Georgia Center for Resources and Support

Virtual Regional Training: Building Resilience in Your Children
2021-11-16 19:00 - 20:15 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | https://gacrs.org/courses/virtual-regional-training-building-resilience-in-your-children/
All Participants should create separate accounts and RSVP separately.
Times have changed in ways that no one expected. Everyone has experienced loss and frustration. Anxiety is at an all-time high. How do you maintain calm in such an uncertain world? How do you parent children who don’t understand the changes? Join us for Calming Strategies for Leading during Uncertain Times. Session includes the creation of a family mission statement.
Presented by:
Lynne Watts, Ed.S.
Click on the Pre/Post Test button below to complete pre test prior to the training.

Café Chats: A Virtual Parent to Parent Support Event
2021-11-18 19:00 - 20:00 | https://zoom.us/j/99842323534
Join GACRS for a monthly virtual adoption support group- Café Chats. This event is for adoptive families who share one thing, the journey of adoption. And while adoption is rewarding it also has challenges. GACRS wants to provide a virtual platform for you to exchange information and learn from one another. It’s also your opportunity to share your experiences, what’s in your heart, the challenges, and the success of parenting an adopted child or children. Please see the event calendar for specific dates of each Café Chat- An Adoption Support Event.
* This is not a training and will not provide training hours

Virtual Regional Training: Resilience While in Crisis
2021-11-22 18:00 - 19:00 | Region 8, GA, United States
*All Participants should RSVP and complete the Pre test separately, prior to the training beginning.
Training will discuss the follow topics:
*Crisis through the eyes of a child
*Coping during a Crisis
*what Resilience looks like in a crisis
Presented by:
Katrisha Williams
DPH, Adolescent Health
BA, MPH

Real Talk on Holiday Blues
2021-11-30 19:00 - 19:45 | https://gacrs.org/courses/real-talk-about-holiday-blues/
GACRS is offering a Monthly Virtual Adoption Support Group featuring a New Topic each month presented by a trained adoption clinician.
Join Chena Blanchard in conversation about Holiday Blues and Stress for the first REAL TALK conversation. Experience sponsored by GACRS.
The Holidays can be hard for everyone so be ready to share, listen and learn.

Virtual Regional Training: Creative Parenting
2021-12-02 18:15 - 19:45 | Region 1, Atlanta, GA, United States
*All participants Should RSVP and complete the Pre test Separately prior to the training beginning
Organizing family around challenging behaviors to create a lever for change. Let us help you fill your toolbox with creative parenting skills to help your child grow to become resilient and responsive by becoming aware of what is not working and why? Creative parenting is about becoming unstuck when your parenting strategies do not seem effective.
Presented by: Tawanda Scales, LMFT

Virtual Regional Training: Helping Your Child Cope with Grief and Loss During the Holiday Season
2021-12-06 12:00 - 13:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/virtual-regional-training-helping-your-child-cope-with-grief-and-loss-during-the-holiday-season/
*All Participants must RSVP Separately and take the pre test prior to the training.
This virtual training is designed to provide participants information on understanding grief and loss as it pertains to foster and adoptive children. Participants will be provided information on understanding grief and will be given information on how to support their children.
Presented by: Tiffany Luke, LPC

Webinar: Parenting for the Future
2021-12-07 19:00 - 20:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/webinar-parenting-for-the-future/
All Participants Should have their own Account and Enroll Separately
You have a short time frame to prepare kids for a challenging and ever-changing future. How do you parent so kids are self-confident, motivated, and ready for the real world? Learn how to parent with healthy control without resorting to threats, nagging or exhausting power struggles.
There is No Pre Test For this training.

Virtual Regional Training: Grief and Loss
2021-12-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Region 13, GA, United States
All Participants should RSVP separately and complete the Pre and Post test separately.
Grief is a deep sadness following a death or loss. How can you as parents best support a child through this difficult and challenging time? This Session will cover how children grieve differently than adults and the basic tasks of mourning.
Please Join Us!!
Presented by: Lynne Watts, Ed.S.

Café Chats: A Virtual Parent to Parent Support Group
2021-12-14 12:00 - 13:00 | https://zoom.us/j/91777103524
Join GACRS for a monthly virtual adoption support group- Café Chats. This event is for adoptive families who share one thing, the journey of adoption. And while adoption is rewarding it also has challenges. GACRS wants to provide a virtual platform for you to exchange information and learn from one another. It’s also your opportunity to share your experiences, what’s in your heart, the challenges, and the success of parenting an adopted child or children. Please see the event calendar for specific dates of each Café Chat- An Adoption Support Event.
*NEW* Certificates Now Available for Cafe Chats!!!

Webinar: Who Do You Think You Are Talking To?
2021-12-14 19:00 - 20:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/webinar-who-do-you-think-youre-talking-to/
All Participants Should create their own accounts and RSVP separately.
Having Age and Developmentally Appropriate Conversations With Your Kids, discusses communication techniques with children to improve behaviors across domains.
There is no Pre Test for this webinar.

Virtual Regional Training: Tips To Keep Learning on Track During The School Break
2021-12-16 17:30 - 18:30 | Region 8, GA, United States
*All Participants Should RSVP Separately by clicking “Going”
Training will discuss the follow topics:

Learning—focused activities
Hands on Learning
Improving reading comprehension

Presented by:
Essie Sims
M.Ed/Instructor
Make sure to complete your Pre Test Prior to the training beginning.

REAL TALK on Traditions
2021-12-16 19:00 - 19:45 | https://gacrs.org/courses/real-talk-about-traditions/
GACRS is offering a Monthly Virtual Adoption Support Group featuring a New Topic each month presented by a trained adoption clinician.
Join Chena Blanchard in conversation about Traditions.

What are your traditions?
What Traditions did your child have before they came to you?
How Can we create New traditions?

Let’s open up with each other and take a look how different Families experience the Holidays
Real Talk is a non-therapeutic conversational experience about issues relevant to adoptive families. It is not presented as a time of therapy; it is for informational purposes only.

Virtual Regional Training: One Family Voice
2022-01-11 17:30 - 18:45 | Region 14, GA, United States
All Participants should RSVP separately. Please complete the Pre Test Prior to the Training

Improving the lives of Family, children and adolescents experiencing mental health conditions can be accomplished through advocacy at all government levels and assisted by community involvement. Legislators are often unaware of children’s mental health issues and what families really experience. Learning how to share you and your child’s lived experience can make a major difference in the direction of change for children’s mental health policy. Participants will gain an understanding of Advocacy, the 7 steps to tell your story, organizations that advocate, and gain knowledge on how to search for legislators.
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/June-2020/What-Does-It-Mean-to-Be-a-Mental-Health-Advocate
Dr. Lakliesha Izzard,
Ed.D, LPC, NCC,ACS
Shekinah Counseling
Author, Professor

Virtual Regional Training: Reactive Attachment Disorder and the Challenges
2022-01-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Region 3, Altanta, GA, United States
*All Participants Must RSVP Separately
Learn more about the challenges that come when a child has not been able to securely bond with a caregiver. Join us to hear Ms. Houze speak from her own experience and provide some education on supports for these families struggling to connect and build a healthy bond.
Presented by:
Heather Houze, COO, RAD Advocates

Webinar: Supporting Children and Teens Facing Grief
2022-01-18 19:00 - 20:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/webinar-supporting-children-and-teens-facing-grief/
*All Participants should RSVP separately
Whether you are a foster or adoptive family, the children in your care face grief. Grief is a natural reaction to loss. Children and teens’ grief looks different from that of adults and as adults you may not recognize grief reactions in your children. You may feel at a loss on how best to support your children. Join us to learn about developmental reactions to loss, what affects a child’s reaction to loss, and how you can support the children in your care. We will also discuss the unique challenges faced by foster and adoptive families when coping with grief. Kate’s Club has been supporting grieving children since 2003 and believes that no child should grieve alone.
Presented by:
Liz Carson
Program and Outreach Manager
Bio
Liz Carson has been with Kate’s Club for over seven years. As the Program and Outreach Manager, Liz manages community and school-based programming including professional trainings, grief education for children, grief education for parents and caregivers, support groups for students, and crisis response. Liz is trained in QPR suicide prevention and Youth Mental Health First Aid and has worked with the National Alliance for Children’s Grief to create a committee for school-based grief programming and resources for schools to better support bereaved students. She has a BS in Anthropology from Emory University and is currently in the process of obtaining her Master of Social Work degree from Florida State University.

Virtual Regional Training: Helping Your Child Heal
2022-01-19 18:30 - 19:30 | Region 10, GA, United States
Training will discuss the follow topics:
*Understanding trauma and the impact on development
*Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
*Identifying triggers
*Learning strategies to counteract the effects through
utilizing resiliency factors
Presented by:
LaTanya Keaton, LPC
Mental Health Therapist

Cafe Chats: A Virtual Parent to Parent Support Group
2022-01-20 19:00 - 20:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/cafe-chats-a-virtual-parent-to-parent-support-group/
Join GACRS for a monthly virtual adoption support group- Café Chats. This event is for adoptive families who share one thing, the journey of adoption. And while adoption is rewarding it also has challenges. GACRS wants to provide a virtual platform for you to exchange information and learn from one another. It’s also your opportunity to share your experiences, what’s in your heart, the challenges, and the success of parenting an adopted child or children. Please see the event calendar for specific dates of each Café Chat- An Adoption Support Event.

Virtual Regional Training: Understanding Post Traumatic Disorder
2022-01-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Region 7, GA, United States
*All Participants should RSVP Separately and complete the Pre Test Prior to attending the training.
This virtual training is designed to provide participants information on Post Traumatic Disorder (PTSD). This training will provide participants information on what PTSD is, how to recognize it in children, and treatment options.

REAL TALK on Vicarious/Secondary Trauma
2022-01-27 19:00 - 20:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/real-talk-on-vicarious-secondary-trauma-2/
GACRS is offering a Monthly Virtual Adoption Support Group featuring a New Topic each month presented by a trained adoption clinician. Real Talk is a non-therapeutic conversational experience about issues relevant to adoptive families. It is not presented as a time of therapy; it is for informational purposes only.
Join L. Kathryn Smith, LCSW, RPT in conversation about Vicarious/Secondary Trauma.

Vicarious trauma describes the changes we can go through as a result of repeatedly hearing about or caring for someone who has experienced trauma.
What are we, as Foster and Adoptive Parents, doing to take care of ourselves?
Let’s discuss our individual experiences and help each other find ways to work through vicarious/ secondary trauma we experience.

Webinar: Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
2022-01-28 12:00 - 13:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/webinar-trust-based-relational-intervention-tbri/
*All Participants should RSVP separately
Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) is an attachment-based trauma-informed intervention that offers practical tools for parents to see the “whole child” and create a safe family environment. Participants will gain understanding of TBRI three principles and two strategies with possible implementation examples.
Presented by: Dr Laklieshia Izzard EdD,LPC,ACS,NCC
*There is no Pre-Test for this course

Webinar: How to Support a Child with Mental Illness
2022-02-03 19:00 - 20:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/webinar-how-to-support-a-child-with-a-mental-illness/
How to support a child with a mental illness is a question that many have asked. This training will give parents a better understanding and tools on how to support a child that is dealing with mental health issues. Did you know that dealing with mental illness is more common than many would like to accept or discuss? Over 80% of children in foster care have significant mental health issues compared to approximately 18-22% of the general population. First, it’s important to understand the difference between mental health and mental illness and how trauma can negatively impact both. This training will teach parents how to take a trauma informed approach when parenting a child with mental illness.

The parent will learn the difference between mental health and mental illness
The parent will learn how trauma impact a child’s DNA, their decision making and how they create maladaptive coping skills to survive
Parents will learn how to become a trauma responsive parent so that they can better support and encourage their child.

Presented by: Dr. Natasha LaMarr, Ed.D, LPC, NCC

Virtual Regional Training: Navigating Reactive Attachment Disorder: An Experiential Journey
2022-02-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Region 6, GA, United States
Ms. Houze has spent 25 years of her career in administrative management and 15 of those as a small business owner helping others improve their lives. After reaching out to RAD Advocates for help in getting proper treatment for her own children, she joined the RAD Advocates Volunteer Team. With her passion for helping others, Heather’s compassion, empathy and organizational skills have been an invaluable asset to the organization.
Join us to hear Ms. Houze expertise on RAD as well as her parenting journey.
PLEASE CREATE AN ACCOUNT IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY AT WWW.GACRS.ORG, THEN REGISTER FOR THE TRAINING.

Virtual Regional Training: Self-Care Strategies for Resilience
2022-02-10 18:30 - 20:00 | Region 3, Altanta, GA, United States
In this presentation, we will learn a variety of ways to use mindfulness to practice better self-care and build resiliency. In the process, we will discover how this effort can increase our capacity to be more fully present – with ourselves, with our children, and with others in our lives. Through a combination of instructional material, discussion, and simple mindfulness exercises, participants will be offered some practical tools and skills they can start using right away. Self-care is the fuel we need to supply energy to navigate effectively through our lives and build resiliency to prevent burn-out in our relationships.
Presented by:
Angela Smith. LPC

Cafe Chat: A Parent to Parent Support Group
2022-02-17 12:00 - 13:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/cafe-chats-a-virtual-parent-to-parent-support-group-2/

REAL TALK on Reactive Attachment Disorder
2022-02-23 19:00 - 19:45 | https://gacrs.org/courses/real-talk-on-reactive-attachment-disorder-with-chena-blanchard/
GACRS is offering a Monthly Virtual Adoption Support Group featuring a New Topic each month presented by a trained adoption clinician. Real Talk is a non-therapeutic conversational experience about issues relevant to adoptive families. It is not presented as a time of therapy; it is for informational purposes only.
Join Chena Blanchard, LCSW, in conversation about Reactive Attachment Disorder or RAD.
Reactive Attachment Disorder is a rare but serious condition in which an infant or young child doesn’t establish healthy attachments with a parent or caregivers.
Let’s discuss our individual experiences and challenges and help each other find ways to help children. that are struggling to connect to a parent or caregiver.

Webinar: How and Why to Communicate with Parties and the Court
2022-02-24 19:00 - 20:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/webinar-how-and-why-to-communicate-with-parties-and-the-court/
It feels like I am forever being asked why a person or family with an interest in a child, like a foster parent, doesn’t know about a court date; or isn’t asked about how the child is doing in their home; or isn’t informed about changes in the child’s life, including even a change in placement. Join to learn how to advocate for yourself and the child and get a road map and tips on How and Why to Communicate with Parties and the Court.
Presented by: Ashley Willcott
J.D., Certified Child Welfare Law Specialist
Top Legal Analyst, Consultant, Juvenile Court Judge &Trial Attorney

Virtual Regional Training: Understanding Post Traumatic Disorder Part 2
2022-02-28 12:00 - 13:00 | https://gacrs.org/courses/virtual-regional-training-understanding-post-traumatic-disorder-part-2/
This virtual training is designed to provide participants information on Post Traumatic Disorder (PTSD). This is a follow up training to the one offered on January 24th .
Part two will provide information to participants on how PTSD plays a role in children’s behavior and what treatment options are available.

All Participants should RSVP separately using their separate accounts.

Presented by: Tiffany Luke, LPC

Virtual Regional Training: Post Adoption Service—ATEAM Adopted Teen Empowerment and Mentoring Program
2022-03-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Region 6, GA, United States
Description: The ATEAM provides participants with an opportunity for mutual support and self-expression through group interactions with other adopted teens.
Please join us and learn more about the ATEAM.

All Participants should RSVP separately for all trainings even if you will be participating together

Presented by:
Ami Taharka, MS and
Letitia Robinson, MSW, MPA
ATEAM Site
Coordinators
Please complete the Pre Test prior to the training.

Virtual Regional Training: The Dangers of Social Media
2022-03-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Region 7, GA, United States
This virtual training is designed to provide participants information on the dangers that social media poses to teens and young children. Participants will be given information on those dangers as well as tips and tools to monitor their children’s internet usage.

All participants should RSVP Individually, even if you will be listening on the same device.

Presented by:
Leslie Anderson
Adoption Resource Advisor

Virtual Regional Training: Helping your Child Heal Pt. 2
2022-03-15 18:30 - 19:30 | Region 10, GA, United States
*All Participants must RSVP separately even if they will be watching on the same device
Training will discuss the follow topics:
*Strategies for Building Resiliency
*Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences
*Trauma– sensitive practices
*Learning strategies to counteract the effects through
utilizing resiliency factors
Presented by:
LaTanya Keaton, LPC
Mental Health Therapist
