The Talk – An Honest Conversation with a Therapist, a Social Worker, and a Foster Parent

Description

(May 2021) The Talk – An Honest Conversation with a Therapist, a Social Worker, and a Foster Parent

If you have had to face hard questions from foster kids in your home or have struggled with the complexities of reunification, this webinar is for you. Children enter foster care with a lot of uncertainty and fear. How long will I be here? Why am I here? Where are my parents? What does it mean to be in foster care? And just when you think you have a handle on some of the difficult questions from kids, the reunification questions start. Supporting reunification can come with its own set of complexities and difficulties that foster parents aren’t prepared for. Supporting reunification goes beyond the words we use with the kids in our home, it goes to the core of what we do. Sometimes supporting reunification is natural and easy and beautiful. Sometimes its complicated and hard and messy. Foster parents have the difficult role of navigating their own emotions and uncertainties while supporting the emotions and uncertainties of the kids in their home. Join us as we have an honest dialogue about these difficult topics. We hope you leave this workshop with a renewed sense of the value of your work and with some practical tools to help navigate the next difficult conversation.

Deena McMahon, LICSW, McMahon Counseling and Consultation, provides statewide forensic consultation, attachment assessments, and has more than 25 years’ experience counseling adoptive and foster parents and youth. She is a renowned and sought-after provider of training on trauma and attachment, throughout the United States and internationally.

Kirsten Langerman, LICSW, is a seasoned Social Worker who combines her education and experience to navigate the complexities of the Child Protection world. Kirsten received her Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of MN- Duluth Campus and her Bachelors Degree in Social Worker from Saint Cloud State University. She has spent 9 years working in Child Protection – including county and tribal settings. Kirsten has a deep understanding of trauma and the role it plays in families and children. Having been trained in the Signs of Safety model, Kirsten is passionate about building networks for children to increase their safety both inside and outside of the home.

Deena and Kirsten were also joined by current foster provider Jessica Miller.

Watch time: 116 minutes

Eligible Certificate of Completion time: 120 minutes