Calendar

Mar
20
Fri
Building Reflective Practice: Strengthening Child Welfare Through Self-Awareness
Mar 20 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Building Reflective Practice: Strengthening Child Welfare Through Self-Awareness

CWLA is pleased to present a virtual training opportunity for social work and human service professionals that invites participants to explore the evolution from traditional competence frameworks toward approaches emphasizing continuous reflection and respect for self-defined identities. Participants will analyze how overlapping identity dimensions—such as age, ability, and socioeconomic position—shape lived experiences and influence outcomes within child welfare systems. Drawing on theoretical constructs, the discussion will examine how long-standing structures and prevailing norms—such as appearance-based decisions—affect both practitioners and the families they support. Through guided inquiry, attendees will develop strategies to engage with authenticity, interrogate assumptions, and advance fairness and consistency in professional practice.

TRAINER:

Deborah Wilson Gadsden, LSW, MSW, MHS, CWLA Director, EIB & Permanency Standards Project

 

REGISTER HERE

 

Oct
29
Thu
Building Stronger Bonds: Enhancing Parent-Child Attunement
Oct 29 @ 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Building Stronger Bonds: Enhancing Parent-Child Attunement

For children to succeed and learn over the long term, they rely on a positive nurturing relationship with key adults in their lives.  This training session will address parent-child attunement, which is the ability to recognize, interpret, and respond to a child’s needs in a sensitive and consistent manner and is essential for children who struggle with self-regulation as they attempt to process the world around them. Additionally, the session will address caregivers’ own stress and emotional well-being, providing tools for self-regulation and resilience to support both the child and the caregiver in navigating these challenges together.

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.

REGISTER HERE