CAFAF Post-Licensing Training Module Classes.

Module 1: The Foundation for Meeting Developmental Needs of Children at Risk

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

1. Understanding and Assessing Self-Esteem 2. Building Self-Esteem and Understanding Behavior 3. Communicating with Children and Youth (Part I) 4. Communicating with Children and Youth (Part II).

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Module 2: Using Discipline to Protect, Nurture, and Meet Developmental Needs

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Crisis Intervention’ specific training.

1. Promoting Positive Behavior and Responding to Challenges 2. Promoting Self-Responsibility and Responding to Unacceptable Behavior

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Module 3: Developmental Issues Related to Sexuality

1. Addressing Developmental Issues Related to Sexuality 2. Sexual Orientation and Youth

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Module 4: Responding to the Signs and Symptoms of Sexual Abuse

1. Understanding Sexual Abuse 2. Responding to the Issues of Sexual Abuse

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Module 5: Supporting Relationships between Children and Their Families

1. Respecting and Supporting Child/Birth Family Ties 2. Supporting Contacts between Children and Their Families 3. Becoming Partners in Parenting

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Module 6: Working as a Professional Team Member

1. Strengthening Teamwork Skills 2. Developing Your Professional Role 3. Conflict as Opportunity

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Module 7: Promoting Children’s Personal and Cultural Identity

Module 7 training is available online. Click here to complete Module 7 for full credit online.

1. Valuing and Making a Commitment to Cultural Competence 2. Helping Children Develop Life books

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Module 8: Promoting Permanency Outcomes

1. An Overview of Permanency Goals 2. Understanding Permanency Goals 3. Supporting Transition to Permanent Homes through Reunification or Adoption Placement 4. Foster Parent Adoption

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Module 9: Managing the Foster Experience

1. Managing Change in Your Family 2. Managing the Impact of Child Abuse/Neglect Allegations

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Module 10: Understanding the Effects of Chemical Dependence on Children and Families

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

1. Understanding Risk and Protective Factors and Understanding Chemical Dependency 2. Recognizing the Impact of Parental Chemical Abuse on the Child and Family 3. Understanding the Implications of Prenatal AOD Exposure for Parenting Young Children 4. Developing Partnerships with Birth Parents and Working with the Team to Strengthen Families

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Module 12: Knowing Who You Are: The Adoptees Perspective

Definitions and Descriptions Related to Racial and Ethnic Identity, How to Develop Positive Racial and Ethnic Identity.

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Module 13: CPR- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

How to recognize a life threatening emergency for an adult, child and infant, How to provide Basic Life Support (BLS), Good Samaritan Laws

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Module 14: Supporting LGBTQ+

Module 14 training is available online. Click here to complete Module 14 for full credit online.

Join Us for a Virtual Training about Supporting LGBTQ+

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Module 15: My Brother, My Sister, Sibling Relations in Adoption and Foster Care

1. Understanding Sibling Issues: Why Siblings May be Separated and Benefits of Keeping Them Together 2. Ways to Build/Maintain Sibling Connections

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Module 16: Crisis Intervention

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Crisis Intervention’ specific training.

Crisis Development Model to Recognize Escalating Stages to Crisis, How Children Cope With Crisis, the Trap of Counter-Aggression for Foster and Adoptive Parents, Life-Space Interview

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Module 17: The Oppositional Defiant Child

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Crisis Intervention’ specific training.

Relationship Traps and Suggested Strategies for Effective Intervention

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• Module 18: Ethnic Hair Care

Washing, Maintenance, and Relaxers

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Module 19: Applied Behavior Analysis: Understanding Challenging Behaviors

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

Become acquainted with the general principals and implementation of Applied Behavior Analysis.

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Module 20: Autism

Become acquainted with the symptoms, challenges and interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

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Module 21: Kinship Care

Become acquainted with kinship care and its importance, the family dynamics, how to navigate the system, resources, and supports, out of state (ICPC) placements and how to have a successful placement.

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Module 22: QPR: Question, Persuade, and Refer

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.  Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

Key components covered in training:

• How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal
• How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
• The common causes of suicidal behavior
• The warning signs of suicide
• How to get help for someone in crisis

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Module 23: Lead Safe Homes

Lead Poisoning can cause learning problems, decreased hearing, speech delays, and behavioral problems in young children? 1. Identify the health risks of Lead Poisoning. 2. Learn how to find out if their child has Lead Poisoning. 3. Identify why Lead is dangerous to their child’s health. 4. Learn the symptoms of Lead Poisoning. 5. Learn what a Lead Level number means. 6. Identify the sources of Lead. 7. Learn appropriate ways to reduce the potential of Lead hazards.

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Module 24: Bullying

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training. This presentation will be devoted to gaining a clear understanding about the importance of creating and maintaining a positive school climate for experiencing academic achievement, low levels of bullying behavior and overall student success. Throughout the presentation, foster and adoptive parents will be encouraged to ask questions and dialogue about the unique issues facing this population of students. Participants will: 1. Learn the relationship between school climate and bullying 2. Understand the landscape of “bullying” in Connecticut and nationally 3. Explore the components and importance of “school connectedness”

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Module 25: Domestic Violence

Module 25: Domestic Violence is available online.
English: Click here to complete Module 25 in English for full credit online.
Spanish: Click here to complete Module 25 in Spanish for full credit online.

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

Get an understanding of children who experience violence against their family and how those experiences may shape them as they grow, from infancy to adolescence. This module will address facts & figures, ways a child can be affected by living with violence at home, ways to help children cope with the trauma, and some myths about domestic violence.

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Module 26: Youth Mental Health First Aid

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

Participants will learn the signs and symptoms of these mental health problems, and when and how to get help, and what sort of help has been shown by research to be effective. The Crisis situations covered are: 1. The course covers the following crisis situation and mental health problems: 2. Suicidal behavior 3. Non suicidal self-injury (self-harm) 4. Acute stress reaction 5. Panic attacks 6. Acute psychotic behavior The Mental Health Problems covered are: 1. Depression 2. Anxiety disorders 3. Psychotic disorders 4. Substance use disorders 5. Eating disorders

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Module 27: The Art of Choice (A Laugh & Learn Playshop!*)

You work hard at taking care of your foster family. How about building up the wonderful person you are? Studies show that adults who include personal development in their lives develop stronger, more effective relationships with the people in their lives and work. This is a fun, motivating program that teaches you how to increase positive self-responsibility and model that for the children in your care. The skills and tools provided increase confidence, responsiveness, and clarity of communication while decreasing stress and conflict. You will amp up your ability to use laughter as a tool and “lighten up,” even in very challenging parts of life!*Laugh & Learn Playshops are a unique, dynamic, and highly interactive environment. You will use your brain, voice, and body, instead of sitting still while your butt goes numb! You will stretch and learn using humor and creativity in a safe, confidential, and supportive environment that emphasizes making growth and improvement a fun, energizing process.

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Module 28: Strategies and Resources for Managing Health Care

Module 28 is intended to supplement “Fostering Health for Children in Foster Care” and focuses on providing information and tools to best support families in managing the health care of children with complex medical needs with the DCF Medically Complex Classifications 2-4.

All foster parents are welcome to take this training but caregivers of children with DCF Classification 2-4 must take Module 28.

These caregivers are:

• Kin/Fictive kin or pre-adoptive parents
• Foster parents, backups and respite providers who must be Medically Complex certified to take care of this special population of children in DCF care.

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Module 29: Working and Communicating Successfully with School

This session will help parents and guardians navigate the (often) difficult waters of working and communicating successfully with your children’s schools. Whether working communicating with educators, from paraprofessionals to teachers; with directors and administrators from to special education directors to district level central office staff, as well as local board of education members.

Parents will learn which educators and adults should be contacted and what they may need to know, i.e. what pieces of information should be brought to their attention by parents/guardians when addressing any kind of problem (academic, social, behavioral, health-related, etc.).

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Module 30: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

This session will provide attendees with an overview of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). During the presentation, attendees will learn about how the disorders were discovered, the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, diagnosing and treatment of children affected by FASD.
Attendees will be able to:

1. Identify Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
2. Understand how FASD can occur and what the potential outcomes may be for the child
3. Recognize what the social impact of FASD may be from the child and family perspective

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Module 31: Explaining Adoption to your Children, Family and Friends

Outline:

• Defining adoption
• Giving the child the words to respond to questions (relatives, neighbors, peers, school)
• Positive Adoption Language
• Explaining Parental Behavior (birth parents)
• It’s Okay to Love two sets of parents.
• Explaining Adoption through the stages of development
• The Child’s Life Story
• The Search Process and what it means

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Module 32: ABCs of Attachment

The purpose of this presentation is to help parents and social workers rule in or rule out attachment trauma in the child in their care, know how to deal with that trauma, and understand the child’s history from a trauma perspective.

Outline:

• Understanding the Effects of Maltreatment on Early Brain Development
• Examples of behaviors which abused/neglected children may be unable to control
• Introduction to Attachment Disorders – Commonly Asked Questions
• Why could it be challenging for an adopted child to accept love?
• What is the parents’ first step?
• Ways to reduce the shame
• Attachment disorder characteristics (whether or not they are true of attachment disordered children)
• How Not to Be Monkey in the Middle – Ten Steps
• A Parent Primer (How to handle your child without burnout)

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Module 33: Restorative Practices (1 Session = 2 hours)

Restorative Practices is a framework and philosophy regarding how individuals learn and behave best in all settings, but especially those in which there is conflict and disagreement. This Restorative Practices approach replaces traditional forms of punishing discipline (detention, suspension, expulsion, exclusion from activities, removal from programs, having to do extra work, being grounded, losing privileges, etc.) with a restorative approach that engages the individuals involved and affected by the inappropriate behavior in a series of common sense questions that give everyone affected an opportunity to be heard and to come together and work collaboratively.
In this module, participants will learn an overview regarding:

Outline:

• What are Restorative Practices?
• What are the strategies that parents, caregivers and educators can use day to day?
• How to use Restorative Questions effectively?
• How to work with schools that may (or may not yet) be using a restorative approach?
• How to access full training in Restorative Practices throughout the state (no cost)?

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Module 34: Child Car Seat Safety (1 Session = 1 hour)

Car seat safety, is a critical component of your child’s safety every day. When traveling with your child in a vehicle it is the law to keep your child properly restrained in a car seat.
This presentation is to ensure safe transportation of all children safe in and around vehicles.

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Module 35: “Adverse Childhood Experiences” (ACES): “How Childhood Trauma and Toxic Stress Impacts A Child’s Present Life” (1 Session = 2 hours)

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training

ACES are the largest public health problem to be discovered in the past thirty years. Traumatic childhood experiences (toxic stress) impacts a child’s daily life in the home, in school and the community. Even when children are too young to remember the events (neglect, abuse, abandonment, violence, etc.), the body never forgets. In this workshop, ACES and the ACES Scale will be introduced and the research and importance of this life-changing information will be presented. All children are affected by ACES, but our foster and adoptive population are even more at risk.

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Module 36: Laugh, Breathe, and Live On Purpose

Healthy leadership requires lots of energy and resilience. Both are affected by choices we make every moment, often without realizing. While some choices are limited by circumstances, we can always choose to breathe more fully and laugh more often. When these natural abilities are chosen, on purpose, they become powerful tools to improve energy, resilience, and relationships. When we make conscious choices about our health and happiness, rather than leaving them to chance, we are able to lead more satisfying lives while realizing our own true purpose. Attendees who choose to participate fully will experience the uplifting benefits of Laughter Yoga and Coherent Breathing at this profound yet fun workshop. Please bring a light blanket, small pillow, and wear loose comfy clothes.

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Module 37: Brain Shift: From Stress to Success in 60-Seconds or Less

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

In this fast-paced, trauma-filled world, it’s easy for anxiety and stress to steal opportunities for success. What if every child and adult could just shift gears and calm their brain down in mere seconds? Discover, practice, and experience two kid-friendly skills that allow quick and easy self-regulation of emotions and behavior. Common benefits include improved self-awareness, cooperation, focus, resilience, learning capacity and self-esteem. We’ll explore the science and experience the relaxing and stress-relieving benefits. Then we’ll discuss the applications in school, home, and in therapy.

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Module 38: Magic Button Mindfulness for K-5 Students

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

Mindfulness is wonderful, but getting kids to sit still and get mindful is tricky. What if there was a “magic button” that let you tap into the wisdom of mindfulness AND reduce pain in just a few seconds? Well, there are actually 11 Magic Buttons! At this stress relieving workshop, active participants will experience the phenomenon on the spot. Each participant will also have the opportunity to privately resolve specific pain or challenges currently being experienced in their lives. We will also discuss how to teach these skills to elementary school children using the presenter’s storybook, specifically designed to implement this easy, evidence-based strategy in school, at home, or on the job.

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Module 39: Mad to Mindful in a Minute

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

Do you get mad too much? Or maybe not enough? Anger occurs naturally when our needs and feelings are not respected and addressed. Anger has gotten a bad rep because it’s often displayed as a scary explosion. Only when it’s expressed and heard safely can we stop the explosions, address needs, and establish healthy boundaries in our relationships. At this workshop, experience how to quickly transform anger into positive change, by using your “Magic Buttons”. Then discover and practice two safe and effective strategies for expressing difficult emotions while building health and self-esteem in kids and adults. One of them is the centerpiece of a therapeutic process that reversed 5 “incurable” chronic diseases in 83% of adults and 99% of adolescents in a 10-year study of 600 subjects. We’ll also discuss the psychophysiology involved in the healing of stress-related illness.

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Module 40: Using Restorative Circles to Build and Repair Family Relationships

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma’ specific training.

In any family, it can be quite a challenge to balance the unique needs of every individual. In foster and adoptive families, it’s far more challenging yet especially important to establish a safe, secure environment, where kids can grow into healthy adults and parents can enjoy being parents.

Restorative Circles provide a reliable and consistent strategy for building safe relationships and restoring damaged ones. In this workshop, we will experience and practice the simple process of conducting effective circles for a variety of purposes. We will also explore the principles that explain why Restorative Circles work so well, and discuss research studies and examples that support your ability to bring these skills into practice at home.

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Module 41: Dad’s Matter Too

Dad’s Matter Too is only available online. Click here to complete Module 41 for full credit online.

Module 42: “Assisting Youth Through the Opioid Crisis and Beyond”™ (New Training)

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Crisis Intervention’ specific training.

A Workshop for Parents, Professionals and Teachers

Covering Topics Such As:

• Understanding Signs of Drug Use
• Effective Communication Strategies with Youth on Drugs
• Prevention and Intervention Strategies for Teachers
• Teaching Youth Drug Refusal Skills
• Helping Youth Cope Effectively with Stress and Emotions
• Marijuana’s influence on Opioid Abuse and much more

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Module 43: COVID-19 – Some Hybrid Learning Advice From Teachers for Foster Families (New Training)

Click here to complete Module 43 for full credit online

Join Lisa Boutillier and Ginnene Branch as they discuss how Teachers have been dealing with COVID-19 and the pandemic’s effects on education. This lively discussion will provide practical and actionable advice on how to deal with the ever-changing COVID-19 educational landscape. Topics range from how schools are changing, Hybrid Learning, what to do at home, disproportionate education, and much more.

Module 44: Coping with Racism and Current Events (New Training)

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Crisis/Trauma’ specific training.

This training will teach caregivers, educators, and counselor’s techniques that will encourage them to provide safe places for children to talk about feelings, concerns, and racism. Participants will learn ways to support and address racial concerns and discuss current events with youth. The beneficial outcomes will help students improve self-esteem, explore their racial identity, and learn about diversity.

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Module 45: Restorative Practices & Childhood Trauma (Advanced) (New Training)

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Crisis/Trauma’ specific training.

In this two-hour session, participants will have previously attended both CAFAF Modules # 33 (Restorative Practices) and # 35 (Adverse Childhood Experiences/Toxic Stress/Trauma).
The intention in this follow-up offering will be to take the information provided in these two interconnected “modules” to an advanced level. Participants will reflect upon the prior learning and explore their use of the specific targeted strategies already provided as well as to become more confident in the implementation of restorative prevention and problem-solving skills. Implementation challenges will be collaboratively discussed with the goal of feeling far more comfortable and capable to work restoratively in their homes as well as being more capable to advocate for their foster and adoptive children at the schools where they attend. Most children who have high ACE scores (trauma) are referred to Special Education in order to receive additional services for their learning and behavior needs. In reality, these children may not actually need Special Education interventions, but would benefit more significantly by being in restorative school environments and receiving interventions that heal the injuries of trauma.

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Module 46: Managing Adult/Parent/Grandparent Stress (New Training)

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Crisis/Trauma’ specific training.

This workshop explores the science of stress and how adults can view stress in ways that help them manage stressful times and events in ways that don’t become toxic and debilitating. Our children need us to be available to them in all ways, so it is imperative that we “put the masks on ourselves first” and provide critical self-care so that we can be available to them. The science of stress teaches us that how we view stress impacts our ability to deal with it. When we can view stress as positive…our bodies energizing us to meet stressful challenges, we get through stressful times without harming our health and well-being. Unfortunately, all too many adults perceive stress as harmful to health and well-being and that’s when we struggle.

The key element to managing stress is to understand how important relationships are in our lives; reaching out to others when we need help and support as well as reaching out to help others in need is what transforms the negativity of stress into a positive force that allows us to rise to any stressful challenges we may experience and thus make meaning in our lives.

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Module 47: Circle of Security Parenting with Foster Parents (New Training)

Imagine what it might feel like if you were able to make sense of what your child was really asking from you. The Circle of Security Parenting program is based on decades of research about how secure parent-child relationships can be supported and strengthened.
The Circle of Security-Parenting program can provide foster parents support, insight, and fresh ways of thinking about foster children’s needs. Understand their child’s emotional world by learning to read emotional needs
• Support their child’s ability to successfully manage emotions
• Enhance the development of their child’s self esteem
• Honor the innate wisdom and desire for their child to be secure

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Module 48: What is QPI? (New Training)

Click here to complete Module 48 for full credit online

Join Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes, Deputy Commissioner of Operations Michael Williams, and Carole Shauffer as they discuss what QPI is and why we need it.

Module 49: Dealing With Stress In These Uncertain Times (New Training)

Click here to complete Module 49 for full credit online

Join Life-Long Educators Jo Anne Freiberg Ph.D. and Patricia Ciccone C.A.G.S. | L.P.C to learn more about dealing with stress in these uncertain times. Topics covered will include

• The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope
• Resilience and the Human Condition
• Mechanisms, Structures and School Connectedness
• Structures and Mechanisms for Building Resilience

Module 50: Adapting to the Changes and Transitions in the Foster Home (New Training)

Click here to complete Module 50 for full credit online

Watch this heartwarming recording of the live in person 2021 presentation where Joseph and Ana Montalvo discussed their personal stories surrounding the changes and adaptations they made in their lives in order to transition to foster parents and the additional challenges and successes that followed.

Module 51: Behavior Management (New Training)

Topics:

• Meets DCF’s designation of Crisis Intervention
• ABC: Antecedent Behavior & Consequences
• 15 Techniques of Behavior Modification
• Communication Skills
• Resources and Tips

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Module 52: ADHD & ODD​ (New Training)

Module Meets DCF’s designation of Crisis Intervention and Trauma

Mental Health First Aid USA’s mission is to provide high quality, evidenced-based education so everyone has the first aid skills to support youth with mental health challenges. This is only possible in training environments that foster nonjudgmental communication and understanding and reduce the stigma around mental health challenges. Participants play critical roles in establishing these environments by adhering to the following Participant Rights and Responsibilities.

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Module 53: Caring For Our Own (New Training)

Meets DCF’s designation of Crisis Intervention.

Topics:

• The importance of children living with people they know and trust
• How and why the reduction of trauma is important
• The importance of children’s identity, culture and ethnicity

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Module 54: The Impact of Home & School (Transitions, rules and family routines, rituals and chores)​ (New Training)

Meets DCF’s designation of Crisis Intervention

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Module 55: Fostering with Infertility Struggles (New Training)

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma/Crisis’ specific training.

Gain insight to the challenges of fostering and adopting while managing current and past experiences with infertility struggles. This module will address facts & figures, ways to promote discussion about the process, and how to explore meaning in healthy ways.

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Module 56: Trafficking (New Training)

Module meets DCF’s designation of ‘Trauma/Crisis’ specific training.

This workshop will help parents and caregivers learn about protecting their family from human trafficking. Participants will learn to define human trafficking. Caregivers will gain knowledge of the history of trafficking and information about modern day slavery. Parents and caregivers will be trained to utilize different ways to prevent their children from becoming victims of human trafficking. In the event that trafficking occurs in a families home they will be informed on possible ways to add in the survivors recovery.

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Module 57: Parent Partnering (New Training)

Click here to complete Module 57 for full credit online

Parent Partnering is all about the hard work of relationship building for the sake of the children. Join Marian Russo, Becca Allen, Thaddea David, and Samantha Heltke as we delve into the learning objectives, gounding exersises, best practices, and personal experiences surrounding Parent Partnering.

Module 58: Reflections on Nearly Two Years Like No Other: Lessons Learned & Recommendations for Recovery and Healing (New Training)

This workshop will focus on the myriad struggles families and children have had during the pandemic in both homes and schools. There are countless lessons learned by looking back over the past two years which should guide parents/guardians and educators to navigate the future successfully. There are “silver linings” of the pandemic. Parents/guardians and educators should not only recognize and celebrate them but also use this life changing experience as a way to guide future practice. It would be a shame to emerge from the pandemic living by “Business as Usual.” The pandemic provided an awesome opportunity for learning about what is fundamentally important to children and the adults who love and work with them. This Module explores all of this with an eye toward emerging stronger than ever.

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Module 59: Overview of Child Welfare Legal Process (New Training)

Click here to complete Module 59 for full credit online

Module 60: Understanding Post Adoption Agreements (New Training)

Click here to complete Module 60 for full credit online

Module 61: Supporting Survivors of Sexual Violence: Responding to Disclosures

In this training, participants will gain an understanding of the foundations of sexual violence through defining key terms and definitions and examining the prevalence in our communities. By examining the impact of trauma and sexual violence, participants will discuss ways to respond to disclosures of sexual violence, empowerment strategies, local resources, and how to create safer spaces for survivors.

Facilitator Bio:

Rachel Ellis (she/her) is the Outreach Coordinator for the Sexual Assault Crisis Service. Rachel is a state-certified crisis counselor/advocate and holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Work degree from Southern Connecticut State University. Rachel has over 5 years of experience working in crisis mental healthcare settings serving a variety of populations including homeless individuals, individuals with substance use disorders, individuals with intellectual disabilities, college students and survivors of sexual violence. She has a special passion for advocating for and empowering communities of color and other historically marginalized populations. When she is not responding to a crisis you can find Rachel participating in spoken word poetry, singing, dancing or theatre as she finds the arts to be another powerful tool for starting conversations and empowerment.

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