Family Law

Training for the New Ways for Families program is confirmed and the information is below.

TRAINING:
Cost: $20
CLE credit: 1.5
Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Time 8-9:30
Location: Peninsula Community Mental Health Center, 118 E. 8th Street,
Port Angeles
Trainer: Bill Eddy (program designer)

New Ways is a counseling/life skills-training program for parents involved in custody issues (divorce, paternity and dependency) and is designed to reduce parental conflict and in particular the exposure of that conflict to the children. It is based on several research studies, including the new longitudinal study from La Trobe University which provides strong research findings that facilitating the parents to “hear” their children makes a decided and enduring difference in the reduction of conflict, reduction of litigation, improvement in the stability of families, and satisfaction of parents with parenting arrangements.

Bill Eddy, the New Ways developer, will be in Victoria, and has graciously offered to come to Port Angeles the following day to do the training in person. At this time, we have about 15 counselors from Clallam and Jefferson committed to take the training (including PCMHC), and most of the family law bar as well. The program will have the most impact if counselors, judges and attorneys understand the program, so I do recommend all family law attorneys take the training. Three (cheap) CLE credits are provided, and a solid grounding in this tool will help you help your clients maximize whatever their goals may be.

The Clallam and Jefferson judges have expressed interest in the program, although they are keen for feedback from the attorneys and are truly interested in cooperative efforts with the bar. I encourage everyone to communicate with the judges if you have any thoughts or opinions about the program, pro or con.

You can find more info at:

Homepage

Please feel free to call me if you have any questions or would like to know more about the program.

Regards,
Mark Baumann
360-452-8688
http://markbaumann.com/new-ways-for-families™

Attachement and the Foster Child

Randi Hankins, noted speaker on the dominant approach to childhood attachment theory, will be presenting on March 25, 2009, at the Port Angeles, WA, DCFS office at 201 W. 1st Street, from 9-4. There is no cost for this seminar.

Topics include:
– Trauma and its impact
– How trauma and attachment problems impact behavior
– Running away, power struggles, defiant behavior
– Real tools for caregives
– Strategies to improve behavior and attachment
– Parenting skills

To register, email Bill Todd

“Although not without its critics, attachment theory has been described as the dominant approach to understanding early social development and to have given rise to a great surge of empirical research into the formation of children’s close relationships.[17] As it is presently formulated and used for research purposes, Bowlby’s attachment theory stresses the following important tenets: 1) children between 6 and about 30 months are very likely to form emotional attachments to familiar caregivers, especially if the adults are sensitive and responsive to child communications. 2) The emotional attachments of young children are shown behaviorally in their preferences for particular familiar people, their tendency to seek proximity to those people, especially in times of distress, and their ability to use the familiar adults as a secure base from which to explore the environment. 3) The formation of emotional attachments contributes to the foundation of later emotional and personality development, and the type of behavior toward familiar adults shown by toddlers has some continuity with the social behaviors they will show later in life. 4) Events that interfere with attachment, such as abrupt separation of the toddler from familiar people or the significant inability of carers to be sensitive, responsive or consistent in their interactions, have short-term and possible long-term negative impacts on the child’s emotional and cognitive life.”
From Wikipedia.com,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowlby#The_.22Attachment_and_Loss.22_trilogy

The Children & Families Experiencing Domestic Violence Conference on March 25th at South Seattle Community College is an opportunity for professionals and community members to learn more about how domestic violence affects the families in your community. The Conference is planned around four main themes including:
Primary Prevention
Engaging and Working with Domestic Violence Perpetrators as Parents
Supporting the Needs of Domestic Violence Survivors and their Children
Working with Maltreated Children and their Families in Court Dependency Processes

Conference presenters are some of the best in the domestic violence field from across the country. Three nationally known presenters include: Larry Cohen, Executive Director and Founder of the Prevention Institute; Professor Jeffrey Edleson, University of Minnesota; and Anne Ganley, University of Washington PLUS 18 additional speakers from the Puget Sound area will present. Laura Porter, Staff Director of the Family Policy Council, will present on The Dynamics of Thriving in Washington State!

The Conference fee of $55 includes all materials, continental breakfast and lunch with registration before March 23rd (registration increases to $75 on March 23rd). A brochure is attached to this email for you to check out.

To register simply log onto http://www.skccn.com/ChildDVconf.asp and click on the registration button. You will be able to view the full agenda plus speaker bios. Registration is by purchase order or credit card. Special arrangements for checks can be made by contacting conference coordinator, Dianne Heide, at [email protected].