Workshops

Foster Adopt Minnesota's Education Program offers workshops geared towards families and professionals to help address challenges faced in the adoption and foster care community.

Each live workshop listed below indicates if the audience is foster, kinship, or adoptive parents, and/or professionals which means the speaker will gear the content towards that population. Please register for an event that applies to you.

We invite you to explore our webinar library and podcast library, to see a variety of topics offered.

Our workshops cover sensitive topics such as grief, trauma, abuse, neglect, and sexual behaviors. We acknowledge these topics may be triggering or uncomfortable. Please be mindful of your own needs.

If you are in need of closed captioning, it will be available once the live webinar begins.

If you need more information about any of offerings, please email edu@fosteradoptmn.org.


Upcoming Workshops
April
April

[FosterEd] ADHD: Developing Greater Understanding for More Effective Strategies

Wednesday, Apr 24th 2024
12:30 PM — 02:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster Parents
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Kelly Pieper, LICSW, IMH-E

[FosterEd] Concurrent Planning and the Children/Youth We Care For

Thursday, Apr 25th 2024
06:30 PM — 08:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster Parents
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Keatha McLeod
May
May

[IN-PERSON] [For Professionals] Caregiver Mental Health

Thursday, May 2nd 2024
10:30 AM — 12:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: $15.00 per person


Audience: Professionals
Level: Intermediate
Ages addressed: 0-18



Brandon Jensen, MS, LMFT, PACC

Prioritizing Belonging in the Classroom for Students Navigating Trauma

Tuesday, May 7th 2024
12:00 PM — 01:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Professionals
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Gaelin Elmore

[IN-PERSON] [FosterEd] The Importance of Maintaining Primary Relationships

Tuesday, May 7th 2024
06:00 PM — 07:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster Parents
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Sarah Hamlin, MSW, LICSW
Tia Dvorak, MS, LMFT-S, RPT-S

[FosterEd] Introduction to Minnesota's Child Foster Care Licensing Guidelines

Thursday, May 9th 2024
01:00 PM — 03:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster Parents
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



April Grissom
Michelle Chalmers

[FosterEd] Adoption and Development Across the Lifespan

Monday, May 13th 2024
01:00 PM — 03:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster Parents
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Sue Badeau

Grounding & Connection: Creating a Sense of Safety for Foster & Adoptive Youth

Tuesday, May 14th 2024
12:30 PM — 02:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Intermediate
Ages addressed: 0-18



Mya Zavaleta

[IN-PERSON] [FosterEd] Effects of Trauma

Tuesday, May 14th 2024
06:00 PM — 07:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster Parents
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Sarah Hamlin, MSW, LICSW
Tia Dvorak, MS, LMFT-S, RPT-S

[IN-PERSON] AM SESSION: Exploring Complicated Relationships in Foster and Adoptive Families

Wednesday, May 15th 2024
10:00 AM — 12:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: $15.00 per person


Audience: Foster, Adoptive & Kinship Parents
Level: Intermediate
Ages addressed: 0-18



Deena McMahon, MSW, LICSW

[IN-PERSON] PM SESSION: Managing Mental Health of Children in Care - Multiple and Co-occurring Disorders

Wednesday, May 15th 2024
01:00 PM — 03:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: $15.00 per person


Audience: Professionals
Level: Intermediate
Ages addressed: 0-18



Deena McMahon, MSW, LICSW

Supporting Your Biological Child

Monday, May 20th 2024
11:00 AM — 01:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Daniela Coats

Language of Trauma

Tuesday, May 21st 2024
10:30 AM — 12:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Heather Forbes, LCSW

Countering Learned Helplessness in Youth

Wednesday, May 29th 2024
11:00 AM — 12:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Intermediate
Ages addressed: 0-18



Laura Thro, M.P.S.
June
June

[FosterEd] Making a Difference: Caring for the Infant with Prenatal Exposure to Drugs

Monday, Jun 3rd 2024
12:30 PM — 02:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Advanced
Ages addressed: 0-5



Ira Chasnoff, MD

[FosterEd] Ways to Soothe and Comfort - Coaching Parents of Children Who Have Experienced Child Psychological Maltreatment

Monday, Jun 10th 2024
12:00 PM — 01:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Intermediate
Ages addressed: 0-18



Tina Feigal, M.S. Ed.

Building a Pathway for Trauma-Informed Youth

Tuesday, Jun 11th 2024
10:30 AM — 12:00 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Intermediate
Ages addressed: 0-18



Cam Lee Small, MS, LPCC

Relationships Heal

Monday, Jun 17th 2024
01:00 PM — 02:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-5



Nora Erickson, PhD, LP
July
July

Supporting Your Teen Through the College Years and Early Adulthood: The Seven Core Struggles in Adoption

Wednesday, Jul 17th 2024
11:00 AM — 12:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 12-18+



Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker
August
August

How to Talk About Difficult Birth Histories with Adopted Children

Wednesday, Aug 14th 2024
11:00 AM — 12:30 PM (Central Time)

COST: Free

Audience: Foster, Adoptive, Kinship Parents & Professionals
Level: Beginner
Ages addressed: 0-18



Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker