Empowered to Connect Conference Simulcast

Show Hope is an organization with the mission of caring for orphans by engaging the Church and reducing barriers to adoption. They are partnering with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development to present the Empowered to Connect Conference which features practical teaching of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) to help bring attachment and connection in families. The content of this conference is ideal for adoptive and foster parents, those considering adoption or foster care, and those who are serving and supporting others, including social workers, agency professionals, church staff and ministry leaders, counselors, and therapists. 

Speakers of this conference include:

• David R. Cross, Ph.D: Dr. Cross is the Rees-Jones Director of the Kathryn Purvis Institute of Child Development and a professor in the TCU Department of Psychology. Dr. Cross, with Dr. Karyn Purvis, co-authored "The Connected Child: Bringing Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family" to help adoptive parents understand the needs of children from hard places.
• Amanda R. Hiles Howard, Ph.D: Amanda is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Samford University. Her work integrates theory, research, and practice in a concentrated effort to increase understanding of the interpersonal processes underlying mental health and quality of life for youth in the child welfare system.
• Casey Call, Ph.D: Casey is the Assistant Director at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development, and a passionate advocate for vulnerable children and families. She is passionate about bringing trauma-informed interventions into systems of care, especially educational systems.
• Daren Jones: Daren is a Training Specialist with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. He has spent the past 12 years serving youth and families within residential and foster care settings as a direct-care worker, residential group home supervisor, Licensed Child Care Administrator, and trainer.
• Cindy R. Lee: Cindy Lee, LCSW, LADC, specializes in providing counseling services for children, adolescents, and adults as well as crisis intervention services and substance abuse treatment. She co-founded, and currently serves as the Executive Director of, the HALO (Healing, Attachment, Loving Outreach) Project, a 10-week intensive intervention program for children in foster care and/or children who have been adopted.
• Dan and Terri Coley: Dan and Terri Coley are Show Hope founding board members. Dan serves on staff at Show Hope as the Senior Director of Programs and Growth Strategies. Terri serves on staff in pre and post adoption support. They have served as foster parents for more than 40 infants and birthmothers, and have adopted children domestically and internationally. Their family is multi-racial and includes children with special needs. Through personal experience, they have come to know the importance of understanding the challenges and needs of children from "hard places."
• Ryan and Kayla North: Ryan and Kayla have six children through birth and foster care adoptions. Following their calling, they have opened their home to close to thirty foster children. Ryan serves as the Executive Director of Tapestry, the Adoption and Foster Care Ministry of Irving Bible Church. Kayla recently left the classroom, after a decade of teaching third grade, to stay home with their seemingly always growing family. They are Empowered to Connect Parent Trainers, and write about their parenting journey at One Big Happy Home and The Ryan Blog.

The learning objectives of this conference include:

• To help understand the specific needs of the whole child, the principles of empowering, connecting, and correcting, and practical steps that can help children heal. 
• To provide an in-depth look at the impact of trauma on children, including effects in their brain development, neurochemistry, sensory processing, attachment behaviors and ability to self-regulate.
• To encourage the parent to look at their adult attachment style and his/her motivations and expectations in helping his/her child develop a secure attachment. To provide a summary of attachment and key attachment research, focusing on the role of attachment as the foundation for the parent/child relationship.
• To present an overview of how sensory processing and neurochemistry is affected in "children from hard places."
• To offer insights, strategies and tools parents need to achieve effective behavioral change in their children while promoting lasting connection and healing. 

Join us on April 7-8th for this wonderful educational opportunity! Registration is free for adoptive and foster families and $5 per day for professionals.

To register, click here!

To learn even more about upcoming Trust-Based Relational Intervention workshops in Athens, sign up for our newsletter regarding our Learning to Care Workshops! Later this year, we will begin a 4-Part TBRI Series through the months of September and October where you can receive even more training! Click here to sign up to receive announcements about registration and event details!