Upcoming Trainings

Written by, Kate Oliver, MSW, LCSW-C

In my work life, next to being in the office with families, and writing, I love, love, love teaching others how to feel better, love better, and live happier lives. I am always looking for new opportunities to present and share my knowledge with other and I am so excited to share a couple of upcoming opportunities I have been given to do just that.

For quick links to the programs, you can click below, or keep reading for the full descriptions:

March 22, 2013:

Rainbow flag. Symbol of gay pride. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After the Honeymoon: What the Recent Passing of the Civil Marriage Protection Act Really Means for Maryland’s LGBT Families

April 29, 2013:

Micah in Bodegraven (Parents in law) (Photo credit: Johan Koolwaaij)

A Clinician’s Guide to Attachment and Attachment Related Interventions for Foster and Adopted Children

First, I was invited by the Maryland Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers to conduct a workshop at their statewide conference to look at the impact of Maryland’s new equal marriage legislation on gay and lesbian couples and families. Since many of my readers have probably figured out I am all about connecting people together, I figured rather than doing a workshop all by myself, I would make a panel and include a few amazing people I have gotten to know along the way via my own advocacy for equal marriage rights for all couples. Joining me on the panel are Susan Francis, JD, to talk about the legal changes that come with the new law, and Rachael Stern, MSW, LGSW, who was the media director for the winning Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign. For anyone interested in attending the Weaving Resiliency and Advocacy conference with the Maryland National Association of Social Workers from March 21st-22nd, (I am presenting on the 22nd) you can follow the link below:

Workshop I
After the Honeymoon: What the Recent Passing of the Civil Marriage Protection Act Really Means for Maryland’s LGBT Families

Presenters: Rachael Stern, MSW, LMSW, LGSW, Kate Oliver, MSW, LCSW-C, and Susan Francis, JD

Synopsis:  While many social workers are celebrating the result of the recent popular vote in Maryland to enact the Civil Marriage Protection Act, what does the law mean in everyday terms for LGBT couples and their children in light of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and other state, federal and international limitations? In this panel discussion including a clinical social worker, an attorney and an advocate who work with the LGBT community, learn a brief history of the work that went into passing the measure, the legal implications of the law (what it does and does not protect for families), issues you may see in a clinical setting, and the next steps for full equality for the LGBT community in terms of marriage and beyond.  Participants will have ample opportunity to participate in a question and answer session following the panel.

Second, I had such a great time presenting for Lisa Ferentz’s Institute for Advanced Psychotherapy Training and Education when I taught a basic course on attachment that the only thing I wished I had for that training was more time! Lisa was gracious enough to offer me just that  and now, instead of a three-hour course, I am offering a six-hour course to teach other clinicians about the importance of attachment and how to address working with children with insecure attachment styles. You can register for this training by clicking the link below:

A Clinician’s Guide to Understanding Attachment and Attachment-Related Interventions for Foster and Adopted Children

We know from research that attachment styles form the foundation for the ways people look at the world and that a healthy attachment style is essential in forming a happy, healthy adult. We know too as clinicians that many of the children and adolescents who come through our doors have not formed a healthy attachment style due to trauma, parental addiction or mental health issues. John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth laid the foundation of the research which describes healthy versus unhealthy attachment styles, but what is a clinician to do when a child comes to you with a pre-formed, unhealthy attachment style? Therapists such as Dan Hughes and Art Becker-Weidman have more recently built upon the early research to teach clinicians how to address attachment related issues in treatment in a way that understands the root causes of attachment disturbance and treats these issues from the root causes.

In this workshop, Kate Oliver, LCSW-C will train child and family therapists and adoption and foster care workers about the basics of attachment, how to spot attachment related issues in children, and she will provide a framework for working with children and foster or adoptive parents in therapy to repair a disrupted attachment style. Based on her years of experience working with traumatized and attachment disturbed children, Ms. Oliver will provide clinicians with techniques to engage parents and children in re-patterning attachment styles using lecture, videos and role plays.

Related Posts:

PLACE Parenting for Children with Attachment Disturbance (help4yourfamily.com)

Children Are Not Protected by Homophobic Laws (help4yourfamily.com)

February 7, 2013 - Posted by help4yourfamily | Groups/ trainings, resources/ book reviews | Defense of Marriage Act, Gay community, LGBT, List of credentials in psychology, Mary Ainsworth, maryland, National Association of Social Workers, Same-sex marriage