Today and tomorrow, we're having our first International Adoption Training weekend. We have five families attending this two day seminar and we're so excited for this opportunity to help prepare them for this journey of adoption.
We have several excellent teachers:
- Sally Carmen is a registered licensed Occupational and Adoption Therapist who will cover attachment and sensory processing.
- Anne Kalkbrenner is an RN, lecturer and pediatric clinical lead at the University of Washington and her topic is medical issues in adoption. Anne has also adopted a child from Ethiopia through YWAM.
- Cathy Carlson is an experienced adoptive mom who has eleven children, seven of whom were adopted from Ethiopia. She will cover parenting strategies, family dynamics and abuse/sexual issues. She is an invaluable resource and wonderful partner of our ministry.
- Liane Wolbert is a certified guidance counselor and behavioral specialist who conducts our Washington state homestudies. She will teach in the areas of cultural and transracial issues, dealing with grief and loss, and finding appropriate educational and language helps.
- Joy Casey, our ministry director, will address getting a network in place and preparing to bring your child home.
In addition, we have a panel of YWAM families who have adopted children from Ethiopia. They will share some of their experiences and will participate in a Q & A session at the end of our time on Saturday.
This training meets a family's international adoption education requirement. But more importantly, we hope to provide vital information that will equip families to have realistic expectations and the resources they'll need to build a healthy relationship with their adopted children and help them heal and thrive in a strong family.
We plan to conduct this training several times each year so stay tuned for more information!
No comments:
Post a Comment