Reflective Practice in Clinical Supervision: 11/04/2022 from 8:30am-4:30pm via Zoom

Course Description: This in-depth workshop is for experienced, licensed mental health clinicians interested in a reflective approach to clinical supervision. Reflective supervision is a relationship-based approach that attends to a supervisee’s thoughts, feelings and values, and nurtures a strong reflective capacity. Attendees will explore self-awareness, cultural humility, genuine empathy, and honest curiosity as they apply to the supervisor-supervisee relationship. Skills in the reflective supervision experience will be explored and nurtured during small group activities. Attendees will learn about the formation and maintenance of the reflective space. There will be opportunities to participate in listening, observing and responsive skills that make the reflective experience. Ethical considerations that may arise when engaging in reflective supervision will be discussed and reviewed. Attendee will indeitify the role parallel processes and learn to respectfully addressing the complex emotional nature of mental health practice with their supervisees. 

Continuing Education: 6 hours (CE certificate included).

By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

•create and maintain a respectful, collaborative and reflective supervision space/relationship.

•appreciate the multicultural experience of clinical supervision.

•create a reflective supervison agreement and clinical supervision goals. 

•build skills in facilitating the exploration of the complex emotional nature of mental health practice. 

•analyze ethical issues/dilemmas that commonly arise in clinical supervision.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define the 3 core components of reflective supervision and leadership. 

2. Identify and address at least 2 common challenges in supervising counselors/clinicians. 

3. Describe 3 objectives for creating a reflective supervision agreement/plan. 

4. Identify 3-5 necessary skills for effective reflective supervision. 

5. Describe at least 3 responsibilities of the reflective supervisor. 

6. Explain 2 ethical considerations of reflective supervision.

Who should attend: 

This intermediate level workshop is designed for licensed clinicians and clinical supervisors interested in a reflective approach to clinical supervision. 

Presenter: Julie Torok-Mangasarian, LMFT, RPT-S is a licensed marriage and family therapist, Registered Play Therapist/Supervisor (RPT-S), Endorsed Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, Reflective Practice Mentor (RPM). Julie specializes in use of play to treat complex and developmental trauma in young children. Julie has supervised and mentored dozens of mental health clinicians utilizing the reflective supervision approach.

Schedule:

Morning Topics:

What is reflective supervision? 

Definition; basic components/tenets; the multicultural experience of clinical supervision; reflective supervision skills

Discuss how to develop reflective supervision agreements and professional development plans.

Afternoon Topics:

Developing a reflective stance (and space) in supervision

Identifying the core components and challenges of reflective supervision. 

Ethical considerations, supervisory challenges. 

Identify and practice the skills necessary for reflective supervision and the roles of the reflective supervisor. 

CE’s: Attendance to this training meets the qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and/or LEP’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Prov. # 76629. Certificate of Completion will be delivered via email at the end of the training and upon completion of the survey/evaluation, and successful completion of the post-webinar quiz (must pass with an 80%). You must be present for the entire training in order to receive your CE certificate.

Cancelations/Grievances/ADA: Facilities and programs are accessible to persons with disabilities. If you have a special need and plan to attend the workshop, allow as much advance notice as is possible to ensure we have ample opportunity to meet your needs. Full Refunds will be provided with 3-day written notice of cancelation. Cancelations less than 3 days prior to event or in cases of non-attendance refunds will not be granted. If you have questions or to report grievances, please contact Julie Torok-Mangasarian at 559-683-2525 or by email at julie@meraki-minded.com 

Registration fee includes a Certificate of Completion and/or Continuing Education Credits and session handouts.

TRAINING! Enhancing Resilience: Therapeutic Strategies to Address Early Childhood Trauma

Hello!

I’m excited to offer a training titled Enhancing Resilience: Therapeutic Strategies to Address Early Childhood Trauma with the local CAMFT Chapter (CSJV-CAMFT). The details are below.

Enhancing Resilience: Therapeutic Strategies to Address Early Childhood Trauma

08/14/2021 via Zoom

8:45-4:15pm

Participants will review the impact of developmental trauma on the emotional and physical development of a child. This workshop will build professional confidence in using developmentally informed interventions to address and alleviate symptoms of trauma in children.

Course Syllabus

Purpose:

Participants will review the impact of developmental trauma on the emotional and physical development of a child. This workshop will build professional confidence in using developmentally informed interventions to address and alleviate symptoms of trauma in children. Additionally, this workshop will explain ways in which participants can support executive functioning and social-emotional skills. Participants will develop skills and strategies to enhance resilience in children.

Learning Objectives:             

1.Define developmental trauma.
2.Implement proactive strategies to promote executive function and social-emotional skills.
3.Address challenging behaviors from a trauma-informed perspective.
4.Implement developmentally informed approaches to enhancing resilience.
5.Implement a resilience-based approach to trauma treatment.

Julie Torok-Mangasarian, LMFT, RPT-S is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the clinical director of the California Psychological Institute in Fresno, CA, and the owner of Meraki-Minded Professional Development. Julie is a Registered Play Therapist/Supervisor, Endorsed Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, Reflective Practice Mentor (RPM) and certified educator of infant massage (CEIM). Julie specializes in use of play and integrative practices to treat complex and developmental trauma in young children.  

The Refund Policy of CAMFT - CSJV Chapter, Inc is as follows: Fees for chapter events are nonrefundable except in the case the event is cancelled or rescheduled. 

Should you have a grievance, question or concerns regarding this course, the instructor, or any other aspects of our Continuing Education Program, please contact the Continuing Education Program Administrator or Chapter President. Contact information can be found on our website at www.camft-csjvchapter.org. Our Program Administrator will work diligently to rectify your concerns to your satisfactory as quickly as possible.

Facilities in which CAMFT - CSJV Chapter, Inc have agreed to utilize are accessible to persons with disabilities. If you have a special need and plan to attend the workshop, please contact Michael Crile, at (559) 931-5618 or michael.crile.lmft@gmail.com. Please allow as much advanced notice as is possible to ensure that we have ample time to meet your required needs.

This individual course meets the qualifications for 6 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs , LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Central San Joaquin Valley Chapter of CAMFT is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. CAMFT - CSJV Chapter, Inc maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content. (CEP #62276)

Early Childhood Mental Health Webinar Training Series

Series Description: This pre-recorded training series offers 24-hours/13 self-paced webinars (each webinar is between 1.5-2 hours in length), focusing on supporting early childhood mental health practitioners in understanding the social, emotional, and behavioral health needs of young children and their families. Participants will learn the principles and practices of quality Early Childhood Mental Health service delivery. Key concepts such as primary attachment relationships, risk/resiliency factors, maternal mental health and biopsychosocial factors will be reviewed. The research, theory and history behind Early Childhood Mental Health practice will be examined. Participants will learn the value of emotional and relational connections. Developmentally appropriate, evidence-based and best practice approaches to serving young children and families will be explored. Participants will discover the importance of reflective capacity, genuine empathy and cultural humility in the practice of infant-family and early childhood mental health. Additionally, participants will review the role trauma, attachment disruption and stress play on health, wellness and learning outcomes.

This training series aligns with the California Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (2016):

A: Parenting, Caregiving, Family Functioning and Parent-Child Relationships (2 hours)

B: Infant, Toddler and Preschool Development (3.75 hours)

C: Biological and Psychosocial Factors Impacting Outcomes (2 hours)

D: Risk and Resiliency (3.75 hours)

E: Observation, Screening, and Assessment (3.75 hours)

F: Diagnosis and Intervention (5.5 hours)

G: Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Collaboration (1.5 hours)

H: Ethics (1.75 hours)

Total: 24 CE hours

Who should attend: This series is designed for mental health professionals providing or interested in providing services and support to young children and families.

Presenter: Julie Torok-Mangasarian, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Endorsed Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, Reflective Practice Mentor (RPM) and certified educator of infant massage (CEIM). Julie specializes in use of attachment-focused, relationship-based interventions and play therapies to treat complex and developmental trauma in young children. She has been in practice for 15+ years and is the clinical director of an outpatient mental health clinic in Fresno, CA. Julie is the owner of Meraki-Minded Professional Development, an agency designed to offer quality and affordable consultation, supervision and continuing education.

Continuing Education: Attendance to this training series meets the qualifications for 24 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and/or LEP’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Meraki-Minded Professional Development is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and LEP’s. Meraki-Minded Professional Development maintains responsibility for this course and its content. Prov. # 76629.

This series is offered through virtual/distance learning. Each course is offered via pre-recorded webinar and can be viewed anytime from September 01, 2021 through December 31, 2021. To receive CE credits for this series, the participant must complete a survey and post-webinar quiz (and receive a score of 80% or better) after the course is viewed. There are unlimited opportunities to achieve 80% on the quiz. CE Certificates are generated for each webinar (within 48 hours of the survey and quiz completion) and a Certificate of Completion will be generated once all webinars in the series are completed.

Cancelations/Grievances/ADA: Programs are accessible to persons with disabilities. If you have a special need, please allow as much advance notice as possible. Refunds will be provided with 3-day written notice of cancelation prior to the 09/01/2021 start date. Cancelations less than 3 days prior to the event or in cases of non-attendance refunds will not be granted. If you have questions or to report a grievance, please contact Julie Torok-Mangasarian at julie@meraki-minded.com.

Registration fee includes one Certificate of Attendance or Continuing Education Certificate per webinar and a Certificate of Completion when the series is completed, reference materials, and access to training recordings through December 31, 2021.

Visit www.meraki-minded.com for further details.

Contact Julie at julie@meraki-minded.com for group rates, questions, or registration options for individual webinars in this series.

Infant-Preschooler Mental Health Webinars: 2021

The IPMH Training Series is underway, but every webinar can be accessed individually. The next two webinars are on infant/preschooler development. If this is an area that appeals to you, please join us. CE Credit is included. We will also be offering a Reflective Practice Facilitation Real-Time Webinar Series as well! Take a look (details below)!

The Amazing Infant (0-12 months): Developing within the Context of Relationships (2 hr.) Real-Time Webinar: IPMH Series

Thursday, January 28, 2021; 1:00 PM 3:00 PM

This course will explore milestones of infant emotional, physical and social development. Development within the caregiving relationship and cultural variation of development will be reviewed. Lastly, strategies and approaches to support infant development across domains will be explored.

This course aligns with the California Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (2016): Area B-Infant, Toddler and Preschool Development (2 hours)

Learning Objectives:

• List 3 milestones of social development during the 0-12-month period.

• Identify 2 common factors in parent-child relationships that promote emotional development.

• Identify at least 1 intervention to support social-emotional development during 0-12 months of age

The Dynamic Toddler: Toddler Development (1-3 years) for IPMH practitioners (2 hr.) Real-Time Webinar: IPMH Series

Thursday, February 11, 2021; 1:00 PM 3:00 PM

This course will explore milestones of toddler emotional, physical and social development. The concepts of development within the caregiving relationship and cultural variation to development will be reviewed. Participants will learn developmental guidance and developmentally appropriate strategies for common problems in early childhood (tantrums, sleeping, eating, regulation).

This course aligns with the California Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (2016): Area B: Infant, Toddler and Preschool Development (2 hours).

Learning Objectives:

• List 3 milestones of social development during early childhood.

• Identify 2 common factors that promote healthy social-emotional development.

• Identify at least 2 strategies to support social-emotional development during early childhood.

Reflective Practice Facilitation (10-Hour): Real-Time Webinar

Starts on February 17th and ends on April 7th (5; 2-hour webinars).

Course Description: Reflective practice is an essential component of Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (IFECMH) and, for many years, has been known to also benefit individuals and organizations in nursing, education, and business. This reflective practice workshop will utilize remote learning to examine the foundational knowledge and skills of reflective practice. This workshop will distinguish the difference between learning the components of reflective practice and participating in the experience of reflective practice. Participants will explore the principles of capable reflection such as the fundamentals of creating the reflective space, listening, observation, and responsive skills that comprise the reflective experience as well as consider the ethical questions that may arise when engaging in reflective practice

Infant Preschooler Mental Health Workshops 2021

On January 14, 2021 the IPMH Series will start with a training titled Support Early Relationships: Attachment, Connections, and Caregiving. This Series includes 13 courses, 2-hours each, for a total of 26 hours (CE Certificate included) and is aligned with the California Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (2016).

However, each of these courses can be taken independently from the Series. Courses scheduled from January 2021 through March 2021 can be viewed by following the link below (additional courses will be added over the next week).

This training series (and each individual course) takes into consideration ZERO TO THREE Competencies for Prenatal to Age 5 (P-5) Professionals™ (2018)

Upcoming Webinar-The Challenging "In-Between" Supporting Adolescent Mental Health in a Telehealth World (2hrs)

It’s really exciting to welcome Aniesha Kleinhammer, LMFT to present The Challenging In-Between Supporting Adolescent Mental Health in a Telehealth World a 2-hour real-time webinar at Meraki-Minded Professional Development.

Aniesha and I met over three years ago at a Central Valley Chapter of the California Association for Play Therapy meeting. At that meeting, Aniesha and I left as the new chapter President and President Elect. We learned to work as an effective team and I am proud to say we accomplished a lot in the two years we worked together as Board Members (to learn more about the California Association for Play Therapy CLICK HERE).

To learn more about Aniesha’s upcoming training please read on:

Course Description: The “in-between” of adolescences, the time in which an individual is no longer a child, but not quite an adult, poses unique challenges. This real-time webinar offers participants the opportunity to learn about the adolescent brain and the impact of trauma on emotional functioning and interpersonal connections. The course will focus on building the participant's knowledge-base in engaging, connecting with and encouraging resilience in adolescent clients, both in-person and through virtual platforms. This course will focus on utilizing an honest, authentic, and genuine approach to bridging the gap in the therapeutic relationship and within the parent-adolescent dyad.

Infant-Preschooler Mental Health Series and Reflective Practice Series 2021

WHY INFANT-PRESCHOOLER MENTAL HEALTH?

This 6-month training series focuses on supporting early childhood mental health practitioners in understanding the social, emotional, and behavioral health needs of young children and their families.  Training participants will cultivate clinical skills, including reflective capacity, cultural responsiveness, and genuine curiosity. Additionally, this series will prepare practitioners to utilize attachment-based, and relationship-focused interventions to increase protective factors against early childhood adversity (ACEs) as the best outcomes for young children occur when families are supported in their mental, emotional, and social well-being during pregnancy, birth, infancy, and early childhood.

Series Schedule

2021

JANUARY-

01/14/2021: Support Early Relationships: Attachment, Connections, and Community 

01/28/2021: The Amazing Infant (0-12 months): Developing within the context of relationships

FEBRUARY-

02/11/2021: The Dynamic Toddler: Toddler Development (1-3 years) for IMH practitioners

02/25/2021: The Impact of Early Childhood Trauma on Brain, Attachment, and Behavior

 MARCH-

03/11/2021: Addressing and Mitigating Risk Factors in Infant-Preschooler Mental Health 

03/25/2021: Resiliency and Protective Factors: Improving Infant-Preschooler Mental Health Outcomes

APRIL-

04/08/2021: Observation & Screening: Infant-Preschooler Mental Health

04/22/2021: Assessment: Infant-Preschooler Mental Health: 

MAY-

05/06/2021: Psychopathology: Infants and Young Children

05/20/2021: Play Therapy with Young Children

JUNE- 

06/03/2021: Attachment-Focused Interventions and Strategies

06/17/2021: Collaboration/Multi-Disciplinary Teaming 

JULY-

07/01/2021: Best Practices: Ethics in Early Childhood Mental Health

Series Description: Participants will learn the principles and practices of quality Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (IFECMH) practice. Key concepts such as primary attachment relationships, risk/resiliency factors, maternal mental health and biopsychosocial factors will be reviewed.  The research, theory and history behind IFECMH will be examined. Participants will learn the value of emotional and relational connections. Developmentally appropriate, evidence-based and best practice approaches to serving young children and families will be explored. Participants will discover the importance of reflective capacity, genuine empathy and cultural humility in the practice of infant-family and early childhood mental health.  Additionally, participants will review the role trauma, attachment disruption and stress play on health, wellness and learning outcomes. Participants will learn the global impact of developmental trauma, early childhood adversity and prolonged, unaddressed stress. This series will describe symptoms and behaviors common to traumatized children and will offer strategies to address these concerns. This series will cover the importance of healthy attachment relationships, co-regulation and joint/mutual engagement. Additionally, this series will review how to use observation, screening and assessment to determine necessary components of care for the individual infant, young child, and family. Participants will review the use of components of assessment including observations, interviews, standardized and non-standardized tests, and other professional reports, as appropriate, to provide multidimensional assessment. Lastly, participants will explore cross-disciplinary collaboration and ethically working with infant, young children and families. 

Who should attend: This series is designed for mental health professionals providing or interested in providing services and support to young children and families. 

Presenter: Julie Torok-Mangasarian, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Endorsed Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist, Reflective Practice Mentor (RPM) and certified educator of infant massage (CEIM). Julie specializes in use of attachment-focused, relationship-based interventions and play therapies to treat complex and developmental trauma in young children. She has been in practice for 15+ years and is the clinical director of an outpatient mental health clinic in Fresno, CA.  Julie is the owner of Meraki-Minded Professional Development, an agency designed to offer quality and affordable consultation, supervision and continuing education. 

CE’s: Attendance to this training series meets the qualifications for 26 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and/or LEP’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Meraki-Minded Professional Development is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and LEP’s. Meraki-Minded Professional Development maintains responsibility for this course and its content. Prov. # 76629.

Cancelations/Grievances/ADA: Programs are accessible to persons with disabilities. If you have a special need, please allow as much advance notice as is possible. Refunds will be provided with 3-day written notice of cancelation. Cancelations less than 3 days prior to the event or in cases of non-attendance refunds will not be granted. If you have questions or to report a grievance, please contact Julie Torok-Mangasarian at julie@meraki-minded.com. 

This training series takes into consideration ZERO TO THREE Competencies for Prenatal to Age 5 (P-5) Professionals™(2018) and aligns with the California Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (2016):

A: Parenting, Caregiving, Family Functioning and Parent-Child Relationships (2 hours)

B: Infant, Toddler and Preschool Development (4 hours)

C: Biological and Psychosocial Factors Impacting Outcomes (2 hours)

D: Risk and Resiliency (4 hours)

E: Observation, Screening, and Assessment (4 hours)

F: Diagnosis and Intervention (6 hours)

G: Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Collaboration (2 hours)

H: Ethics (2 hours)

Total: 26 CE hours

BENEFITS 

REGISTRATION TO THIS SERIES OFFERS 26 CE HOURS IN INFANT-PRESCHOOLER MENTAL HEALTH. THE REGISTRANT WILL GAIN ACCESS TO AN INFANT-MENTAL HEALTH COMMUNITY AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES.

Location/Format:

This series is offered through virtual/distance learning. Each course is offered via real-time webinar but can also be viewed anytime through July 15, 2021. To receive CE credits for recorded courses, the participant must complete a quiz (and receive a score of 80% or better) after the course is viewed. 

Time: 

Every other Thursday, 1-3pm from January 14th-July 1st 2021.  

All courses must be viewed by July 15, 2021 for CE Credit. 

Series Cost: $420.00 (CE Certificate Included)

Each course can be attended individually for $40.00 and can be found at https://meraki-minded.com/store

Registration fee includes a Certificate of Attendance, reference materials, and access to training recordings through July 15, 2021.

Reflective Practice Facilitation Training

Reflective practice is an essential component of Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (IFECMH) and, for many years, has been known to also benefit individuals and organizations in nursing, education, and business. This reflective practice workshop will utilize remote learning to examine the foundational knowledge and skills of reflective practice.   This workshop will distinguish the difference between learning the components of reflective practice and participating in the experience of reflective practice.  Participants will explore the principles of capable reflection such as the fundamentals of creating the reflective space, listening, observation, and responsive skills that comprise the reflective experience as well as consider the ethical questions that may arise when engaging in reflective practice.

Who should attend: This course is designed for professionals working in the field of early childhood mental health who are interested in developing a foundational understanding of reflective practice.  

Learning Objectives:

Define reflective practice facilitation/consultation/supervision.

Understand how to create and maintain an inviting, safe reflective space.

Identify at least three components of skillful reflective practice facilitation.

Identify at least two factors that impact the effectiveness of reflective practice.

Recognize issues and challenges in reflective practice facilitation (groups and individuals).

Understand ethical considerations in reflective practice.

Distinguish the difference between learning the components of reflective practice and participating in the experience of reflective practice.

Presenter: Debbie Duncan, LMFT, RPT-S, RPM is a Reflective Practice Mentor who has more than twenty years of experience working with children. She has taught, mentored, and consulted in the field of child therapy and early intervention. Debbie worked at Fresno County Mental Health with court-ordered infants and children, then was co-located at the Assessment Center for Children where she continued to work with young children and families. She is a Registered Play Therapist/Supervisor, endorsed Infant-Family Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist/Reflective Practice Mentor, and is a Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator. 

IMH Hours: Workshop is aligned with the California Training Guidelines and Personnel Competencies for Infant-Family and Early Childhood Mental Health (2009). 10 hours in the basic training workshop for reflective practice.  

A Few of my Favorite Things

Since I’ve been facilitating workshops and webinars, I’ve built in opportunities for drawings and giveaways. This has been a good motivator to engage participants after breaks and transitioning back into didactic work after group activities. Three of my favorite giveaways are below:

Mindful Kids Cards: 50 Mindfulness Activities for Kindness, Focus and Calm by Whitney Stewart and Mina Braun

Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting can help you nurture your child’s attachment, emotional resilience and freedom to explore by Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell with Christine M. Benton

Yoga Activity Blocks

Great Giveaways

Yoga Activity Blocks, Mindful Kids, and Raising a Secure Child

Integrating Yoga, Movement and Mindfulness in Therapy

Meraki-Minded Professional Development has made the transition to webinars in place of face-to-face trainings and workshops. This transition was challenging, but for the safety of all, we have been able to provide high quality, interactive and engaging material through Go-to-Webinar.

Our registration process continues through Eventbrite, and email is always a successful way to communicate: julie@meraki-minded.com

Most recently, Meraki-Minded Professional Development has partnered with Evergreen Yoga and Mindfulness to provide training specifically on integrating yoga and mindfulness in individual and group settings. One of the benefits of these workshops is that the material works equally well to develop self-care skills and practices.

On 07/24/2020 we will facilitate Integrating Yoga and Mindfulness in Therapy a 3-hour workshop to learn and grow skills in movement, meditation, and other mindful practices.

If you have an interest in learning about effective ways to use movement and mindfulness in face-to-face practice as well as Telehealth, please consider joining us.

REGISTER HERE

Integrating Yoga and Mindfulness in Therapy

Butte County Early Childhood Trauma and Recovery Summit

I have a special place in my heart for Butte County, CA. I spent my first year of college at Chico State before transferring to Fresno State to finish my BA . I loved it so much there and brought my family back to visit many times over the years. We would often rent a small house in Paradise, CA and spend our days at little shops and restaurants in the small town. Unfortunately, all of those places were destroyed by an awful fire just over a year ago. The Camp Fire was a tragedy that continues to affect the community.

On 02/07 and 02/08 the Center for Learning and Resilience will be hosting an Early Childhood Trauma and Recovery Summit: Trauma Prevention and Intervention Strategies. This summit is designed to support the Early Childhood Educators (ECE) and Home-Visitors of Butte County in their work with traumatized children and families. I am honored to be apart of this event and hope to encourage and support the great work of Butte County ECE providers and Home-Visitors.

CVCALAPT Annual 6.0 CE Event a success!

I’ve been so proud to be a part of the Central Valley Chapter of the California Association for Play Therapy (CVCALAPT). It all started two years ago after hearing that the chapter may close due to lack of officers. Aniesha Kleinhammer, LMFT and myself decided that we couldn’t let that happen, and with no experience we took on the role of President and President Elect to keep the chapter alive in the Valley. We knew that there was a deep love for play therapy in the Central Valley, and we wanted to get the word out about the importance of play and play therapy.

Now, as I am finishing my tenure as the Immediate Past President, I am happy to report that the chapter is alive and well. We had about 25 people at our last event which was kindly hosted by the University of Phoenix in Fresno, CA.

We had lots of fun and laughs. The presenter Angela Boardman, LMFT was a blast! She taught us the power of building and repairing relationships through play.

Best wishes to the new CVCALAPT officers as they continue to offer amazing trainings, outreach and support for play therapy.

For more information on becoming a registered play therapist please visit Association for Play Therapy.

Having a blast at CVCALAPT 6.0 Event!