2019 WORKSHOPS

Behavior Related to Chronic Illness in Children and Adolescents

Alan Tager - Clinical Liaison, Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents

Identify the most common chronic medical illnesses in children.  Discuss why behaviors happen, recognize triggers for behavior, and identify medication side effects through an interactive exchange and dialog. Walk away with behavioral stabilizing tools that you can share with your direct care staff.

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Becoming a More Effective Therapist by Enhancing Family Therapy Skills

Andres Torrens, LCSW, CCTP - Clinical Director, Families First of Palm Beach County; Adjunct Professor, Barry University School of Social Work

Families in today's world are taxed more than ever with stress, trauma, and social influences.  Therapists need to understand the intricacies of working with entire family systems in order to assist the family in reducing these symptoms and helping them build their sense of resilience and strength.

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Child Sexual Abuse in the Latino/Hispanic community

Claudia Herrera, LMFT, CFLE - Director of Clinical Services, Center for Family Services of Palm Beach County

Child Sexual Abuse is a devastating problem nationally and internationally. It affects our children, their families and our entire community. This presentation will focus on exploring and discussing child sexual abuse in the Latino/Hispanic community, with the intention of increasing awareness, prevention, and knowledge about treatment options and resources.

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Implicit Bias/Racial Micro-aggressions and Impact on Child Welfare

Danniella Jones, Psy.D. - Post-Doctoral Fellow, Palm Beach County Youth Services Highridge Family Center

This intermediate presentation will define race-based implicit bias and micro-aggressions as well explore their impact on youth, families, and those who work with youth. Finally, it will provide strategies for increasing individual awareness of implicit bias as well as treating and responding appropriately to those impacted.

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Moms, Marijuana... and What We Know

David Duresky M.A. – Trainer/Coach

With the advent of the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use, there are unprecedented numbers of pregnant women and mothers of newborns using weed.  This presentation will explore the most recent research on benefits and risks associated with its use.

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Empowering Families in their Healing from Suicide, Loss, and Trauma

Doreen Cammarata  MS, LMHC – Adjunct Instructor, Hofstra University

Understanding the key differences in grief related to suicidal loss, along with empowering those left behind is essential to promote positive healing.  This workshop will address the critical importance of speaking and answering the many questions from children coping with the suicidal death of a loved one.

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Music Therapy and Communication for Children of Various Abilities

Erica Lyles, MT-BC – Owner/Director, Whole Vibes, LLC

We will learn how music can be used to promote communication and self-expression in children of various ability levels including, individuals considered neurotypical, verbal children with special needs and nonverbal children with severe disabilities.  We will discover how music affects the brain and have interactive experiences using music to communicate!

Pregnancy and Mothering with a Mood Disorder: How Children are Impacted

Jennifer Estrada  LMHC – Licensed Psychotherapist

Mood disorders including postpartum depression, anxiety, and PTSD can exist in mothers and fathers and inevitably impacts how children are parented. This can have a lasting effect on a child’s emotional well-being. Since a child's brain develops early, it is vital that we help recognize and treat symptoms.

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Homelessness in the Community

Jennifer Raymond LMHC, NCC - Executive Director, Family Promise of South Palm Beach County

Sandra Symonds, LCSW – Program Manager, Family Promise of South Palm Beach County

This course will address homelessness throughout Palm Beach County as well as the mental health concerns and resources available to both situational homeless and chronically homeless individuals and families.

Intermediate

Bridging the Gap: Understand and connect with your student or Child

Joanna de Peña, M.Ed. – Founder & CEO, Top Notch Scholars

Many professionals (and parents) struggle with connecting with their students (or child). When this happens both parties disengage and give up trying. Learn how to motivate and build a positive relationship by understanding HOW they are motivated and connect in today's world. Do not miss out in being their SUPERHERO!

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Evidenced-Based Practices in Treating Disruptive Behaviors 

Laura Cruz, Ph.D. - Psychologist, Palm Beach County Youth Services Department 

In this training participants will learn practical and evidenced-based behavioral strategies that they can incorporate in treatment with parents of children with behavioral concerns. 

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Stepfamilies: A Greater Understanding for Professionals Working with Blended Families

Loren Berry, Psy.D. – Psychologist, Palm Beach County Youth Services Department

The number of stepfamilies is growing, therefore, it is important for professionals to understand the unique dynamics and difficulties that result when families blend together. This training will provide an evidence-based guide to help professionals provide support that is more effective to their clients.

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What's Media Got To Do With It?

Matthew Tyler - Violence Prevention Educator, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse

Markos Fleury – Violence Prevention Educator, Aide to Victims of Domestic Abuse

Understanding media’s influence through media literacy is a practice we can utilize to prevent violence. Let us take a look at multiple forms of media and the messages children receive around gender, relationships and its connection to domestic, dating and youth violence. Are you media literate?

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Sexual Abuse: You are No Longer My Dirty Little Secret

Randee A. Kogan, M.S., LMHC - Kogan Counseling Services, LLC

Monica E. Gonzalez, LMHC – Sexual Assault Licensed Therapist, Palm Beach County Victim Services

This workshop will focus on how children, teens and adults survived childhood sexual abuse. We will identify barriers to disclosure and healing, grooming and vulnerability, trauma symptoms/impact at each age, as well as treatment. We will discuss how to connect with victims and assist them in telling their trauma story.

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Preventative Measures: Having Conversations That Count

Terri Ferguson, M.S.W., LCSW

"True prevention is not waiting for bad things to happen; it's preventing things from happening in the first place".  (Don McPherson)  Parents generally lack words to talk to children about preventing sexual abuse.  This interactive workshop helps parents to overcome awkwardness and confidently communicate to keep children safe.  

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Youth in the 21st Century

Liza Piekarsky, LMHC, CAP - Regional Director of Marketing, Retreat Behavioral; Licensed Therapist, Caring Therapists of Broward

This workshop will explore common DSM diagnosis among teens along with warning signs and symptoms which often vary from one child to the next. Participants will be educated on the common challenges our teens are facing to include, social media, gun violence, toxic masculinity, etc.  Clinicians will gain tools, techniques and strategies to use when working with the school aged population.

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Normal Expressions of Sexuality in Children

Lawrence Siegel, MA, CSE, AASECT - Director of Education and Training, Sage Institute for Family Development

This session will present an overview of sexuality and sexual conditioning in the context of a developmental perspective on healthy sexual expression. The session will focus on developmental sexuality and typical developmental childhood sexual expression. Participants will then be presented ways to differentiate between normative sexual behavior and possibly problematic expressions in children.

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​​Immigration 101

Shane O’Meara, Esq – Staff Attorney & Supervisor Immigrant Advocacy Project, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County

Participants will learn about recent developments impacting two immigration programs which presently allow hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals to live, work and attend school in the United States: Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  Participants will also learn what options TPS/DACA holders may have to transition to a more permanent status as well as obstacles they may face during the process. 

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2018 WORKSHOPS

​Understanding Your Child’s Development: Erickson’s Developmental Stages*

Ruth Floreal, M.S. –Professor, Palm Beach State College; Education Consultant, Tailored Education Consulting

Understanding and Responding to Bullying: How Parents Can Help*

Dr. Loren Berry, Psy.D. – Psychologist, Palm Beach County Youth Services Department

​​Raising Empathetic Children in a Chaotic Society

Dr. Sarah Ingram-Herring, MSW, LCSW, Ph.D. – Associate Director of Field Education, Barry University School of Social Work

​​​Normal Expressions of Sexuality in Children

Lawrence Siegel, MA, CSE, AASECT - Director of Education and Training, Sage Institute for Family Development

​Bridge the Gap: Understand and Connect with your Student or Child*

Joanna de Peña, M.Ed. – Founder & CEO, Top Notch Scholars

​​Parenting with the Finish Line in Mind

Dr. Don McCulloch, Ph.D. – Associate Professor of Psychology, Palm Beach Atlantic University

​A Positive Approach to Responding to Sexual Abuse

Cherie Benjoseph, LCSW – KidsSafe Foundation

​ADHD, Executive Functioning and Mindfulness Interventions

Aynsley Scheffert, MSW, LCSW – Zumbro Valley Health Center

​QPR Gatekeeper Suicide Prevention Presentation

Lindsay Slaterry-Cerny, MSW - Regional Suicide Prevention Specialist, Florida Linking Individuals Needing Care Project at Florida Council for Community Mental Health

​​This is Us – a Portrait of a Grieving Family

Ellaine Peck, MAET, ART, Registered Mental Health Counselor – The Whole Self Center

​Enhancing Change: Motivational Interviewing

David Duresky, M.A. – Broward Healthy Start Coalition

​​A Mother’s Birth Experience and the Impact on her Mental Wellness

Jennifer Estrada, LMHC – the Happy Mom Therapist

​​Facing the Failure of Drug and Alcohol Treatment

David Duresky, M.A. – Broward Healthy Start Coalition

​Stopping the Cycle of Domestic Violence: Prevention of Relationship Abuse Workshops for Adolescents

Aliza Schulman, LCSW – Ruth & Norman Rales Jewish Family Services

​​Child Sex Crimes: A comprehensive look at four case studies

Randee Kogan, M.S., LMHC – Psychotherapist, Kogan Counseling Services, LLC

​​Immigration Update – Part I: An Uncertain Future for TPS and DACA Holders – Part II: Immigration Status and Employment Restrictions

John Foley, Esq. - Supervising Attorney (Non-Profit Legal Assistance Project, HIV/AIDS Legal Project, Medical-Legal Project, Health Advocacy Partnership Initiative), Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County

Shane O’Meara, Esq – Staff Attorney & Supervisor (Emma Lazarus Project, Immigrant Advocacy Project), Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County

​​An Introduction to Understanding Trauma and Young Children

Dr. Allison Golden, Psy.D. – Psychologist

​Safe and Together™ Overview and Best Practices

Melanie Rodriguez – Outreach Services Manager, Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence, Inc.

Jennifer Rey, BA – Program Services Manager, Aid to Victims of Domestic Violence, Inc.