Calendar

This six-hour training on the topic of Intrafamilial Child Sexual Abuse is being offered in three parts and will take place on Tuesday, October 15, 22 and 29 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern.  This training series is targeted for staff working in child welfare related agencies and anyone working with children and their families where there has been no formal disclosure, but sexual abuse is suspected.

In most cases, there will not be a formal disclosure that warrants the involvement of law enforcement or child protective services.  The hope is that each one of us can contribute in their own way to support children to access help when they are ready, and that no opportunity is missed through lack of knowledge, skills, or tools to interact with a child that is demonstrating signs of abuse.

This training series will have a special focus on father-child intrafamilial child sexual abuse which will include fathers, stepfathers, and male partners. The intent of these interactive sessions is to build capacity for primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention, identification, and intervention with families.

The facilitators hope to impress on the participants the scope of this issue and the long-lasting impact of trauma on children that experience this type of abuse.  Special attention will be directed to building practice wisdom and understanding of psychosomatic symptoms, concepts such as complex trauma and the overlap with other clinical presentations.

Participants may grapple with the great responsibility of decision making in these cases.  Verification of concerns can be the first step to intervention or if made in error cause unneeded separation within families.

This training will also focus on interconnected themes and demonstrate connections to enhance practice and client engagement.  The topics covered will include the role of the practitioner, application of theory, research, and practice philosophies, to support practice.  Assessment tools will be provided which may support practitioners to gather and assess data.

The assessments process will include information gathering, understanding the context in which abuse occurs and the many powerful barriers that function to prevent detection.  Topics such as pre-abuse functioning, family functioning and presentations, symptomology-victimology link, and the importance of strategy for engagement with children will also be discussed.

Inquiry into the dynamics of intrafamilial child sexual abuse enables inquiry into the beliefs, actions, and behaviors of children, offenders and in many cases the parent(s) who did not offend.  The facilitators will also touch on strategies for engagement with each party for the triangulation of data.  A holistic, non-accusatory inquiry strategy supports engagement and the collection of valuable information for assessment and ways of working with the family.

Facilitators:

Dr. Delphine Collin-Vezina, a trained psychologist and full professor at McGill University in Quebec, Canada.  She is also an expert in child sexual abuse and trauma and has over twenty-five years of experience.

Gerald Walsh, MSW, RSW, a front-line child welfare investigator with Child and Family Services of Grand Erie, Ontario, Canada. He is a presenter of investigative techniques and has been involved with the training of social work students, child welfare staff, and law enforcement.

Special acknowledgement is also given to the valuable contributions of Andrew Koster, MSW, RSW and co-author of the recent book titled Child Sexual Abuse Investigations and Assessments published by CWLA.

REGISTER HERE

Parenting is challenging, particularly when you are parenting a child from a hard place. TBRI® Connecting Principles will provide and in-depth look at connection and attachment and will give you strategies and skills for helping children and families heal. This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing.

This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing. This live, online training has 4 video-conferencing modules, giving participants the opportunity learn in an interactive environment.

Please Note: Participants must attend TBRI Introduction and Overview prior to attending this training.

Module 1: Introduction and Insight
Learning objectives:
1. Gain knowledge & insight about infant attachment that will build a foundation for awareness of your own attachment history as well as how to build secure connections with children.

Module 2: Attachment (when things go wrong) and Mindfulness Strategies ( May 15)
Learning objectives:
1. Gain knowledge regarding the effects of insecure attachment on the ability to regulate behavior.
2. Gain insight on how our own attachment styles and histories influence the relationships we have with others.

Module 3: Engagement Strategies
Learning objective:
1. Gain strategies and techniques that make it easier to relate to children in the ways they communicate best – non verbally and through playful interaction.

Module 4: Building Trust by Giving Voice
Learning objectives:
1. Gain understanding and compassion regarding the fact that children from hard places often crave control of their environments, which is a product of having no control over their past.
2. Gain strategies that teach children that their words have power and safe adults will listen to their needs.

REGISTER HERE

Parenting is challenging, particularly when you are parenting a child from a hard place. TBRI® Connecting Principles will provide and in-depth look at connection and attachment and will give you strategies and skills for helping children and families heal. This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing.

This multi-disciplinary training is designed to give caregivers, volunteers, and professionals who serve children and families the knowledge and practical skills they need to bring hope and healing. This live, online training has 4 video-conferencing modules, giving participants the opportunity learn in an interactive environment.

Please Note: Participants must attend TBRI Introduction and Overview prior to attending this training.

Module 1: Introduction and Insight
Learning objectives:
1. Gain knowledge & insight about infant attachment that will build a foundation for awareness of your own attachment history as well as how to build secure connections with children.

Module 2: Attachment (when things go wrong) and Mindfulness Strategies ( May 15)
Learning objectives:
1. Gain knowledge regarding the effects of insecure attachment on the ability to regulate behavior.
2. Gain insight on how our own attachment styles and histories influence the relationships we have with others.

Module 3: Engagement Strategies
Learning objective:
1. Gain strategies and techniques that make it easier to relate to children in the ways they communicate best – non verbally and through playful interaction.

Module 4: Building Trust by Giving Voice
Learning objectives:
1. Gain understanding and compassion regarding the fact that children from hard places often crave control of their environments, which is a product of having no control over their past.
2. Gain strategies that teach children that their words have power and safe adults will listen to their needs.

REGISTER HERE

The civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s prompted educators and health and human services professionals to develop cultural competence. The belief was, if the mostly white practitioners increased their knowledge of diverse racial and ethnic groups’ values and customs, they could improve the delivery of services to diverse populations. While cultural competence was a step in the right direction, it inadvertently reinforced and created stereotypes about cultural practices and experiences that fell short of achieving its goal of supporting culturally sensitive service delivery.

In this two-part training session, participants will learn the importance of cultural humility: suspending cultural assumptions and, instead, embracing individuals’ personal definitions and expressions of culture. Participants will explore cultural humility by defining their own personal culture using a myriad of identity factors (e.g., skin color, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and ability) and determining whether those identity factors place them in privileged or marginalized groups, or both. They will learn how the intersections of various identity factors create a unique cultural experience for every individual and how these intersections result in systemic power differentials and complex experiences of oppression. Finally, they will apply their cultural identity to the framework of the Cage of Oppression and, using the example of lookism, evaluate how existing power structures impact their lives and the lives of those they serve. By recognizing the societal effects of intersectionality, participants will be challenged to incorporate cultural humility in their personal and professional interactions.

REGISTER HERE

CWLA has partnered with Welcome2Reality, LLC to present the engaging four-part training series, Dear Black Male. We invite you to join us for a training that will provide an overview of the history and culture of African Americans with a focus on recognizing cultural mistrust, issues faced, and perceptions of Black males. Through lecture and discussion, participants will identity how efforts to adequately provide for Back males can be linked to the fight for larger social justice goals for themselves and their communities. Participants in this training will:

• Develop an understanding of the importance of the role of the historian in interpreting African American history;
• Expand their knowledge and awareness of the disproportionality of Black males who are institutionalized and the impact it has on communities;
• Learn the most common mistakes professionals make when working with Black males and how to avoid them; and
• Engage in dialogue to identify strengths-based practices and interventions that foster family health and resilience.

This training is open and welcome to everyone. The training format will incorporate lecture, discussion, video, and group activities. The following topics will be covered during the four (4) two-hour training sessions:

• Session 1: Dear Black Male…Historical View
• Session 2: Dear Black Male…Incarceration
• Session 3: Dear Black Male…Mental Health
• Session 4: Dear Black Male…Family

Trainers:

Anthony Gay, BA is the Director of Curricula Development at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Anthony is passionate about teaching and conducts research, develops training modules /curricula, and facilitates training. Anthony spent several years as a full-time trainer, developing or co-authoring training modules on fatherhood, professionalism, cultural competency, trauma, working with adolescents, family-centered assessment, and human trafficking. For over ten years, Anthony has been focused on improving communities by advocating for equality for fathers. Anthony is a member of a national fatherhood network that shares resources and ideas to improve fathers’ and families’ outcomes. Anthony is a leader in the realm of fatherhood in Connecticut and hosts numerous fatherhood themed events throughout the year, promoting positive fatherhood. As a result of his dedication, Anthony has received numerous awards recognizing his work with fathers and families.

Qur-an Webb, MSW is the Director of Operations at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Qur-an has been in the social work field for over 20 years and is the Connecticut Chapter Lead for Media Literacy Now, which focuses on education around media literacy. In this role, Qur-an was instrumental in getting Public Act No. 15-94 and Public Act No. 17-67 passed in Connecticut, which now mandates school systems to educate the safe use of social media and computer programming instruction, and in creating an advisory council related to digital citizenship, internet safety, and media literacy. He also works as an independent contractor and is an adjunct instructor. Qur-an is the vice president of the Association of Black Sports Officials. In this role, Qur-an advocates for the rights of and opportunities for Black sports officials and pushes for equality among officials. He also provides training and professional development opportunities domestically and internationally for the company.

REGISTER HERE

CWLA has partnered with Welcome2Reality, LLC to present the engaging four-part training series, Dear Black Male. We invite you to join us for a training that will provide an overview of the history and culture of African Americans with a focus on recognizing cultural mistrust, issues faced, and perceptions of Black males. Through lecture and discussion, participants will identity how efforts to adequately provide for Back males can be linked to the fight for larger social justice goals for themselves and their communities. Participants in this training will:

• Develop an understanding of the importance of the role of the historian in interpreting African American history;
• Expand their knowledge and awareness of the disproportionality of Black males who are institutionalized and the impact it has on communities;
• Learn the most common mistakes professionals make when working with Black males and how to avoid them; and
• Engage in dialogue to identify strengths-based practices and interventions that foster family health and resilience.

This training is open and welcome to everyone. The training format will incorporate lecture, discussion, video, and group activities. The following topics will be covered during the four (4) two-hour training sessions:

• Session 1: Dear Black Male…Historical View
• Session 2: Dear Black Male…Incarceration
• Session 3: Dear Black Male…Mental Health
• Session 4: Dear Black Male…Family

Trainers:

Anthony Gay, BA is the Director of Curricula Development at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Anthony is passionate about teaching and conducts research, develops training modules /curricula, and facilitates training. Anthony spent several years as a full-time trainer, developing or co-authoring training modules on fatherhood, professionalism, cultural competency, trauma, working with adolescents, family-centered assessment, and human trafficking. For over ten years, Anthony has been focused on improving communities by advocating for equality for fathers. Anthony is a member of a national fatherhood network that shares resources and ideas to improve fathers’ and families’ outcomes. Anthony is a leader in the realm of fatherhood in Connecticut and hosts numerous fatherhood themed events throughout the year, promoting positive fatherhood. As a result of his dedication, Anthony has received numerous awards recognizing his work with fathers and families.

Qur-an Webb, MSW is the Director of Operations at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Qur-an has been in the social work field for over 20 years and is the Connecticut Chapter Lead for Media Literacy Now, which focuses on education around media literacy. In this role, Qur-an was instrumental in getting Public Act No. 15-94 and Public Act No. 17-67 passed in Connecticut, which now mandates school systems to educate the safe use of social media and computer programming instruction, and in creating an advisory council related to digital citizenship, internet safety, and media literacy. He also works as an independent contractor and is an adjunct instructor. Qur-an is the vice president of the Association of Black Sports Officials. In this role, Qur-an advocates for the rights of and opportunities for Black sports officials and pushes for equality among officials. He also provides training and professional development opportunities domestically and internationally for the company.

REGISTER HERE

CWLA has partnered with Welcome2Reality, LLC to present the engaging four-part training series, Dear Black Male. We invite you to join us for a training that will provide an overview of the history and culture of African Americans with a focus on recognizing cultural mistrust, issues faced, and perceptions of Black males. Through lecture and discussion, participants will identity how efforts to adequately provide for Back males can be linked to the fight for larger social justice goals for themselves and their communities. Participants in this training will:

• Develop an understanding of the importance of the role of the historian in interpreting African American history;
• Expand their knowledge and awareness of the disproportionality of Black males who are institutionalized and the impact it has on communities;
• Learn the most common mistakes professionals make when working with Black males and how to avoid them; and
• Engage in dialogue to identify strengths-based practices and interventions that foster family health and resilience.

This training is open and welcome to everyone. The training format will incorporate lecture, discussion, video, and group activities. The following topics will be covered during the four (4) two-hour training sessions:

• Session 1: Dear Black Male…Historical View
• Session 2: Dear Black Male…Incarceration
• Session 3: Dear Black Male…Mental Health
• Session 4: Dear Black Male…Family

Trainers:

Anthony Gay, BA is the Director of Curricula Development at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Anthony is passionate about teaching and conducts research, develops training modules /curricula, and facilitates training. Anthony spent several years as a full-time trainer, developing or co-authoring training modules on fatherhood, professionalism, cultural competency, trauma, working with adolescents, family-centered assessment, and human trafficking. For over ten years, Anthony has been focused on improving communities by advocating for equality for fathers. Anthony is a member of a national fatherhood network that shares resources and ideas to improve fathers’ and families’ outcomes. Anthony is a leader in the realm of fatherhood in Connecticut and hosts numerous fatherhood themed events throughout the year, promoting positive fatherhood. As a result of his dedication, Anthony has received numerous awards recognizing his work with fathers and families.

Qur-an Webb, MSW is the Director of Operations at Welcome2Reality, LLC. Qur-an has been in the social work field for over 20 years and is the Connecticut Chapter Lead for Media Literacy Now, which focuses on education around media literacy. In this role, Qur-an was instrumental in getting Public Act No. 15-94 and Public Act No. 17-67 passed in Connecticut, which now mandates school systems to educate the safe use of social media and computer programming instruction, and in creating an advisory council related to digital citizenship, internet safety, and media literacy. He also works as an independent contractor and is an adjunct instructor. Qur-an is the vice president of the Association of Black Sports Officials. In this role, Qur-an advocates for the rights of and opportunities for Black sports officials and pushes for equality among officials. He also provides training and professional development opportunities domestically and internationally for the company.

REGISTER HERE

In the 1970s, Harvard University Professor Chester Pierce coined the term microaggressions to describe the subtle, everyday ways people of color experienced discrimination from their white counterparts. He coined the term in response to his observations of the interactions between the white and black students on campus where he heard indignities and insults members of marginalized groups endured in their routine interactions with people in all walks of life. Everyone makes comments that they wish they could retrieve the moment they pass their lips. Insults, slights and derogatory behaviors are evidence of implicit biases we hold that we sometimes don’t recognize exist.

This two-part training session explores microaggressions from their origin, intent, and impact on others. The trainers chronical their evolution, their connection to racism in America and how they are embedded in code language, whiteness, and racelighting. The trainers discuss how microaggressions can be mitigated through cultural humility. Participants will identify and practice strategies for addressing the hurt and trauma caused by microaggressions as well as for correcting microaggressions emitted due to an individual’s cultural history and group membership.

REGISTER HERE