On-Demand Webinars

Learn about the China adoption program at Children’s Home. In this free webinar, we cover everything you need to know about adopting from China, including who is eligible to adopt from China, who are the children who wait, how you will learn about children, the process of adopting from China, and what fees/expenses you can expect.

This webinar will be especially useful for families considering adopting from China and adoption professionals serving families who are interested in international adoption.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Learn more about adopting from China, by hearing from real families about their experiences. You’ll hear about early transitions and how the children are doing now.

This webinar will be especially useful for families considering adopting from China and adoption professionals serving families who are interested in international adoption.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Learn about the India adoption program at Children’s Home. In this free webinar, we will cover everything you need to know about adopting from India, including adoption eligibility requirements, details about the adoption process, and information about fees and expenses.

This webinar will be especially useful for families considering adopting from India and adoption professionals serving families who are interested in international adoption.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Learn about the South Korea adoption program. In this free webinar, we cover everything you need to know about adopting from Korea, including who is eligible to adopt from Korea, who are the children who wait, how you will learn about children, the process of adopting from Korea, and what fees and expenses you can expect.

This webinar will be especially useful for families considering adopting from Korea and adoption professionals serving families who are interested in international adoption.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Throughout Minnesota, there is an increased need for families to provide emergency shelter care. This unique form of foster care provides immediate, short-term care for children who are entering foster care for the first time or are experiencing a change in placement where there hasn’t been a new foster home identified. Our families can become licensed to do emergency shelter care only, or be open to emergency shelter care placements while also preparing for longer-term foster care or adoptive placements.

In this webinar you learn:

• What emergency shelter care entails
• What makes a good emergency shelter care provider
• Why children enter care and their common needs
• Why there is a great need for emergency shelter care homes
• How to prepare for and become a provider
• The benefits you will experience when you open your home in this capacity
• First-hand experiences from an emergency shelter care family

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Kathy Clark, MSW, LGSW, Child-Specific Recruiter & Adoption Social Worker at CH/LSS.

In this webinar, we will dispel common myths about foster care adoption, including the costs of adopting, the services and support available to families and children after adoption, misconceptions about children’s desires to be adopted, behavioral concerns, and the amount of guidance children will need.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Mykelti Blum, LSW, CH/LSS; Kathy Clark, MSW, LGSW, CH/LSS; and Julie Marka, LSW,
CH/LSS.

As your family grows through foster care or adoption, it is important to prepare for the changing family dynamics that will follow—especially the relationship between siblings. In this webinar, we’ll address some of the most common questions and concerns we receive from families about this transition. We’ll share plenty of stories and examples from families who have been through this process and provide tools and resources to help your growing family.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Emily Todd, M.D., and Chuck K., adoptive parent.

In this webinar, Emily Todd, MD, discusses new recommendations about the timing of cleft lip/palate repair for international adoptees and the impact these recommendations may have on bonding. Chuck, an adoptive parent, joins Emily to share his experience adopting a child with cleft lip/palate and answer questions from the live attendees.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Catherine Patterson, MA, MPH; and Mary Clark, adoptive parent.

This webinar will provide detailed information about preparing to adopt a child living with HIV, treatment, and disclosure.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you’ve viewed the recording to request either option.

Presented by: Erin Timmers, MSW, LISW and Miranda Barker, BSW, LSW.

The hospital experience in adoptive placements is an emotional time. Hospital staff plays a crucial role in these situations. From using positive adoption language to understanding the rights of everyone involved, birth and adoptive families benefit when hospital social workers, nurses, and other staff are prepared for working in adoption. In this webinar, we will provide specific tips and information for hospital staff who encounter adoptive situations. Whether you have dealt with numerous adoptions, or it is a new experience for you, we provide you with important information that will impact the way you practice moving forward.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option.

Presenters: Nikki Abramson, adopted adult; Nick Halbert, adopted adult; and Sarah Easton, MSW, LGSW.

In this webinar, adult adoptees share their experiences regarding self-esteem, self-acceptance, teasing, and how it might shed new light on the way families talk about identity development. Panelists will address questions such as: What has affected the development of your self-esteem, particularly during childhood? What kind of teasing and/or bullying have you experienced? What did your parents do to support you through some of those challenges?

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option.

Presented by: Alexis Oberdorfer, MSW, CH/LSS, and Becca Underhill, Education Facilitator, CH/LSS.

This webinar is focused on race and racism in America and will provide tools for how you can engage in antiracism work as a family. Learn about how the impact of racial injustices are affecting individuals and families, how you can incorporate and celebrate diversity in your family, and how to help adoptees cope and build resilience during this time.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you’ve viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Webinar Resources:

Presented by: Marie Ridgeway, MSW, LICSW, RYT, Psychotherapist in private practice and a Mental Health Crisis Responder; and Leah Strom, Director of Social Work at CH/LSS, MSW, LISW.

Despite our best efforts, adoptees and foster youth can experience anxiety, depression, and ongoing feelings of instability. View this free webinar to learn about the symptoms of anxiety and depression, common causes for these conditions, and tools for addressing the anxiety and/or depression you or someone you love is facing.

This webinar will cover:

• Origins of anxiety and depression for adoptees and foster youth, where they are coming from, and how their brains have been shaped in order to better understand the unique ways they may experience anxiety and depression.
• How to help adoptees and foster youth through symptoms of anxiety and depression, including: therapy options, at-home tactics, and skills.
• The importance of self-care in caregivers, so that they are emotionally available to help others experiencing anxiety and depression.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Deb Levindofske, LSW.

In this webinar, you will learn about attachment and bonding that occurs in the first few months after your child enters your family. We will discuss the attachment cycle so that you may better understand the thoughts and feelings that your child may be experiencing during this time. We will provide different strategies to appropriately address your child’s emotions and needs at this time. This webianr will tips and methods for attachemnt and bonding that may be helpful while you are in your child’s country of origin and when your family first arrives home.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option.

Presented by: Co-founders of Family Circle Counseling: Krista M. Nelson MA, LICSW, LMFT, and Wendy L. Baker MSW, LICSW.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presenters: Nikki Abramson, adopted adult; Leah Honsey, adopted adult; and Sarah Easton, MSW, LGSW.

In this webinar, a panel of adopted adults share their perspectives on birth family and adoptees’ experiences thinking about, searching for, and meeting members of their birth family. Webinar panelists address questions, such as: Have you been back to your birth community/country? Why did you want to do a search? How has your experience with your birth family shaped you?

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you’ve viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Katja Rowell M.D.

Are you tired of dreading dinner? Frustrated that everything you’ve tried to help your child’s picky eating hasn’t helped? Think your only choice is to negotiate or fight over every bite or give up and just serve a handful of ‘safe’ foods? You are not alone, and there is hope!

One in ten American children eats such a limited variety or amount of food that it interferes with physical, social, and/or emotional development (“extreme” picky eating). With diagnoses and labels like “failure to thrive,” selective eating, ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder), sensory disorders, and just plain picky, families are struggling.

Foster and adopted children often face additional challenges and difficult beginnings. This workshop will help parents understand why children are struggling and importantly, share relationship-building strategies to move forward and support their child’s appetite and intake.

• Learn why rewards, bribing, and power struggles can make picky eating worse and what to do instead
• Learn relationship-building tips and phrases to neutralize power struggles
• Explore and respond to your child’s sensory preferences and temperament
• Help your child self-regulate and tune in to appetite and fullness cues
• Support nutrition while waiting for picky eating to improve

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Dr. Elaine Schulte, MD, MPH, FAAP, Medical Director at the Adoption Program at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, co-author of Caring for Your Adopted Child: An Essential Guide for Parents, and adoptive parent

In this webinar, Dr. Schulte will  help you understand how toxic stress and early childhood trauma may affect children’s emotional health years later. Throughout the hour, we cover:

•  Types of stress
• How to identify trauma
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: how common is it, how to identify it, and how to address it
• Strategies to help your child heal
• Therapy options that work

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Susan Walker, MSW, LISW, Director of Post Adoption & Education.

CH/LSS regularly gets inquiries from adoptees and parents of adopted minors about their status as a U.S. citizen and how to obtain proof of citizenship. Often the question comes up at the most inconvenient time such as when applying for a passport, driver’s license or college financial aid (FAFSA), accepting a job offer or shipping out for active military service. The panic sets in when you are asked for “proof of citizenship.” It can be scary when a birth certificate, court decree, or even a passport are not sufficient forms of proof. When The Child Citizenship Act of 2000 was implemented, many parents adopting internationally mistakenly thought all adoptees were afforded automatic citizenship with little or no further action needed. In truth, the steps needed upon their return home depend on the country laws, type of visa, adoptee’s birth year and other factors. This webinar helps untangle the questions around who is covered by The Child Citizenship Act, the distinction between being a citizen and having proof of citizenship, and why it matters.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Julie Gumm, adoptive mother and author of Adopt Without Debt: Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of Adoption.

In 2000, Julie and her husband, Mark, declared war on their debt credit cards, student loans, cars and the house. Seven years later, as they wrote the check for their last mortgage payment, they felt called to adopt two children from Ethiopia. A few months later, with their income unexpectedly cut by two-thirds, they wondered if they could finish the adoption without crossing back over into the red.

When they brought Wendemagegn and Beza home 12 months later, Julie and her husband proved debt-free adoption is possible! Passionate about helping others achieve their adoption dream, Julie shares how to find extra money in your household budget, apply for grants, and fundraise in order to build your family without saddling it with debt.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Kelly Pieper, LICSW, IMH-E®, Child Services Program Director at Ellie Mental Health. Kelly has 12+ years of experience working with children and families in a therapeutic context. She has specializations in early childhood mental health, permanency and adoption concerns, and trauma informed practices.

This webinar presents introductory information about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), including an overview of the neurodiversity present within the ADHD brain, behaviors that we often see as a result of this neurodivergence, and potential ways to address and support children with ADHD. This webinar will also discuss some correlations and interactions between experiences of trauma and ADHD symptoms.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Kelly Tronstad, M.Ed., Family Support Coach, CH/LSS.

This webinar will discuss the benefits of emotional regulation and how parents can help themselves and their children to manage feelings successfully.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Alex Kuch, M.A. CCC/SLP – Co-Owner, The Therapy SP/OT, and Laura Skalitzky, COTA/L – Rehab Team Lead, The Therapy SP/OT.

In this webinar, occupational and speech therapists from The SP/OT Therapy discuss how their therapeutic modalities can aid children—particularly those from a trauma background—in their efforts to emotionally regulate.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

In this webinar, licensed therapist Brianna Sigg provides helpful tips for how caregivers can support and advocate for LGBTQ+ youth in their lives. This webinar will help prepare foster and/or adoptive parents with the language, tools, and resources needed to support youth who may be questioning their gender identity, sexual orientation, or be in the process of coming out.

Presented by Brianna Sigg, MSW, LICSW
Brianna received her MSW from the University of Minnesota in 2018 and currently holds a LICSW and works as a licensed psychotherapist. Throughout her career and personal life, she has expanded on her knowledge and experience providing a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ clients, particularly those who hold gender expansive identities, to explore themselves and navigate the unique challenges they face due to their identity.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Youth are foster care experts through their lived experience. Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI)-MN Youth developed this panel presentation to help caregivers and child welfare staff understand the importance of relationships from their perspective. Areas of focus will include family, friendships, community, and the relationships built during their time in care.

Presented by: Youth Leaders from Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI)-MN
The Youth Voices action work group meets monthly with current focuses of creating presentations, training and education materials for foster parents and child welfare staff. Youth are divers in culture (BIPOC, LGBTQ+/Two-Spirit) and fostering experience (relative, non-relative, adopted, aged-out, parenting youth, Metro/Greater MN). Their long-term goal is that all prospective foster families will have been training, or have heard from, a foster youth as part of the licensing process.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Caregivers play a vital role in helping their children learn how to regulate themselves. When caregivers are able to regulate their own emotions and reactions, it creates a sense of safety and security for the child. This webinar focuses on regulation strategies for caregivers for two main reasons: the overall well-being of the individual and their ability to help children/youth develop resilience, healthy relationships, and better navigate adversity.

Presented by: Kate Rickord
Kate Rickord is a Master’s level Minnesota Licensed Psychologist (MA, LP) with advanced training in research-based parenting modalities and evidenced-based trauma practices. Her child welfare experience began in 2004 and includes both direct work and leadership in parenting programs, therapeutic services for children and their families, and supporting foster families licensed through a community-based agency. Kate is co-owner of Resiliency and Health Institute, a small collaborative practice that seeks to build resilience and restore well-being through therapeutic services. Kate’s clinical work focuses on somatic experiencing, attachment, trauma & abuse (child & adult), and parenting.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Barb Clark, Training & Parent Support Specialist at the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC). Clark provides training on trauma-responsive strategies, post-adoption support, and her personal passion, FASD. She has a B.I.S. in Youth Studies from the University of Minnesota.

In this webinar, we will explore the challenges technology presents to all parents, but especially to those parenting kids with trauma histories and neuro-diversity. We will provide some strategies to try to keep your kids safe while navigating modern tech.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Kristina Berg and Susan Walker, CH/LSS; and Martha Osborne, Adoptee and Adoptive Parent.

In this webinar, you will learn about the ever-evolving world of DNA testing. CH/LSS post adoption staff Susan Walker and Kristina Berg offer tips, advice, and helpful handouts for navigating the DNA registries on two popular platforms, Ancestry.com, and 23andMe. They outline considerations for adoptees, siblings, birth parents and adoptive parents that can be applied throughout the DNA discovery: before the DNA test, receiving results and connecting with matches. In addition, special guest Martha Osborne speaks of her personal experience as an adoptee completing a DNA search, as well as her experience as an adoptive parent navigating different search options with her children.

This webinar was recorded in 2016. Due to the evolving nature of DNA testing, we recommend you also view “Post Adoption Tools: DNA and Social Media” for some updates from 2018.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Joel L.A. Peterson, Education Policy Ph.D. Candidate and Author of Dreams of My Mothers.

As parents, we have the highest hopes for how we can impact and improve our children’s lives. Because of this, many adoptive parents may worry about whether their children will succeed in school once they are home. In this webinar, Joel L.A. Peterson will speak to his research in education as well as provide anecdotes from his own experience as an adoptee. Throughout, he will cover many of the myths and challenges surrounding adoption and school to show that success in school is the norm, not the exception, for adoptees.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording.

Presented by: Liz Kellner and Tammy Makram, adoptees and sisters who were reunited through DNA testing.

Listen and learn from adoptees Liz Kellner and Tammy Makram whose story has been featured on ABC News and in People Magazine. Sparked by successful DNA matches through Ancestry.com and 23andMe, they have now reunited with many of their siblings and their biological parents. In this free webinar, they walk us through their reunion journey and talk about what led them to search, their experience utilizing search options, how they prepared for reuniting with family, how they navigate new relationships with family members, how they approach the remaining unknowns, and how this process has affected and changed their sense of identity and family. Liz and Tammy also answer questions from attendees throughout the webinar.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording.

Presented by: Jean Storlie, MA, MEd, LPCC.

In this webinar, you will learn how to help adopted children navigate the holidays. Topics will include how to help your child cope with triggering attachment issues and how to navigate complex emotions and family dynamics in a healthy manner. We also discuss ways that you can integrate rituals and traditions based on your child’s birth culture into your family life.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Emily S. Jentes, Ph.D., MPH, CDR, USPHS.

This webinar, presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is to inform adoption service providers and parents on international travel health recommendations and required overseas medical exam processes, and other CDC resources available when adopting a child internationally.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Melissa T., Owner of The Beauty Lounge Minneapolis & Diana Mena, CH/LSS Adoption Worker.

This webinar helps you gain the confidence to wash, detangle and create simple hairstyles. It is geared toward individuals caring for African-American children and children of mixed races. Melissa provides you with practical tips and presents the information in an easily digestible format. Diana adds context as to why proper hair care is so important in foster care and adoption.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Dianne Delaney, LSW, CH/LSS; and Karlee Wagner, LSW, CH/LSS

The hospital experience in infant adoptions comes with many unknowns. In addition to caring for a newborn, prospective adoptive parents will have to navigate the unique emotions that are often felt. This webinar offers practical ways for families to prepare, set expectations, and emotionally support themselves and birth parents.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Brenda Benning, Adoption Therapist, MSW LICSW; and Laura Chapeau, MSW LGSW.

Are you considering whether adopting an older child is a good fit for your family? Are you in the midst of preparing for school-aged children to join your family? Have you completed the adoption of an older child, and need fresh ideas as you face challenges parenting your child?

As the age of children waiting for adoptive families increases, many families are considering or preparing for the adoption of school-aged children. There are many challenges to parenting children adopted at older ages. Older children require families who are committed to parenting their children in unique ways, and who are understanding of the trauma that their child has experienced prior to adoptive placement. But with this extra dedication, families can experience wonderful joy and love.

In this webinar, we will discuss the challenges that adoptive families frequently face when parenting children whom they adopted at older ages, and offer techniques and resources regarding how to address common challenges.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Amy Mische, MSW, LISW, CH/LSS; Sarah Jane, Adoptive Mother; and Sophie, Adult Adoptee.

Openness in foster care adoption can take many forms. Children adopted through foster care many times benefit from remaining in contact with siblings, birth parents, extended first family or foster parents. Because each child’s history is unique, the open relationships created in foster care are equally unique. In this free webinar, hear directly from those who live this experience through their open adoption relationships. We explore the benefits and real-life experiences of openness in adoption, how to support openness when direct contact isn’t possible, and what to do when openness is not a viable option.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Shinay Rasmusson, MSW, LGSW; Vanessa, Adult Adoptee; Adam & Ray, Adoptive Parents

Openness is no longer just a trend in domestic adoption, it is the norm. Over 90% of the domestic infant adoptions our agency facilitates involve some level of ongoing direct contact between the birth and adoptive families following an adoption. In this free webinar, hear directly from those who live this experience every day through their open adoption relationships. Throughout the hour, the panel discusses the realities of openness in adoption. We explore the benefits and real-life experiences of openness in adoption, as well as how to support openness when direct contact isn’t possible.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option.

Presented by: Kristina Berg, Manager of Programs, CH/LSS; and Christine Heimann, Post Adoption Worker, CH/LSS.

Do closed international adoptions exist anymore? In this free webinar, explore the trends of openness in international adoption—whether the openness began with the adoption process or years later through reunion. Topics include facilitating open relationships across long distances, the impact of global social media platforms, advancements in DNA technologies and the availability of search, reunion and tour services. Country-specific examples will be provided.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you’ve viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Debra Jones, M Ed., Director of Parenting Adoptees Can Trust, Parent Consultant

Learn about parenting children from a hard place. This webinar helps parents recognize and prepare for the behavioral challenges that may arise when parenting a child who has experienced trauma. Additionally, it will call for an introspective look at parenting styles: asking parents to understand their own triggers and discussing methods for remaining calm.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Miranda Barker, BSW, LSW; and Kim Young, MSW, LISW

Researchers have found that Post Adoption Depression Syndrome (PADS) affects around 20% of adoptive parents. Join Miranda Barker, BSW, and Kim Young, MSW, as they explore the causes and symptoms of PADS and why adoptive parents that struggle with this do not feel like they can reach out to professionals. The webinar will also help identify resources for families who are experiencing PADS to help them avoid isolation.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option.

Presented by: Susan Walker, MSW, LISW, Director of Post Adoption Services, CH/LSS.

Learn about the ever-evolving world of DNA testing, social media, and intermediary post adoption services. Explore expectations and potential outcomes of reaching out to birth family members through the use of DNA & social media.  When the party you find is closed and wants full confidentiality, what’s next?

This webinar was recorded in 2018 and offers some updates from the previous webinar “DNA Testing and Adoption” which was recorded in 2016.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option.

Presented by: Amy Fogel, MSW, LGSW, CH/LSS; and Erin Heisler, MA, CH/LSS.

You’ve decided to adopt and are filled with giddy joy and nervous apprehension for what the future has in store. In your excitement, you tell your family members about your plans. Instead of smiles and support, you’re met with questions and doubt. Even if their concern is coming from a place of love, reactions such as this bring unwanted frustration.

There are different ways that family members may show hesitation surrounding your adoption. Many times, through conversations and education, adoptive families are able to help others better understand adoption so that they may too join in the excitement. In this webinar, which is rooted in strategies from Elisabeth O’Toole’s In on It: What Adoptive Parents Would Like You To Know About Adoption, we will discuss:

• Various ways to approach adoption conversations depending on the individuals who are hesitant—life partner, children, grandparents, extended family, and friends
• How to identify and consider the perspective of everyone involved
• Common misperceptions of adoption and how to dispel these myths
• Common questions you may be asked and respectful ways to respond
• How you can welcome hesitant individuals into your adoption circle
• The importance of garnering the support of others for you and your future child
• When it is necessary to forego adoption plans or stop interactions with family members/friends

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Heidi Wiste, Director of Domestic Adoption, CH/LSS, MSW; Janet Salo, Family Support Specialist at LSS; Diane Stang, Supervisor of Foster Care and Adoption at Dakota County; Rebecca, Adoptive Mother

When county or tribal service agencies place children in foster care, the goal is to help their parent(s) and to safely reunify the family as soon as possible. When reunification is no longer an option, agencies will then work to find families, including relatives and kin, to permanently care for the children. This is known as relative adoption or kinship adoption.

Many individuals may find themselves entering a relative/kinship adoption with little notice and little knowledge of what steps it requires. This webinar aims to help answer your questions. During this hour, we address why relative and kinship adoptions are important and how families may find themselves in the position to consider adopting. We also cover the required steps of the process and supports that will be useful along the way. Finally, we recount challenges we’ve witnessed others experience and provide helpful hints that may make your family’s experience smoother. A mother, who adopted her nieces and nephews also shares her personal experience going through the process.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you’ve viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Nikki Abramson, adopted adult; Miguel Lindgren, adopted adult; Monica Dooner Lindgren, adopted adult; and Sarah Easton, MSW, LGSW.

In this webinar, adopted adults share their perspectives on multiple aspects of transracial/transcultural parenting. Webinar panelists share their personal insights into questions, such as: Are you ready to be “different?” How do your lifestyle choices reflect multicultural values? What can you do to support your child’s racial/ethnic identity?

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presenter: Dr. Elaine Schulte, MD, MPH, FAAP, Medical Director at the Adoption Program at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, co-author of Caring for Your Adopted Child: An Essential Guide for Parents, and adoptive parent.

In this webinar, you will learn about the importance of talking to your children about adoption. We cover:

• The benefits of adoption conversations throughout a child’s life
• How to encourage conversations about adoption
• How to talk about adoption at different ages and developmental stages
• Sharing difficult details about birth family history
• Responding to your child’s desire to find or connect with birth family
• Sharing your child’s adoption story with others

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option.

Presented by: Kristina Berg, parent of twins and Director of Engagement at CH/LSS; and Lisa Trinh, parent through birth and adoption and Adoption Specialist at CH/LSS.

If you will be a first-time parent, this webinar is for you! While in the adoption process your training is focused on adoption-related topics, what can go overlooked is the normal experience of adjusting to parenthood. Through feedback from our social workers and families who have adopted, we have compiled tips, advice, resources, and parenting hacks to help ease your transition to parenthood. In this webinar we cover:

• Financial Preparation
• Personal Preparation
• Initial Adjustments
• Parental Anxiety & Emotions
• Self-Care
• Positives of Parenting

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Molly Ticknor, MA, ATR, LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor & Registered Art Therapist, Trauma Informed Care Consultant at Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health; and Dena Sneed, OTR/L, Trauma Informed Care Consultant at Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health.

In this webinar we will:

• Define trauma: what it is, its effect on the brain, and its systemic impact
• Identify and explain the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) movement
• Outline common behaviors that may be witnessed in children who have experienced trauma
• Discuss the high prevalence of trauma experienced by adoptive and foster care youth, and how being in the system can in itself create trauma
• Provide a few practical tips and supplementary handouts for approaching the effects of trauma that families and professionals can start using immediately

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Dr. Elaine Schulte, Medical Director of the Adoption Program at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.

It can be challenging at times to understand your adopted child’s development and behavior. When confronted with any change, you may be tempted to ask: is this something most children do, or is this because my child is adopted?

Join a free webinar with Dr. Elaine Schulte to learn how to differentiate between typical and atypical development and behavior in children, specifically as it relates to adopted children. In this webinar, Dr. Schulte will outline attachment patterns, reactive attachment disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sensory processing disorder (SPD), and attention deficit disorder (ADHD). She will explain how you can identify typical behavior as well as signs of attachment or attention disorders and how atypical behaviors can be managed.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Erin Timmers, MSW, LISW, CH/LSS.

The excitement of beginning an adoption often overshadows some of the more difficult aspects of the process. However, as families progress through the various steps in their adoption, they become acutely aware of the reality that almost all adoptions involve some sort of wait time. While this wait can look different depending on individual situations and adoption programs, most families share in the experience of waiting in adoption to some degree. Through this webinar, we shed light on the often emotional and difficult process of waiting in adoption and offer suggestions for coping with and staying active throughout the wait.

Certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] to request a certificate after you have viewed the recording. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.

Presented by: Aselefech Evans, Ethiopian adoptee; Maureen Evans, adoptive parent, former Executive Director of JCICS and Children’s Home East.

CEUs and certificates of attendance are available. Email [email protected] after you have viewed the recording to request either option. Please include the title of the webinar in your email.