This one-day learning collaborative will provide participants with a deeper understanding of the impact of trauma on child development. National experts will provide specific strategies for interventions with young children and their families. Nearly60% of children entering child welfare are between the age of 0 to 5 years old. It is critical that child welfare works to meet the needs of the caregiver while providing the highest quality interventions to infants and young children. The learning collaborative will focus on the critical role child welfare, behavioral health and public health has in caring for our youngest and most vulnerable.
Topics include:
- Understanding key strategies for working with families
- Learning about key programs and implementation strategies for serving young children
- Reviewing infant and toddler brain development and attachment
- Addressing the needs of young children and developing case plans as part of CFTs
- Using the CANS findings to guide identification of interventions and support for children and families
- Opportunities for partnering with other departments, including Mental Health, Regional Centers and the Department of Education
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum: Learning to put yourself in the shoes of the prenatally-exposed child
We will explore best practices, CANS assessments and the use of CFTs and identify key interventions to support the health and development of young children and their families.
About the Presenters
Kate Messina, Ph.D., has worked with foster and adoptive parents for more than 30 years. She maintains a private practice in Fair Oaks, CA, and is the founder of the WisdomPath Way Reparative Parenting Approach, a trauma-informed, neurodevelopmental coaching model for resource and adoptive parents. In addition, Messina provides training and coaching to state, county and private agencies throughout California in the implementation of culturally relevant strategies and techniques for helping children recover and mature from the impact of early adverse experiences.
Kathryn Page, Ph.D., has worked in a variety of mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice and educational settings over the years—all leading to her current focus on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She is currently president of FASDNorCal, a parent-professional collaborative aiming to raise California’s ability to diagnose, serve and prevent further generations affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. Previously, Page served as clinical director of the FASD Diagnostic Clinic at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center; disabilities consultant for the Juvenile Drug Treatment Court; and acting school psychologist for the San Lorenzo Unified School District.
Kristie Brandt, CNM, DNP, is an assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, and visiting faculty with the Brazelton Touchpoints Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. An internationally known teacher, trainer, clinician and consultant, Brandt directs the Parent-Infant and Child Institute, an NMT flagship site, in Napa, CA, that provides clinical services for children age 0-5, consultation for parents and providers, and professional training. In 2002, she founded the Napa Infant-Parent Mental Health Fellowship and directs this renowned program now affiliated with the University of California, Davis, Continuing and Professional Education.
Maria L. Quintanilla, LCSW, is the founder and executive director of Latino Family Institute, Inc. (LFI). She is a graduate of the Infant-Parent Mental Health Post-Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and has received California Endorsement as an Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist/Reflective Practice Facilitator II. She is also certified in Dr. Bruce Perry's trauma-informed Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT). In addition, Quintanilla is a recognized leader in the field of Latino child welfare issues. She has developed a culturally based practice model of service delivery for Latinos and has trained nationally on this model.
Marty Beyer, Ph.D., is a child welfare and juvenile justice consultant and a U.S. Justice Department monitor of New York state juvenile facilities. She offers training and consultation on juvenile justice, child welfare and mental health services for children and families and provides developmental assessments for juvenile waiver/transfer hearings, sentencing of juveniles in adult court and dispositional planning in juvenile court. Beyer was an LGBT consultant to the Hawaii Office of Youth Services and is an expert in Rosie D. (a Massachusetts class action on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children). She developed the Family Time: Visit Coaching model for working with parents and caregivers.
Mike Sherman, Psy.D., has worked at the nexus of early childhood trauma, mental health and child welfare as a therapist, supervisor and program administrator in county operated and nonprofit organizations for more than 15 years. A Napa Parent-Infant Mental Health Fellow, Sherman has collaborated on strategic planning initiatives and training efforts aiming to increase access to preventative mental health services to the youngest and most vulnerable clients within child welfare systems. In addition to these experiences, Sherman is a passionate advocate for young children in care and an associate professor of Forensic and Clinical Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.