to healing, let's discuss how to use it for more joy, and less depletion.

Elevating Connections was created so we can offer our kids a permanent connection with their siblings and their community after they turn 18 and leave foster care. We offer Connecting Events throughout the year to give our siblings more opportunities to connect with each other, our volunteers, and our community. The sibling relationship is cradle to grave and we need to do everything we can to support the sibling bond.

We decided that our kids who emancipate from foster care without returning home or without a finding a permanent home need a place to come to feel connected to their community. Our future plan is our Elevating Youth program that will be based out of a community coffee shop that will give our youth a place to learn job skills; find resources for housing, jobs, and school; learn life skills; have a place to share their talents, such as their music, art, and poetry; and where they can always come for acceptance, support, and a safe place to land no matter how old they are.

Family First is new federal legislation that will go into effect in October 2021. Join us as we welcome Jon Steinmetz and Mary Griffin from Colorado Department of Human Services. We will learn about the "Why" behind this new legislation, how it will affect foster care in Colorado, and your role as the foster parent.

Join us as we welcome Mary Griffin, MSW from the Colorado Department of Human Services as she walks us through new foster care rules that have or will soon go into effect. We will also be discussing and collecting feedback regarding proposed new rules changes.

Come and get to know your Adams County foster care team. Meet and hear from Kari Daggett, MSW, Deputy Director Children and Family Services. We will be answering your questions, talking about the CHAMPS Colorado initiatives, and the formation of a foster/kinship advisory council for Adams County.

By the end of the session, participants will begin to understand:

1. Different therapeutic services available, such as OT, TF-CBT,

EMDR, TBRI, ABA, TST, MST, family pres, family therapy,

equine therapy, play therapies, etc.

2. The hierarchy of which services are evidenced based for

children with trauma and which are NOT

3. How to interview treatment providers, what to look for

4. How to establish a supportive treatment team before a child

even arrives

5. The impact of LAN and 12 year olds being able to make

mental health decisions