1St Annual Foster Parent Conference

1st Annual Foster Parent Conference

Presented by: Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health Center

Please register me for your upcoming Foster Parent Conference: You’re an Essential Piece

Name: ______Phone: ______

Address: ______City, Zip: ______

Please register me for the following classes (Please note all registrants are automatically registered for the Opening and Closing Sessions.)

Breakout Sessions I: 10:45am-12:00pmBreakout Sessions II: 12:45pm-2:00pm

____ Breakout Session A (IEP)____ Breakout Session D (Parenting birth-6yo)

____ Breakout Session B (Nutrition)____ Breakout Session E (Parenting 7-12yo)

____ Breakout Session C (Burnout)____ Breakout Session F (Parenting teens)

Child Care Registration (leave blank if not using)

Childcare is limited to kids 3-17 years of age. Childcare costs is $15 for the first child, $10 each additional child and is due when child(ren) are dropped off. Lunch will be provided and is included in childcare costs. If a child has special dietary restrictions, please send a lunch with your child. Childcare will be provided at Central Baptist Church, 2117 E 35th St, Texarkana, AR 71854. Children can be dropped off at the gym no earlier than 815am and must be picked up by 4:30pm. Children picked up past 4:30pm will be subject to additional fees.

Number of Children needing Care: ______

1.Child Name: ______Age ______2.Child Name: ______Age ______

3.Child Name: ______Age ______4.Child Name: ______Age ______

Please fax completed registration form to(870.772.4650):

Van M. Hall, LCSW

For questions, you can call Van Hall at 870.773.4655, ext 2247

Payments can be made by credit / debit card, check, or cash at front desk at Southwest Arkansas Counseling Mental Health Center or paid at time of conference.

Foster Parent Conference: You’re an Essential Piece

Schedule of Events

9:00am-10:30am: Opening Session

Connecting the Brain to Heal the Heart – Rachel Olienyk, LPC-S, RPT-S

Interested in learning how play affects the brain for children? Wondering what "just playing" is doing to build a healthy relationship with your child? Curious about how to discipline in a way that fits brain development in children? Thistraining will cover all this and more. Come learn some real life ways to connect, to discipline, and to heal! “Play that occurs in a safe and supportive interpersonal environment allows us to temporarily suspend reality enough that we are better able to look at our life situations in a new way. Playing in the presence of another – partly by directly involving the body and partly because of the support provided – allows issues that are often out of sight, in our right hemispheres (stored as emotions, bodily feelings, patterns of action, and perceptions), to bubble to the surface, where we can experience them directly enough to arrange and rearrange them playfully in different patterns.”

10:45am – 12:00pm Breakout Sessions I

Breakout Session A: Understanding IEPs – Pamela King, M.Ed.

This presentation will help parents learn to navigate the world of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).The speaker with share when it is appropriate for a child to obtain an IEP and how you can request one.The presentationwill also explain the difference between an IEP and a 504 plan.

Breakout Session B: Nutrition and Mental Health – Rachel Olienyk, LPC-S, RPT-S

Can a poor diet affect mental health? Medical researchers have studied the effects of dietary choices on mental health. This presentation will discuss how a child’s diet can affect their mood and offer suggestions on how improving diet could improve overall stabilization.

Breakout Session C: Overcoming Burnout in Foster Care – Carla Wood, LPC

This session will focus on the challenges foster parents face that leads to burnout and stress. Participants will learn key techniques to recognize burnout as well as coping skills to help overcome them.

LUNCH: 12:00PM – 12:45PM (Provided onsite)

12:45pm – 2:45pm Breakout Sessions II: Parenting Skills

These set of classes will provide you with specific skills to help even the most challenging child. Focus will be on reducing parental stress and increasing the respect and responsibility of the child. Simply chose the class that most closely matches the ages of the children in your home.

Breakout Session D: Skills for birth to 6yo – Van M. Hall, LCSW

Breakout Session E: Skills for 7yo to 12yo – Toni Hagins, LAC

Breakout Session F: Skills for teenagers – Whitney Rosenbaum, LCSW

3:00pm – 4:00pm: Closing Session

The Importance of Play – Toni Hagins, LAC

Play is an essential aspect of a child's development. For children, their play is their work. This closing session will discuss how play aids in the brain development of children including social, emotional, and healthy psychological development. It also discusses how important it is for foster parents to play with the children placed in their home.