Workshops

Session I | Session II | Session III | Session IV

Day One: Session I - 1:00pm – 2:30pm

1. "Trauma 0-5". Kay Connors, LCSW-C, Program Director, and Jessica Lertora, LGSW, Mental Health Clinician, Taghi Modaressi Center for Infant Study.
   This workshop will explore how exposure to trauma impacts the young child’s development and the relationships with parents and adult caregivers. The presenters will discuss trauma-informed early childhood assessments and interventions that promote safety, and child and family resiliency and recovery.
2. "Treatment Research: Suicide/Anxiety". John Walkup, MD Deputy Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University. 
   This workshop addresses recent treatment research for childhood anxiety disorders and also the treatment of depressed teens who recently made a suicide attempt.
3. "Promoting Attachment for Traumatized and Homeless Young Children". Carole Norris Shortle, LCSW C, Center for Infant Study, University of Maryland, Dept of Psychiatry, and Mental Health Consultant, PACT Therapeutic Nursery; Kim Cosgrove, LCSW C, Program Director, PACT Therapeutic Nursery, Kennedy Krieger Institute.
   Participants will be introduced to the critical concepts that are effective in promoting parent child attachment. Demonstration of interventions and video segments will bring these concepts to life. Participants will leave with some hands on suggestions to take into their clinical practice to support the parent and young child's relationship.
4. "Psychological First Aid – Part A". Melissa Brymer, PhD, PsyD, Director of Terrorism and Disaster Programs, National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, UCLA.
   This workshop is part one of a two part workshop (see Session II – 5) which will review the core skills of Psychological First Aid. Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed acute intervention for children, adults, and families impacted by disasters and terrorism. Psychological First Aid is designed to reduce initial distress caused by disasters and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping. Participants will actively practice these skills and learn how to adapt them with culturally diverse populations and in different settings.
5. "Peer Connection: Teaching Resiliency Through a Positive Peer Culture". Jennifer Mahoney, Deloris Watson, Kathy Blackburn, Gretchen Ladd-Prinski and Kevin Southern, Go-Getters, Inc./Peer Connection Program. 
   Peer Connection provides a unique group process that allows individuals to recognize self defeating patterns and provide alternative solutions.
6. "School Mental Health and Youth in Foster Care: Building Connections". Mark Weist, PhD, Director, Center for School Mental Health (CSMH), University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB); Nancy Lever, PhD, Director, Training and Outreach, Monique Vulin Reynolds, MS, Psychology Intern, and Sylvia Huntley, BSW, Training Manager, Center for School Mental Health, UMB; Michael Lindsey, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work; Monica Freedman, LGSW, Clinician, Prince George’s School Mental Health Initiative and Former Foster Parent.
   This workshop will highlight the potential role that school mental health can play in helping to address the mental health needs of children and adolescents in foster care. Benefits and challenges of providing services to youth in foster care through school mental health will be discussed. Best practice strategies to promote effective collaboration that meaningfully involves school staff, families, youth, child welfare staff, and mental health providers will be discussed. Resources related to effective school mental health care for youth in foster care will be made available to participants.
7. "Developing a Resiliency Model for Service Delivery". Joan Smith, LCSW, Child and Adolescent Division, Mental Hygiene Administration (MHA); Carol Allenza, JD, Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health; and Patricia Wilson, LCSW-C, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Institute, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
   This will be an interactive workshop where participants will help the MHA Child and Adolescent Division begin to develop a way of defining services and outcomes that are focused on building resiliency in youth. A working definition of resiliency will be available for discussion and input. The workshop will result in recommendations that MHA can use as it develops a Resiliency Model (similar to the Recovery Model for adults) for child and adolescent service delivery.
   
   

Session I | Session II | Session III | Session IV

Day One: Session II - 2:45pm-4:15pm

1. "Maryland’s T.A.M.A.R. Program". Alisha Saulsbury, LCSW-C, and Jolynn Adams, T.A.M.A.R. Program.
   Objectives to be met in this workshop include gaining an historical perspective of how and why the T.A.M.A.R. (Trauma, Addictions, Mental Health and Recovery) Program began serving women with a history of trauma as well as co-occurring disorders in the criminal justice system. In addition, the workshop will describe how this program has impacted children and caregivers of incarcerated women. A special guest speaker will share her account of how this program helped her and her family.
2. "Project Care". John Walkup, MD and Pastor Ruby Gilliam.
   This workshop will focus on Project Care, a partnership between churches and the Johns Hopkins Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, designed to develop new approaches to meeting the mental health needs of children and families in Baltimore.
3. "ADHD/Bipolar in Early Childhood". Mark Riddle, MD,  Director, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University and Joyce Harrison, M.D., Johns Hopkins University and Joyce Harrison, MD.
   This workshop focuses on the evaluation and treatment of preschoolers with behavioral problems and difficulties with emotional problems. Controversy surrounding diagnoses of ADHD and bipolar disorder will be discussed.
4. "School Mental Health and Youth in Foster Care: Building Connections". Mark Weist, PhD, Director, Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB); Nancy Lever, PhD, Director, Training and Outreach, Monique Vulin Reynolds, MS, Psychology Intern, and Sylvia Huntley, BSW, Training Manager, Center for School Mental Health, UMB; Michael Lindsey, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Social Work; Monica Freedman, LGSW, Clinician, Prince George’s School Mental Health Initiative and Former Foster Parent.
   This workshop will highlight the potential role that school mental health can play in helping to address the mental health needs of children and adolescents in foster care. Benefits and challenges of providing services to youth in foster care through school mental health will be discussed. Best practice strategies to promote effective collaboration that meaningfully involves school staff, families, youth, child welfare staff, and mental health providers will be discussed. Resources related to effective school mental health care for youth in foster care will be made available to participants.
5. "Psychological First Aid – Part B". Melissa Brymer, PhD, PsyD, Director of Terrorism and Disaster
   Programs, National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, UCLA.
   This workshop is the second of a two part workshop (see Session I – 4) which will review the core skills of Psychological First Aid. Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed acute intervention for children, adults, and families impacted by disasters and terrorism. Psychological First Aid is designed to reduce initial distress caused by disasters and to foster short- and long-term adaptive functioning and coping. Participants will actively practice these skills and learn how to adapt them with culturally diverse populations and in different settings.
6. "Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)". Cynthia Rollo, LCSW-C, Supervising Clinical Social Worker and Sally O’Hara, MA, LCPC, School Based Coordinator, Kennedy Krieger Family Center. This workshop will provide an overview of TF-CBT, an evidenced-based treatment model to help children (ages 3-18) and their caregivers overcome the negative effects of traumatic life events. This model, which builds on family resilience, has been successfully used with families from all socioeconomic backgrounds, in a variety of treatment settings, and with diverse ethnic groups. This workshop will highlight the role of resilience, benefit of family involvement and the honoring of family strengths.
7. "Having Walked a Mile in the Same Shoes: Promoting Resilient Families Through Family-to-Family Support." Jane A. Walker, LCSW, Executive Director, Heidi Rochon, Regional Coordinator and Mid Shore Family Navigator, and Angela Vaughn-Lee, Director, Baltimore City Office and Family Support Wraparound Initiative, Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health; and Pat Mosby, Systems of Care Training Coordinator, Innovations Institute, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
   Only families who have cared for a child with mental health or behavioral needs can truly understand the constant stress and feelings of exhaustion. Family-to-Family support is a powerful way to promote resilience and coping skills among family members who are caring for a child with mental health or behavioral needs. The Maryland Coalition of Families for Children’s Mental Health is a statewide family organization that works in multiple settings throughout the state to provide family-to-family support. Learn about the elements of family support, the benefits, and the different roles and models of family support.

Session I | Session II | Session III | Session IV

Day 2: Session III – 10:45am – 12:15pm

1. "Trauma 0-5". Kay Connors, LCSW-C, Program Director, and Jessica Lertora, LGSW, Mental Health Clinician, Taghi Modaressi Center for Infant Study.
   This workshop will explore how exposure to trauma(s) impacts the young child’s development and their relationships with parents and adult caregivers. The presenters will discuss trauma-informed, early childhood assessments and interventions that promote safety, and child and family resiliency and recovery.
2. "Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)". Teresa Loya, LCSW-C, Kennedy Krieger Family Center. PCIT is a family therapy intervention aimed at increasing parent-child attachment, building parenting skills, and decreasing problematic child behaviors. It has been shown to be effective in altering parent-child interaction patterns with the outcome of assisting in smoother parent-child reunifications and avoiding family separations. This workshop will provide an overview of the PCIT treatment approach and the strategies used to promote family engagement and resiliency.
3. "Trauma Focused –Cognitive Behavior Therapy". Vickie Beck, CNS, BC, Child Psychotherapist, University of Maryland Child Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic.
   This workshop will provide an overview of using TF-CBT with children who have experienced trauma. The presenter will provide a variety of practical age-appropriate techniques for use with children.
4. "Resiliency in Early Childhood". Barbara J. Andrews, PhD, Project Coordinator, Professional Development Grant – Maryland Committee for Children.
   We will look at research on resiliency related to the traits and characteristics of resilient children and examine our programs in connection to developing supportive classrooms that help children to become resilient. Participants will work with each other to examine and reflect on their programs in relation to what we know about the development of resiliency.
5. "The Resilient and Empathic Child". Maci N. Elkins, AM, LMSW, Program Director/Behavior Interventionist, and Margo A. Takacs, BS, Behavior Interventionist, Lower Shore Early Intervention Program at the Lower Shore Child Care Resource Center.
   Resilient, empathic children become resilient, empathic adults. This workshop covers what "resiliency" is and why it’s so important for healthy social-emotional growth in young children (ages birth to 5). This workshop also covers the importance of empathy. Hands-on, practical strategies will be presented that help promote resiliency and help teach and foster empathy in the young children in your care.
6. "Art Therapy & Trauma: Survive to Thrive". Peggy Kolodny, MA, ATR-BC, CPC, Private Practice, Faculty - Chesapeake Beach Professional Seminars (Play Therapy Institute)
   Art therapy is a highly effective psychotherapy modality using creative means to assess, process and resolve traumatic experiences. Presentation will include guidelines to using art therapy interventions for the non-art therapist and several hands-on art experientials demonstrating art techniques that are appropriate for trauma survivors. Hand outs will include an additional list of art therapy techniques, book recommendations and resources.
7. "Strengthening Family Coping Resources: Multi-Family Groups for Traumatized Families". Laurel J. Kiser, PhD, MBA; Barbara Baumgardner, PhD and Winona Nurse, LGSW, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
   Participants will be introduced to Strengthening Family Coping Resources (SFCR), a trauma-specific, multi-family group intervention to address treatment needs of children and their families who have experienced trauma. SFCR is a promising family intervention that uses family ritual and routine as coping resources for increasing the family’s sense of safety, helping families function with stability and cope with crises, helping families regulate their emotions and behaviors, and improving family communication about and understanding of the traumas they have experienced. SFCR consists of a 14-week multi-family group and includes family work on story telling and narration, which builds to a family trauma narrative.

Session I | Session II | Session III | Session IV

Day 2: Session IV – 1:15pm – 2:45pm

1. "Resiliency in Early Childhood Education". Barbara J. Andrews, PhD, Project Coordinator, Professional Development Grant – Maryland Committee for Children.
   We will look at research on resiliency related to the traits and characteristics of resilient children and examine our programs in connection to developing supportive classrooms that help children become resilient. Participants will work with each other to examine and reflect on their programs in relation to what we know about the development of resiliency.
2. "Healing Childhood Trauma through Play". Amy L. Easley, MSW, LCSW-C, Early Childhood Educator, CEO of Easley & Associates LLC, a Comprehensive Mental Health Center.
   This workshop will provide an overview of how to incorporate play therapy techniques using a hands on approach so that each attendee will be able to reach inside the child’s story of his/her trauma using the interpretation of play themes, thus teaching the child through play how to move toward healing.
3. "Promoting Resiliency through Expressive Therapy Groups". Melissa Hackey-Arnold, LCSW-C, Supervising Clinical Social Worker, Group Clinic Coordinator, and Cynthia Rollo, LCSW-C, Supervising Clinical Social Worker, Kennedy Krieger Family Center.
   This workshop will describe and demonstrate how expressive therapy groups (poetry, painting, photography) facilitate the healing and recovery process for traumatized children. Providing opportunities for self-expression enhances the ability to articulate emotions and focus on client strengths.
4. "Lifelines for Children: Supporting the Resiliency of Children in Foster Care". Jacqueline Wallen, PhD, MSW and Sally Koblinsky, PhD. School of Public Health, Department of Family Science, University of Maryland College Park
   This workshop will describe trauma and loss for children in foster care and present an evaluation of an intervention aimed at supporting resiliency.
5. "Trauma in Developmental Context: A Case Study". Barbara Baumgardner, PhD, Maya Coleman, MA, Kelly Coble, LCSW-C, and Laurel J. Kiser, PhD, MBA, University of Maryland School of Medicine.
   Childhood trauma victims experience a complex set of physiological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions that occur both during and after the traumatic event(s), and because development is occurring rapidly across all of these domains viewing trauma within a developmental context is no easy task. The young child’s emerging capacities influence everything from their subjective experience of the traumatic event to their ability to make use of specific therapeutic techniques to aid recovery. This workshop will present a case study about trauma exposure and treatment of three siblings ranging in age from 4 to 10 years old.
6. "The Resilient and Empathic Child". Maci N. Elkins, AM, LMSW, Program Director/Behavior Interventionist, and Margo A. Takacs, BS, Behavior Interventionist, Lower Shore Early Intervention Program at the Lower Shore Child Care Resource Center.
   Resilient, empathic children become resilient, empathic adults. This workshop covers what "resiliency" is and why it’s so important for healthy social-emotional growth in young children (ages birth to 5). This workshop also covers the importance of empathy. Hands-on, practical strategies will be presented that help promote resiliency and help teach and foster empathy in the young children in your care.
7. "Expressions Group". Michael Trader, LGSW, Psychosocial Rehabilitation Program (PRP) Supervisor, Justin King, Rehabilitation Coordinator and Eric Gray, LCSW-C, Case Management Director, Worcester County Health Department.
   This workshop will provide a look into the philosophy and workings of the Expressions group being offered by the Worcester County Health Department’s PRP. This group is geared toward high school age youth, and allows them to gather in a group setting and express themselves through hip-hop, lyric writing, poetry, or other forms of creativity. We will review youth empowerment and expression through creative outlets, and will discuss creative outlets as an alternative for youth whose needs are not met through more traditional therapeutic groups.