Calendar
CWLA is pleased to present a three-part virtual training series that features our CWLA Press publication Working with Traumatized Children – A Handbook for Healing, Fourth Edition, newly released in 2026. As reflected by evolving research, this edition includes new information on trauma’s impact on the brain, essential practices for providers, an expanded chapter on trauma symptoms, and practical suggestions for creating safety. The training reflects these new additions and gives an overview of the first five chapters of Working with Traumatized Children.
Join us to learn about strategies and approaches for caregivers and others responsible for meeting the needs of children who are vulnerable. Participants will gain a strengthened capacity to:
- Define what trauma is and differentiate it from stress.
- Name the three essential practices of providers necessary for healing trauma in children.
- Give four examples of trauma symptoms in adults and children.
- Describe two ways trauma can impact the brains of children.
- Explain the importance of providing for safety in working with adults and children who have been traumatized.
- Provide several examples of how systems can be traumatizing or retraumatizing to individuals.
- Articulate how knowledge about the Vagus Nerve can be helpful in working with families and children who have been traumatized.
- Express why self-reflective practices and supervision are important when working with adults and children who have been traumatized.
Trainer: Paulette Mader, MSN is a Senior Training and Consultation Specialist at Rutgers University. She is a certified trainer in “Nurtured Heart Approach”, “ACE and the Neurobiology of Trauma”, “Wrap Around” and “CFT”.
REGISTER HERE
The human services workforce is encountering many challenges related to recruitment, retention, and staff morale. A major factor contributing to these challenges is compassion fatigue – an unintended consequence of working in helping professions. External life factors can easily exacerbate commitment to day-to-day responsibilities, resulting in missed opportunities for support, and a lack of empathy for others.
Daily stressors can also impact on individual mental and physical health overall. When these variables are coupled with challenging or high-stress work environments, it can be easy for anyone to become increasingly overwhelmed. This may be seen in work performance, decision-making, and with peer-to-peer relationships.
Effective leadership practices, supervision skills, and support strategies can help prevent burnout and reduce staff turnover. Using CWLA’s 4 A’s framework, this training will focus on:
- Increase Awareness of the many challenges and contributing factors that can create/ exacerbate compassion fatigue in the workplace
- Acknowledge the complexity of these issues and the role supervisors can play in supporting self-evaluation and professional growth
- Identify Actions supervisors and individual staff can take to create a positive work environment and promote psychological safety
- Discuss shared Accountability to empower and support staff with a proactive approach to reducing compassion fatigue and identifying measurable progress
Trainer: Marcus Stallworth, LMSW, CWLA Director, Training and Implementation.
Parents who adopt a child often do so without a complete knowledge of the child’s early developmental history, including prenatal alcohol exposure. This training session presents the findings of a qualitative research study that explored the lived experiences of adoptive parents who unknowingly adopted a child later diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Through these parents’ narratives, the session will illuminate the emotional, relational, and systemic challenges they faced. The session will also highlight strategies for supporting children with FASD, including hands-on approaches that enhance co-regulation, strengthen external structure, and reduce cognitive and sensory overload in home, school, and clinical settings.
Trainers:
Ira J. Chasnoff, M.D., an award-winning author, researcher and lecturer, is President of NTI Upstream and a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He is one of the nation’s leading researchers in the field of child development and the effects of environmental factors on the developmental trajectory of children and adolescents. Dr. Chasnoff’s work encompasses community approaches to the integration of behavioral health services into primary health care, the schools, and the other multiple systems that serve children and families.
Christine Schmidt, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist who has specific interest and expertise in working with youth and families impacted by prenatal substance use and pre- and post-natal trauma. Most recently, Dr. Schmidt co-directed a three-year grant designed to help address the impact of secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma on professionals working with youth in the child welfare system. Dr. Schmidt has been a member of NTI Upstream’s training faculty for over 15 years and provides consultative psychological services to administrators, caseworkers, and other professionals.
Amy Groessl, PhD, a licensed clinical social worker, brings extensive expertise in treating children and adults with complex trauma histories, neurocognitive challenges, attachment disorders, and adoption-related issues. She is based in Chicago and provides psychotherapy, clinical supervision, and consultation through her private practice. Dr. Groessl has been with NTI Upstream’s Training Faculty since 2016. She is also a Core Faculty member at the Institute for Clinical Social Work, where she teaches courses on qualitative research, trauma, attachment theory, and neuropsychology.
Sue Green, OTR/L, has practiced as a pediatric occupational therapist since 1987, culminating in over three and a half decades of knowledge. Currently, Sue is the Pediatric OT/PT supervisor at The Chautauqua Center, Inc in Jamestown, NY, providing early intervention, preschool and pediatric outpatient services to those who need it most. Sue has been a member of NTI Upstream’s senior faculty since 2023, providing education and training to healthcare and social service professionals who share a common goal of enhancing positive outcomes for the children and families they treat.
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Team Dynamics, LLC is collaborating with the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council to offer the Taking Action Against Abuse is an interactive workshop. This workshop is designed to equip individuals with IDD, caregivers, families, and community partners with the knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse and neglect. This session will cover the definitions and signs of abuse, the importance of self-advocacy, and practical steps for reporting and intervention. Participants will engage in activities, discussions, and exercises to strengthen their ability to take protective action. By fostering awareness, confidence, and collaboration, this training empowers individuals with IDD and their support networks to create safer, more supportive environments.
Taking Action Against Abuse is an interactive training designed to equip individuals with IDD, Caregivers, families, and community partners with the knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse and neglect. This session will cover the definitions and signs of abuse , the importance of self-advocacy, and exercises to strengthen their ability to take protective action. By fostering awareness, confidence, and collaborations, this training empowers individuals with IDD and their support networks to create safer, more supportive environments.
Join us to be part of the solution – because awareness leads to action, and action leads to change.
Speakers
Sharon Delvisco, DSW, has over 30 years of experience supporting, educating, and providing technical assistance to people with disabilities to live and work in the community, their families, their service providers. She has received the Mentorship Award, the Humanitarian Award, and the Education Award from the American Association of Intellectual Disabilities Louisiana Chapter. She also received the Professional Advocate Award from the Advocacy Center in Louisiana. She has served on FPHSA Regional Advisory Committee and State OCDD Advisory Committee. Sharon is the parent of a young man that has IDD. She has lived experience as a person with long-term, persistent, chronic mental illness. Sharon is also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Dr. Rebecca Mandal-Blasio is the Clinical Director in Louisiana for Autism Spectrum Therapies and is a BCBA-D. She leads a team of BCBA Supervisors and Behavior Interventionists serving families in and around the New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the Florida Parishes areas. A Louisiana native, Dr. Mandal-Blasio received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi and completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Kennedy Krieger Institute of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine as part of the Neurobehavioral Outpatient Unit and Pervasive Developmental Disorders Clinic. She also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill’s Center for Development and Learning where she studied mental health issues in people with developmental disabilities across the lifespan.
This workshop is an in-person training event. It is not virtual.
There is no cost to attend.
Join us for an engaging, candid conversation about ethics and professionalism through the eyes if the judiciary. Moderator Curtis Nelson, JD, will lead Judge Roger Hamilton and Judge Elizabeth Engolio in a discussion of real-world ethical challenges, courtroom expectations, and the decisions attorneys face in their daily practice. Drawing on their experiences, the panel will explore practical situations, professional responsibilities, and the importance of maintaining integrity in out of the courtroom.
The first hour will focus on Ethics, examining ethical obligations, professional judgment, and situations that can challenge even experienced attorneys. The second hour will focus on Professionalism, including courtroom conduct, communication, civility, and the relationships between attorneys, judges, clients, and the relationships between attorneys, judges, clients, and other participations in the judicial process. Designed as an interactive, conversational program rather than a traditional lecture, this annual year-end workshop offers attorneys an opportunity to reflect, exchange perspectives, and finish the year with renewed professional purpose. Attorneys may register for either hour individually or attend both sessions, depending on their continuing or attend both sessions, depending on their continuing legal education needs.
Objectives
Ethics: identify common ethical challenges encountered in courtroom practice and evaluate appropriate responses consistent with professional responsibilities and judicial expectations.
Professionalism: Recognize behaviors and communication practices that promote civility, respect, and professionalism in interactions with judges, opposing counsel, clients, and other participants in the judicial process.
Speakers
Curtis Nelson, JD, has been a public servant for more than 28 years. He currently serves as the Deputy Director for the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and the Executive Counsel for the Louisiana Opioid Abatement Administration Corporation. Curtis has been involved in multiple state initiatives to help develop effective administrative processes for public agencies. He has served as the Co-Chair of the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) Children’s Law Committee, Co-Chair of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative Leadership Collaborative, Committee Member of the Louisiana Children Justice Task Force, Committee Member of the Governor’s Advisory Board of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Advisory Board Fellow for the Pelican Center for Children and Families.
Curtis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology with a minor in sociology from Louisiana State University, and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans. He is a veteran of the United States Army, having served six years with the Louisiana Army National Guard (Combat Medical Unit) and six years with the United States Army Reserve (Theater Support Command-Judge Advocate General Corps).
Judge Elizabeth A. Engolio took office on March 31, 2016 as District Judge for Division “D” in the 18th JDC. Elizabeth Engolio was born and raised in Plaquemine, Louisiana. Elizabeth pursued her under-graduate studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. While attending college, Elizabeth worked as an intern in Washington D.C. for Senator Mary Landrieu. She also worked for the Lafayette Parish District Attorney’s Office from 1998-2001. She graduated Cum Laude in May of 2001.
Judge Engolio attended Southern University Law Center. She received her Juris Doctorate in May of 2004. While attending law school, she worked as a law clerk for Marionneaux & Marionneaux and for her grandfather, the late Judge Engolio. Shortly after admission to the Louisiana Bar, Elizabeth opened her private civil practice. She also began working as an Assistant District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District. She maintained her private practice and her position with the District Attorney’s Office from 2005-2016.
Judge Roger P Hamilton, Jr. was elected to serve as District Court Judge, Division H of the 16th Judicial District Court in 2020. Judge Hamilton was born and raised in St Martin Parish. His family moved from St Martin Parish to Iberia Parish. He graduated from New Iberia Senior High School in 1994. He attended Nicholls State University and graduated Cum Laude in 1998. He was selected into the Nicholls State University Hall of Fame in 1998. He graduated in 2001 from Louisiana State University Paul M Hebert Law Center with his Juris Doctor.
Judge Hamilton began his legal career in 2001 as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Paul J. deMahy. He began working as an Assistant District Attorney in May 2002 until December 2020. Judge Hamilton also served as General Counsel to the Lafayette Parish School Board and the City of Jeanerette. Judge Hamilton served as an adjunct professor at South Louisiana Community College and Nicholls State University.
Judge Hamilton was awarded the Judge Benjamin Jones Judges in Classroom Award in 2023, was awarded the Judge Robert Morrison Legislative Leadership Award in 2024 and was elected Chief Judge of the 16th Judicial District in 2025.
The Rules of Professional Conduct make it clear: when representing a client with diminished capacity, you are ethically obligated—so far as reasonably possible—to maintain a standard attorney-client relationship. But what exactly constitutes diminished capacity? What professional and ethical responsibilities come into play when your client’s decision-making ability is impaired?
This engaging seminar will explore the answers to these critical questions. Join our experienced presenter for a discussion designed to engage attorneys seeking to navigate these complex scenarios with confidence, the program offers practical guidance and a deeper understanding of the rules that govern your role. Strengthen your ethical foundation while enhancing your capacity to advocate with professionalism and integrity.
OBJECTIVES
- Recognize concerns and challenges to ethical and professional representation when representing clients with diminished capacity.
- Identify ways to ethically and professionally address concerns and challenges to representing clients with diminished capacity.
SPEAKER
Rodney Hastings, J.D., CWLS, State of Louisiana Mental Health Advocacy Service – Child Advocacy Program
An attorney with the Mental Health Advocacy Service, Child Advocacy Program, representing foster children in Child-in-Need-of-Care court proceedings in East Baton Rouge Parish. Rodney has been active in child welfare matters since 2011, representing foster children with MHAS/CAP and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services in multiple jurisdictions, as well as serving as a regional attorney supervisor for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. Rodney received his undergraduate degree from Southeastern Louisiana University and his J.D. from Loyola University College of Law – New Orleans. Rodney has been certified as a Child Welfare Law Specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children since 2015. Prior to entering the child welfare practice, Rodney spent 12 years working in various positions with the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, including serving as a deputy disciplinary counsel with the Office of the Disciplinary Counsel and as counsel for the Board’s appellate review panels. Rodney has served as a trainer for the Pelican Center for Children and Families, and as a presenter/speaker at seminars throughout Louisiana on the topics of child welfare, ethics, professionalism, and computer forensics.
Children with disabilities experience higher rates of abuse and neglect than their peers, often due to increased dependency on caregivers, communication barriers, and social isolation. Preventing harm requires informed adults, supportive communities, and intentional strategies that promote safety, dignity, and inclusion. Join us as we explore the unique vulnerabilities faced by children with disabilities and the critical role families, educators, service providers, and community members play in protection and prevention. Leave with tools to recognize warning signs, respond appropriately to concerns, and foster environments where all children are safe, valued, and heard.
Chanel Jackson
Executive Director, Families Helping Families Region 7
The APSAC Prevention Series returns in 2026 will be held on the 3rd Thursday of the month. This is a monthly opportunity to learn from leading experts in child maltreatment prevention and child well-being offered to expand your toolkit with the strategies and resources needed to implement effective prevention practices and improve outcomes for children and families.
Presented by Corinna Jenkins Tucker, PhD, CFLE & Tanya Rouleau Whitworth, PhD