Assembly Schedule

Morning Session:
No One Intervention Fits Every Situation: Voices of Experience

Panel – Debra Casolari, Margaret Dellio Storey, Christopher Sullins, Mary Ann Williams, Josephine Zutell

A five member panel with varied personal and professional experiences with military families will tell their stories and by doing so give us a rich view of the many challenges facing military parents and their children but also the ways we can be helpful in a variety of settings.

You will hear from the mother of a military family living in Arizona, who is also a LMFT, assisting children of deployed parents in “off base” schools; a social worker intervening the past 20 years at Fort Bragg Schools, North Carolina where she developed the program, Club USA, to help children with deployment; a social worker contracted with the Department of Defense here in Michigan to educate all of us about the issues of deployment and reintegration; a military mom raising two children during the times she served in Desert Storm and is now a retired Major as well as Doctor of Psychology and; a child life therapist coordinator working directly with families air evacuated into Walter Reed Army Medical Center. There will be ample time to ask questions of all panel members as to what they have found personally and professionally to be helpful to themselves and the families they are assisting. Every participant will receive, Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes, a bilingual educational outreach initiative designed by Sesame Street Workshop for military families and their young children to share.

Afternoon Session:
Multiple Strategies for Helping Children of Deployed Parents Tell Their Stories

Presenters – Drs. Cathy Malchiodi and William Steele

Imagine the impact on a child when his parent is initially deployed. Now imagine the same child and the impact after the sixth deployment of that parent. For over three years or more in that child’s lifetime he is without that parent, living constantly with uncertainty. Drs. Malchiodi and Steele will share the stories of military children and adolescents and use their voices to reveal the unique ways they experience deployment. Some of the questions to be answered include: What are their biggest worries and just how big are they? What do their worries tell us? What do teens want non-military teens to know about them? Participants will be invited to take part in activities used with these children and teens to help them tell their stories. What can be learned from a rubber duck can be quite surprising. The helpful strategies presented in this session will be carried over into the breakout presentations the remainder of the Assembly.

Presenter, William Steele, PsyD, MSW is the Founder and Director of The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, established in 1990 and Senior Vice President of Training for Starr Commonwealth. Dr. Steele has developed, published and produced numerous books, articles, trauma-specific intervention programs and resource materials. He has trained well over 40,000 professionals. After the Gulf War he was one of the first Americans selected by the Kuwait government to provide trauma intervention training for their newly formed mental health staff. Whether in the aftermath of the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma, the tragedy of 9/11, the ravages of the tsunami, the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, or the critical incidents that occur in schools and communities, Dr. Steele’s programs and resources are helping thousands of children, families and professionals every day.

Presenter, Cathy Malchiodi, Phd, LPCC, CPAT has published numerous books, chapters, and articles in the field of art therapy including, Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children, Breaking the Silence: Working With Traumatized Children, Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children, and Understanding Children's Drawings, which are standards in the field. She has trained counselors, therapists, and teachers throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe. She has been presented with a number of awards for her clinical contributions to children, adults, and families, including a Presidential Award. Her “hands-on” workshops teach practical and valuable interventions to use with children of all ages. She is currently on the faculty of Lesley University, and writes The Healing Arts for Psychology Today.

Wednesday, July 14

Level-1 • 8:30 am - 3:45 pm

Children of Trauma
Learn the differences between grief and trauma and come to know trauma as an experience rather than a diagnostic category. Learn how to become a “witness” to a child’s traumatic experience to best appreciate the intensity of the experience and the needs of the child; to see what he now sees as he looks at himself and the world around him. Video taped interviews will demonstrate how TLC’s evidence-based, structured sensory intervention process brings children relief from the terror of their traumatic experiences. This structured process is used in schools and agencies across the country and has been proven, via research, to reduce trauma-specific reactions across all three major sub-categories. When participating in the TLC Certification Program each participant will receive the TLC DVD, Tools to Help the Helper.

Presenter, William Steele, PsyD, MSW (see bio under Tuesday afternoon)

Level-2 • 8:30 am - 3:45 pm

Using Children’s Drawing in Art and Play Therapy
Art and drawing help traumatized children externalize and concretize their experience in a language that can then be cognitively reframed. Sensory-based interventions are key in facilitating trauma debriefing, re-enactment, and resolution. This course provides a foundation for why drawing and art activities enhance trauma intervention and our understanding of PTSD in children. Participants will learn how to recognize the signs of PTSD in children’s art and specific interventions for use in schools, shelters, hospitals and clinics.

Presenter, Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, CPAT (see bio under Tuesday afternoon)

Workshop 1B • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

Cycles of Deployment
This workshop provides critical information and strategies for helping military families and children. Four areas will be covered: the emotional cycles of deployment, combat-related stress reactions, children and separation issues of deployment and tips for teachs working with children during deployment (also applicable to mental health professionals.)

Co-presenter, Chris Sullins, MSW, LMSW, LCSW is a Military and Family Life Consultant with the Joint Family Support and Assistance Program (JFSAP) in Michigan. He provides counseling to service members and their families. He deployed to Iraq as a combat stress control prevention team officer and supported military, federal and contract personnel in various locations throughout central Iraq.

Co-presenter, Maritza Rodriguez-Arseneau, MS, LPC is also a Military and Family Life Consultant with JFSAP. She provides counseling to service members, families, children and couples in the military. She worked for three years on active duty installations, served in the Army Reserves and was the spouse of an active duty soldier.

Workshop 2B • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

School Counselors: Cultural Adjustments and Interventions
This presentation addresses issues of cultural competence as well as strategies for intervening in a culturally responsive way. Cultural competence checklists, multicultural storytelling, the use of video segments and other activities will provide participants with a variety of experiences and strategies.

Presenter, Candice Benn, MA, LPC is currently working at Deminion Day Youth Services in Richard, VA. As a former head start teacher and school counselor and she has had the challenge of working with diverse populations including adolescent refugees. As a TLC Certified Trauma Specialist, she has found TLC strategies to be supportive of the varied needs of multicultural adolescents.

Workshop 3B • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

Responding To The Multiple Trauma’s Sexual Assault Survivor’s Experience
In this presentation, participants will have a chance to take part in actual case studies and experience how the medical, legal, and therapeutic systems challenge sexual assault survivors today. Anyone working with survivors of sexual assault will have a better understanding of how to address the multiple traumas survivors and their families experience in their efforts to cope and recover.

Presenter, Rebecca Verkest, BA, CTS, CTC has been working in the domestic violence field since 1994 as a Families First Counselor, Child Therapist and Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Specialist. She has provided expert testimony, advocated with Child Protective Services, intervened in crisis situations involving domestic violence and sexual assault as well as developed an implemented group curriculums for child and teen victims and parents and advocated for teens in the juvenile justice system.

Co-Presenter, Cindy Schalter, BA, started out as a volunteer with Turning Point 15 years ago. Cyndy's experience as a victim advocate for Turning Point has allowed her to work closely with survivors, as well as their friends and family. Cyndy addresses the emotional needs of the survivor and provides immediate crisis intervention after an assault. She has worked hard through the years as program coordinator in making sure that there is always 24/7 coverage by first response advocates who also assist survivors during the examination process of evidence collection.

Workshop 4B • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

WRITE OUT LOUD: A Journal Experience for Families in the Military
Whether a family member writes a poem, finishes a sentence stem such as, “I wish the war would...” or writes an angry unsent letter, the process of journaling helps clear emotional turmoil and allows insight and balance. This session will include video clips to access military family issues, art supplies to collage, as well as tried and true journal techniques for your personal and professional practice. Your writing will be completely private. You can leave your judgement and grammar in the hallway, because no one is watching, except you!

Presenter, Linda W. Peterson-St. Pierre, PhD was a tenured associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of Nevada School of Medicine from 1978 to 2004. She taught medical students at all levels and interns and residents in Pediatrics and Family Medicine. She now conducts a clinical practice in Reno, Nevada. Her clinical area of expertise is post traumatic stress disorder resulting from sexual, physical and emotional abuse and she also specializes in ADD, encopresis and enuresis.

Workshop 1C • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

The Role of the Family During Deployment
One might assume that they role of the family during deployments seldom changes. However, every deployment presents new challenges for the family. Considering that multiple deployments can consume three years and more away from home, unresolved issues can intensify, the importance of the absent parent to the family can change, and prolonged periods without that parent can strain the best of relationships. How then do family roles hinder or help with these significant adjustments? Dr. DeLillo-Storey, a mom and a military parent who was deployed, provides wonderful insight into what keeps a family strong during those difficult times.

Presenter, Margaret DeLillo-Storey, PsyD, CTC-S is a retired Major from the U.S. Army, where she served from 1982-2003. She was a deployed mom and held such positions as Field Combat Officer, Field Combat Medic among others. She also served in Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm. Currently working for Perry Schools in Ohio.

Workshop 2C • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

“Draining off” Youth in Crisis
What’s a professional to say to a youth in crisis? Before saying anything, one must take time to listen, and to understand what is going on in the psychological world of that youth. Only through this understanding can the professional determine the most advantageous and appropriate approach to produce a healing intervention. This small group session will help participants gain a clear understanding of a youth’s perspective as it relates to crisis. The session will also shed a light on how our own (limited) perspectives can impede the healing process if not carefully assessed. Participants will be introduced to the skill of “draining off” youth in crisis, and moving them toward productive communication and healing.

Presenter, Martha Dobbins, MA, LPC is the Director of Training Initiatives at Starr Commonwealth of Michigan. She earned her Master’s Degree from Western Michigan University in Counseling Psychology and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Martha is a member of the National Association of Peer Group Counselors, Michigan Association of Children’s Alliances, and several other child care organizations. She is a Certified Senior Trainer for Life Space Crisis Intervention, Response Ability Pathways and Building Safe and Reclaiming Environments and has a SPADA (Alcohol and Drug Abuse Assessment) Certification. Previously Martha was a Residential Director at Starr Commonwealth where she had daily contact with 200 students and the staff who worked with them.

Workshop 3C • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Domestic Sex Trafficking of MINORS: Unique Implications for Trauma Recovery
Human Trafficking is the second leading crime in the world, yet most people do not believe it happens to children in our own country. Over three hundred thousand American children are at risk of being sexually exploited or trafficked. Participants will learn the definition and red flags of domestic minor sex trafficking. Although symptoms can present similar to sexual and physical abuse, participants will learn the specific psychological and medical implications of this trauma upon a child and how it affects developmental stages. The presentation will also provide program and counseling recommendations in working with a trafficked child victim, concentrating on the key areas to address when working to heal the wounds of slavery.

Presenter, Theresa Flores, LSW, MSEd, the Director of Awareness and Training for Gracehaven House in Ohio, is a survivor of domestic sex trafficking as a teenager living in the Detroit area. She has written about her story in her book, “The Sacred Bath: An American Teens Story of Modern Day Slavery.” She writes “My story is a bit unique…I lived in a nice neighborhood and had a wonderful family. We weren’t poor and I wasn’t neglected. Yet I was targeted by a group of very evil men who used me, tortured me and made me do things for them and other men for their profit. I was kidnapped and left for dead.” Ms. Flores lives in Central Ohio and is the single mother of three beautiful children. She is a licensed Social Worker and has a Master’s in Counseling Education from the University of Dayton as a Human Development Specialist.

Workshop 4C • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Trauma Group for Mothers
With cases and taped testimonials, Val and Louise will present the work they have been doing with groups of traumatized mothers at a children’s mental health center using TLC’s Adults and Parents in Trauma Program. What they have found is that traumatized mothers are often unable to make the changes necessary to meet their children’s needs, despite good intentions, even after months of work with them. It is their experience that the group meets a variety of needs, most importantly the trouble children of these mothers. Time and time again, the children demonstrate an increased capacity for healing once their mothers have experienced the relief which comes with the trauma process. The strategies, activities and benefits of this program will be presented.

Co-presenter, Louise Tamblyn, MA, has varied experience in providing individual, group and family counseling to children and adults and in counseling across cultures. She has also provided workshops in a variety of settings to foster parents, university personnel and professional groups on cross-cultural communication and more recently on trauma.

Co-Presenter, Val Millson, MSW, is a registered social worker with particular interest in trauma, attachment and emotional regulation. Her most recent work focuses on children in care and cross generational trauma. She is currently practicing at a children’s mental health clinic and in a program that offers services for abused women. she has worked in educational settings, child welfare, and adult community-based psychiatric services.

Thursday, July 15

Level-1 • 8:30 am - 3:45 pm

Structured Sensory Interventions
Learn trauma-specific intervention tasks and techniques as well as see them demonstrated. This is a practice day. The presenter engages attendees in an encapsulated demonstration of the major sensory structured processes. Attendees will also participate in additional activities and, by days end, will feel comfortable using any of the TLC intervention programs. A brief presentation of the TLC evidence-based research and outcome will support the value of TLC’s structured sensory programs in schools and agencies. The complete intervention programs are available to conference attendees at a reduced price. The Trauma Intervention Program is a comprehensive individual program for children 6-12 years old and adolescents 13-18 years old. I Feel Better Now! Program is a group program for children 6-12 years old. What Color is Your Hurt? is an individual program for preschoolers 3-6 years old. If you would like to order any of these intervention programs for pick-up at the conference, please check the appropriate boxes on the registration form. The TLC book, Structured Sensory Interventions for Traumatized Children, Adolescents and Parents will be given to all attendees.

Presenter, William Steele, MSW, PsyD (See bio on Tuesday afternoon)

Level-2 • 8:30 am - 3:45 pm

A Neurodevelopment Lens into Play-Based Trauma Interventions
This presentation focuses on the role of neurodevelopmental sensory processing in the experience of trauma and the mechanisms that internally perpetuate the trauma once the threat has passed. Specific play-based sensorimotor strategies will be demonstrated and discussed that help the body/nervous system re-regulate internal states versus being activated and aroused by triggered trauma memories and sensations. Understanding how to help children with self regulation through sensory processing enhances the success of resolving the trauma and helps restore feelings of self control and safety.

Presenter, Pamela Lemerand, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Eastern Michigan University and the Director of the Autism Collaborative Center. She has been an instructor at Western Michigan, Wayne State and Michigan State Universities and held positions as Supervisor of Early Childhood/Preschool Programs and Director of Student Services: Special Education Early Childhood Education, At-Risk Programs. Dr. Lemerand has numerous honors from Outstanding Occupational Therapist of the Year to Outstanding Faculty Classroom Instructor of the Year. “Understanding the Developmental Issus of Traumatized Children”, “Sensorimotor Interventions for Children with Trauma History”, and “Children With Traumatic Brain Injuries: What Teachers Need to Know “ are just a few of the presentations she has provided for such groups as the National Council for Exceptional Children and International Learning Disability Association. The role of sensory processing has always been a lens through which she examines children’s behaviors. Her combined experiences as a school psychologist and occupational therapist provide a unique understanding and expertise in the application of interventions addressing the psychosocial developmental and sensory needs of traumatized children.

Workshop 1D • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

Adjustments: The Return Home
A good deal of focus has been placed on the impact of deployments on children. As difficult as it is for a child to have a parent leave knowing they may not return, reintegration back into the family not once, not twice, but multiple times can be equally challenging not only for children and at the home parent but also for the returning parent. This presentation will identify the many adjustments of reintegration – what helps and what does not help.

Presenter, Margaret DeLillo-Storey, PsyD, CTC-S (See presenter bio under Workshop 1C)

Workshop 2D • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

Project Live: A School Based Mental Health Intervention Program
This presentation reviews the strategies of Project Live. By implementing psycho educational programming and counseling services, trauma related symptoms and related behavioral challenges in the school settings are being resolved and more effectively managed. The project works with inner city middle school students involving Hispanic, African American, Asian and Caucasian youngsters. It has helped to reduce incidents of violence in the school setting, improve problem solving and coping skills of traumatized youngsters as well as enhance resiliency and protective buffers.

Presenter, Regina Singleton, MSW, has had the experience of raising two children who have been behaviorally challenged due to ADD, ADHD and Generalized Anxiety. The experience of parenting two children with mental health needs was a strong factor in helping her to develop mental health services in her community. Ms. Singleton has been a field instructor for University of Kansas School of Social Welfare for over 20 years as well as an adjunct professor for over 15 years. She has developed a number of creative and innovative programs for youth and their families specifically wrap around services.

Workshop 3D • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

What Color Is Your Hurt: Returning Balance Between Left and Right Brain Functions in Traumatized Preschoolers
Given all that has been learned the last five years about early trauma and the developing brain, TLC’s What Color Is Your Hurt? Program was revised. The new program contains Sensori-motor and Positive Behavior Support activities to help create a balance between left and right brain functioning in traumatized children 3-6 years old. Following several trainings, presentations and outcome information, The Early Childhood Education Department in New Jersey pursued and were awarded stimulus funds to train several school districts in the state in the use of What Color Is Your Hurt?. Ms. Ciocco will actively involve participants in the new program activities to gain firsthand experience of their benefits for the children.

Presenter Cindy Ciocco, MPA, CTC-S is a trained TLC certified Trauma Consultant-Supervisor and has over 19 years of experience working with preschool aged children in the public and private sector. She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership along with New Jersey State Principal Certification. She received TLC’s National Trauma Consultant of the Year Award for 2008 and currently works as a Behavior/Trauma Specialist for New Jersey schools and owns a private Child Care Center for young children.

Workshop 4D • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

Being a Certain Parent in an Uncertain Time
As parents, we discover very quickly there is much to learn. When our child experiences events that are unlike anything typical, we also discover there is much to learn, except differently. Life today is not only difficult but because of all the uncertainties quite challenging. Traumatic deaths, traumatic events beyond our control, war and multiple deployments, financial instability, Internet predators and so much more today, can leave any parent at a loss as to how to raise their children. This presentation will discuss meeting parent needs, the code children use to get their needs met, what works and what doesn’t, and what parents can say when their child asks difficult questions.

Presenter Mary Hayek, MEd, LMSW, CTC-S is a TLC Certified Trainer, a parent, social worker and educator supporting children and families for over 30 years, especially in the area of parenting education, including those with children who have been adjudicated. The experience of losing many family members, including her spouse, in a very short period of time, led her understand the need to not only incorporate effective parenting strategies that provide a sense of safety and control for children experiencing loss, but also to seek out effective ways in which to assist herself and others to move past the pain and uncertainty created by losses of any kind.

Workshop 1E • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Club USA: Helping Children and Families with Multiple Deployments
Club USA, developed by Mary Ann Williams, speaks directly to the unique values and life views of military families and specifically on children’s fears created when their parents are deployed. Its varied activities are designed to help support a strong bond between children and their “at home” parent. It also emphasizes the importance of positive peer relationships so critical in the lives of military children. This presentation will take participants through the activities of the program demonstrating the sensory and cognitive processes which help military children better manage the many reactions and challenges they face.

Presenter, Mary Ann Williams, MEd has been employed by the Department of Defense as a teacher and counselor for the past thirty years. She has worked directly with the children of military families stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina for the majority of her career. She is a TLC Certified Consultant Supervisor who developed Club USA in 2003.

Workshop 2E • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Best Practices for Improving the School Climate: Meeting Academic Markers Decreasing Incidents of Discipline
Today’s schools are increasingly diverse and under constant pressure to meet academic markers demonstrated through standardized testing/assessment. Discipline issues and incidents and the behavior of at-risk and vulnerable students challenge these academic markers. Participants will learn about programs used in various schools including anti-bullying programs, school-wide behavior plans, values education, lunch bunch groups, attendance programs and more. “Stop and Think” social skills and teaching strategies will be demonstrated and data shared that links the increase in school’s academic scores with a decrease in discipline incidents.

Presenter, Jennifer Haddow, MS, Ed, CTS, a co-founder of Crisis Oriented Planning and Educational Services, LLC, co-chairs South-Western City School’s Flight Team (a crisis response team) and is a quarterly guest presenter at the Ohio State University’s School of Education, discussing best practices Jennifer works with schools on ways to improve the overall school climate and continues to work with emotionally and behaviorally challenged students. She earned her Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Dayton and in 2009 was recognized as one of TLC’s Trauma and Loss School Specialists of the Year for her work in supporting best practices.

Workshop 3E • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

A Cherished Life Has Ended: The Long Journey Home for Parents
Have you ever found yourself deep in the wilderness, helpless and hopelessly lost, with no way out? For parents who have experienced the death of child, this is their reality. Their grief symptoms are dramatically different from those mourning the death of a parent, spouse or sibling. They are more intense, exaggerated, frequent, last longer and often seen as abnormal. This makes parents especially susceptible to irreconcilable grief. Consequently, while some “find their way home”, many do not. Fortunately, even though parents grieve differently, there are a number of commonalities that can serve as a rough road map to help direct them out of the wilderness. This interactive presentation offers important trail markers that serve to guide their journey and your journey with them.

Presenter, Glenn R. Carlton, PhD, CTC, is a co-founder of Crisis Oriented Planning and Educational Services. Dr. Carlton has received best practice awards from the Ohio School Psychologists Association and School Psychologists of Central Ohio. Last year he was recognized as one of TLC’s three “Trauma and Loss School Specialists of the Year”. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Carlton has been intimately involved with the design, implementation and evaluation of Traumatic Event Crisis Intervention Plans. He maintains certification through TLC and ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation) and also serves on the Site Steering Committee of The Compassionate Friends, Inc., Columbus Chapter and facilitates monthly parent and sibling support meetings.

Friday, July 17

Level-1 School • 8:30 am - 3:45 pm

After the Crisis
This course introduces “After the Crisis” management protocols that offer building crisis response teams a proven structure to stabilize the aftermath situation, mobilize resources, accelerate normalization of routine, minimize the adverse impact on student achievement (by restoring adaptive functioning) and facilitate access to more help for the most seriously impacted students and staff. The format of this course will include lecture, demonstrations, small and large group discussion and practice.

Co-Presenters Glenn Carlton, PhD and Jennifer Haddow MS, Ed, CTS (see presenter bios Workshops 2E and 3E)

Level-1 Clinical • 8:30 am - 3:45 pm

Trauma Debriefing and Self Care
This presentation will demonstrate TLC’s formal debriefing model. The TLC Debriefing Model fits with the uniqueness of school and agency settings. The models address the developmental issues, time and resource constraints, needs of staff as well as student/clients, administrative issues and trauma response issues. In the afternoon our focus will shift from care giving for others to taking care of ourselves. Compassion fatigue is different from burnout and certainly a reaction we are vulnerable to following our efforts to help those in trauma. Knowing the signs to our own needs is essential to sustaining our effectiveness as trauma responders over time. Although optional, the purchase of the Debriefing Handbook is recommended as it contains each model in an 8 x 5 inch format for duplication in a card format for use in debriefing sessions. The reduced conference price is $25.

Presenter Lisa Schwab, LCPC s a TLC Clinical Specialist and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois, who has varied clinical experiences from being a juvenile probation officer to assisting families in a medical setting with the death of their loved one. She has provided treatment for traumatized children 0-6 in the foster care system and has been a state wide child trauma trainer with the Trauma Informed Practice Program with Chicago State University/Department of Children and Family Services. She has also received specific training in the Child-Parent Psychotherapy Program from Dr. Patricia Van Horn of the University of California and continues consultation with Dr. Bruce Perry and the Child Trauma Academy in high profile cases. She has been and continues to be a strong advocate for trauma informed practicesand creating trauma informed systems.

Workshop 1F • 8:30 am - 11:45 am

Trauma First Aide: Somatic Interventions
In keeping with our theme of supporting children of deployed parents, and given the role Trauma First Aide (TFA) had in working with Fort Hood survivors, this workshop will present strategies for tracking shifts in the nervous system and restoring balance quickly and repeatedly during and after a crisis. TFA focuses on using somatic experiences to help victims self regulate their reactions, which supports TLC’s sensory interventions. TFA skills enable helping professionals to assist children, youth and families reduce their trauma symptoms and gain a greater sense of self-control. These strategies can be used in schools as well as community settings.

Presenter Pam Burnham, PhD has been in clinical practice for thirty years. She spent time in Thailand following the Tsunami, as well as in New Orleans following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Dr. Burnham is a senior TFA instructor teaching in Louisiana, California, Maine and other areas throughout the country.

Presenter Cyndi Harris, MS is an instructor, leadership team member and Director of Research of TFA. She teaches in New Mexico, Massachusetts and Hawaii and is also a member of the TFA training team for the U.S. State Department.

Workshop 1G • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

School Therapy Dogs Change The Lives of Students
Children bring to school many traumatic issues that have a negative impact on their learning and their social and emotional health. Traditional counseling does not always help. Presenters will discuss Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) that are being successfully used with full-time school-based therapy dogs and findings from research involving one of the school therapy dogs to determine her effectiveness in conjunction with the “I Feel Better Now!” curriculum. Along with Documentation of the social, emotional and academic benefits that children realize through the interaction with school therapy dogs will also be presented. Presenters will give many examples of how school therapy dogs, such as Allie and Magic (who you will meet), have been instrumental in transforming the lives of children on a daily basis in Bryan City and Tiffin City Schools (Ohio).

Co-presenter, Shelley Wanner, LPC, NCC, NCSC retired in June of 2007 as a School Counselor at Bryan Middle School where she enjoyed working with middle school students since 1990. Previously, she was an English teacher and counselor at Archbold High School for 19 years. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor, a National Certified Counselor, and a National Certified School Counselor.

Co-presenter Jackie Boyd, BS, MEd has been teaching elementary school for 17 years and now works as a school counselor, with special responsibilities for students in Emotionally Disturbed classes. The newest and most exciting part of Jackie’s job is working with Allie, a therapy dog placed at school with the counseling department.

Co-presenter Suzanne Reinhart, MEd, a school counselor and in 2006 received placement of a certified, school-based therapy dog named Magic.

Co-presenter Amber Lange, PhD is a licensed professional counselor who currently teaches ethics and professional issues courses at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. She is a Doctoral Candidate at University of Toledo.

Co-presenter Jenny Barlos, BA is the Client Services Director at Assistance Dogs of America where she provides educational presentations for schools, professionals and community groups using school therapy and other assistance dogs.

Allie and Magic are Golden Retrievers donated by Assistance Dogs of America, Inc for use in the schools.

Workshop 2G • 12:30 pm - 3:45 pm

Using Music and Play with Traumatized Infants and Toddlers
This workshop will highlight the latest research about trauma’s impact on the developing brain. Participants will learn practical ways to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of connection and interactions that facilitate strong and secure attachments with traumatized infants and toddlers 0-3 years old. Strategies, including the use of music and play that have shown to reduce arousal in both the parent/caregiver and child will be presented. All participants will receive a copy of TLC’s revised “Handbook of Trauma Interventions: Zero to Three.”

Presenter, Caelan Kuban, MSW, LMSW is the Program Director and Clinical Consultant at the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children. She provides short-term trauma intervention and assessment for children and adolescents, conducts local and national trainings and presentations, and assists with community outreach for trauma-related incidents. Caelan has coordinated and completed two evidence-based research studies; Children of Today with at-risk school-aged children in Taylor, Michigan and Restoring Hope and Resiliency with adjudicated youth in Ohio and Georgia. Both studies showed outstanding, statistically significant results across trauma subscales and mental health categories. Caelan is the author of “Zero to Three: A Handbook of Trauma Interventions,” “One Minute Trauma Interventions,” “A Time for Resilience,” and numerous other articles, chapters and publications. Caelan is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology.

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