Early Bird Registration Rates
M = Member/N= Non-Member
$200 M/$275 NM Virtual Attendance
$1,100 M/$1,500 NM Virtual Attendance 'All in Staff Rate'
**Registrations received after the early bird cut-off of April 14th will incur a $100 fee increase
Please register early!
Any Issues Registering as a member please contact: Amanda
Webinar Provided by CYC Net in Partnership with ACRC
$20 Registration Fee ACRC Members $40 Registration Fee Non-Members NASW CEUs Free to Members / $25 Non-members
What We Didn't Know Then: Contemporary Neuroscience & What Really Matters for Children in Care
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. CT
From the perspective of 45 years working with children and young people in care, the presenter looks back at the received wisdom in the field and how this has significantly changed in the light of recent research in neuroscience. Some older ideas (such as the importance of active listening) have withstood the test of time, while others (such as the reliance on behavioral strategies) have either been discarded or significantly modified. The webinar will look at:
1. the importance of ‘feeling safe’, a notion that has been around since Maslow’s early work but one that had not penetrated into many areas of human service until the ‘discovery’ of developmental trauma – the notion of safety is strangely absent from most of the earlier CYC texts but is now universally accepted. With reference to the work of Stephen Porges and others we will look at the paramount need of our young people to feel safe – and the roles we can play in their journey.
2. the older focus on the external management and manipulation of problematic behaviours which has given way to a richer understanding of the emotional drivers of many behaviours. This includes the concept of ‘pain-based behaviours’ and ‘pain-based responses’ (Anglin, 2022). It also involves a different perspective on the ways our young people learn to self-manage and self-regulate. Moving beyond our older behavioural and cognitive techniques, we now know that true change will only come about through the ways that our young people experience us over time, how we need to ‘co-regulate’ with them where they ‘live, learn and play’ rather than coercively-regulating them. It’s a way of being with them rather than a skill we impart.
3. the importance of connection with our young people. We have known this for a long time and the earlier texts certainly stressed that good relationships were important in our work. However, these relationships were often framed as being instrumental; good for achieving our casework goals – they were not seen as a goal or outcome, in and of themselves. The emergence of the trauma perspective (another notion that was absent from the earlier texts) highlights the fact that ‘disconnection’ is the central outcome of developmental trauma (van der Kolk, 2014, 2023; Siegel, 2012) and that our young people yearn for trustworthy, reliable connections. Who we are for them is so much more important that what we do for them.
Presenters:
Dr. Howard Bath Allambi Care, Australia
Dr. Howard Bath has had a long career working with children and young people in the child welfare, youth justice and mental health systems in roles such as youth worker, house parent, program manager, agency director, and clinician. From 2008 to 2015 he was the inaugural Children’s Commissioner in Australia’s Northern Territory with a mission to ensure the wellbeing of vulnerable children receiving care, treatment, education and youth justice services.
Trained as a clinical psychologist, Howard has also provided direct clinical services for young people and their families as well as training and program support for agencies and schools across Australia and internationally. He has authored papers and reports on child protection, out of home care, family preservation and developmental trauma and is the lead author (with John Seita) of the book: The Three Pillars of Transforming Care: Trauma and resilience in the ‘other 23 hours’, written for care workers, teachers, kinship carers and others who interact daily with children exposed to developmental trauma.
$20 Registration Fee ACRC Members $40 Registration Fee Non-Members NASW CEUs Free to Members / $25 Non-members*NASW CEUs Pending Approval*
Never Enough: Working with Addictive Behaviors
Tuesday, August 1, 2023 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. CT
What do we know? What do we think we know? What do we want to know?
In our work with families and children who are struggling to survive, much less thrive – addiction is often a part of the equation. We have received so much conflicting information about how to even view the issue of addiction – as a disease? As a moral dilemma? An example of insufficient personal fortitude? And what role does race, social status, power and politics play into it? Nothing? Everything? No wonder we are confused about what the answers are…we aren’t even sure what the questions should be. This training may leave you with more questions than answers…but maybe they will be the right ones.
Presenter:
Michelle Maikoetter, MA, NCC, LPC-S Chief Program Officer, Cal Farley Boy's Ranch
Michelle Maikoetter has a Master’s Degree in Counseling and retains licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Texas, as well as a National Certified Counselor and a LPC-Supervisor.
For over 30 years, she has worked in a variety of settings with youth and families including domestic violence/sexual assault, juvenile justice, after school programming, and wilderness programming. The majority of her roles have been administrative positions and she feels the strongest connection serving in residential education settings and is passionate about ensuring leadership and programmatic systems are aligned.
Since 2007, Michelle has been a leader at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch in Texas, one of the largest nonprofit residential childcare facilities in the United States. Housed in the middle of the campus is a “special purpose” school - Boys Ranch Independent School District, educating K-12 students.
Currently serving as their Chief Program Officer she has led the organization’s transformation from a behavioral modification program into a healing, trauma-informed community. Working collaboratively with Boys Ranch ISD has galvanized these efforts.
This transformation was in large part due to the relationship built with Dr. Bruce Perry and receiving training on his Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics beginning in 2009. Michelle was one of the first Mentors named by Dr. Perry and Boys Ranch was among the first residential facilities to become Phase II site certified in the model. This expertise has attracted clinicians and facilities around the country and the world seeking consultation and support from Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch under Ms. Maikoetter’s leadership.
As a long-time member of the Neurosequential Network, Michelle was named their Director of Special Projects (aka “the Sheriff) and plays a leadership role in organizing, managing and facilitating collaboration in the Neurosequential Model (NM) across programs, particularly when there is a high concentration of programs in a geographical area or a high-volume, complex collaboration in a single location. Currently, her two major areas of focus are in Arizona and Texas. Michelle’s leadership in coordinating and communicating will be essential in optimizing the implementation and effectiveness of the NM as it expands in these settings.
Join us for an ACRC Webinar!
Free to Members / $50 Non-Members NASW CEUs Free to Members / $25 Non-Members *PENDING NASW APPROVAL*
Serving Youth with Unmet Complex Needs in Enhanced Care Programs
Thursday, August 10, 2023 1 - 2:30 p.m. CST
Thousands of young people each year are sleeping in offices, hotels, and night-to-night foster homes, shining a glaring light on the fact that youth with unmet complex needs have not been adequately or safely supported in existing systems or programs.
Leaders in California, including providers, public system partners, and young people with lived experience, have collaborated to fill a gap in the existing continuum of care with a new approach called Enhanced Care Programs. Enhanced Care Programs serve youth who don't need an acute inpatient level of care but who have multiple identified needs across various domains, including multiple mental health and/or substance use diagnoses; severe challenges in family, social and/or school functioning; neuropsychological difficulties; and developmental delays.
This webinar will provide an overview about the role of Enhanced Care Programs in California, how they are structured and funded, their foundational principles, and how they have been instrumental in individually serving youth with unmet complex needs.
Alex Volpe, LCSW Program Director; Catalyst Center, CA
Alex has been working with underserved youth and families for over 15 years. Upon completing her Masters in Social Work at the University of Chicago in 2005, Alex worked as a therapist at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, a residential treatment facility in Chicago. After moving to the East Bay with her family in 2008, Alex began working at Bay Area Youth Center/Sunny Hills Services (now “Side by Side”), a nonprofit serving foster and probation youth. Alex led Bay Area Youth Center as the Executive Director from 2013-2017. Under Alex’s leadership, Bay Area Youth Center significantly expanded mental health and housing services to youth in Alameda County, and earned a reputation as an agency who would provide shelter and services to the highest need youth who were often terminated from other services due to their acute mental health symptoms. Alex is committed to the principles of trauma-responsive care and providing culturally relevant services to young people and their families.
Following her tenure at Bay Area Youth Center, Alex has held a number of contract and interim positions, including serving as the interim Chief Operating Officer at Unity Care Group, as well as the Executive Director at the Ann Martin Center. Prior to becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Alex received her JD from the University of Texas in Austin and worked as a corporate and securities attorney in San Francisco and Austin. She currently lives in Oakland with her family.
Misty BerardSenior Program Advisor; Catalyst Center, CA
Misty Berard, Senior Program Advisor, joined the Catalyst Team in 2022. She brings over 15 years of direct care and leadership experience in residential and community-based services, including work in supervisor and director-level roles in group homes, Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs), and Wraparound programs in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
Misty earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Occidental College and her master’s degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Azusa Pacific University. Misty is a Certified Group Home Administrator and brings substantial experience in the leadership and administration of STRTPs, including program development, supervision and training, staffing and scheduling, milieu management, therapeutic recreation, and integration of direct care and clinical staff.
Misty has dedicated her career to providing trauma-responsive, relational care to youth and families and these commitments are evident in her approach to leadership and her provision of training and coaching to direct care and clinical staff in the topics of crisis intervention and de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and restorative justice.
Kelsie Tatum-Martinez, Psy.D.Senior Clinical Advisor; Catalyst Center, CA
Dr. Kelsie Tatum Martinez is a licensed psychologist with over 15 years of experience serving youth and families with experiences of complex, intergenerational trauma and significant unmet needs. She has delivered direct care and clinical services as well as provided clinical, training, and special projects leadership to programs serving young people in California’s public systems of care. After working in residential treatment programs for over 10 years, Kelsie joined the Catalyst Center team to support and advocate for systems change and more equitable, integrated care for youth and families.
