Join this special session to learn about the prevalence of childhood bereavement, how children grieve developmentally, ways individuals can help, and how systems can respond to this need. 

The APA Division 53 Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health SIG will be hosting a webinar in which expert speakers will discuss cultural and historical considerations in the assessment process of young Native American children.

 At the end of the webinar, attendees will be able to:

Recall historical systems of oppression which have impacted Native American children and families

Explain the role of mental health professionals in systems of oppression of Native American clients

Analyze and shift biases and/or stereotypes of working with Native American children and families

Identify how culture shapes the assessment and therapy process with young children

Challenge western approaches to working with Native American children and families

Paper Tigers is a 102 minute documentary that follows a year in the life of a high school that radically changed its approach to disciplining its students.

Join the virtual discussion of Paper Tigers on Thursday, 10/10/24 from 1:00pm-2:00pm.

Registered participants will receive a link to view/stream the documentary the week prior to discussion.

Connection with a child is built on bonding experiences that build trust. In order to understand how to forge these experiences it is necessary to deconstruct how trust is built up, and why it can be difficult for children with trauma, including insecure attachment experiences, to offer parents the quick reassurance that they feel safe, loved, and secure. For children who feel insecure and afraid, the rejection of caregivers and authority figures is often a coping mechanism to avoid the pain of rejection. This habit needs to be unwound very slowly and carefully in order to change the identity of the child from one who feels unloved to one who feels and identified as loved. This class outlines how attachments are formed, what they look like when they are insecure, and outlines practical strategies for connection.

Mental health clinicians, psychologists and medical professionals are invited to attend two Zoom webinars focusing on the assessment and intervention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The webinars will provide training to elevate knowledge and expand resources. Attendees do not have to attend the first webinar to attend the second; however, the first webinar will provide foundational information regarding FASD. CEUs will be provided for attendance at each webinar. The Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) system of care is partnering with Fraser, Proof Alliance, University of Minnesota and The Village for Families & Children to provide the training sessions.

In honor of National Suicide Prevention Month, SAMHSA’s Suicide Prevention Branch is hosting a fireside chat on Black youth suicide prevention, featuring speakers from SAMHSA, young adults with lived experience, and experts in suicide prevention among Black youth. Research shows that from 2018 to 2021, Black individuals aged 10 to 24 experienced a 37% increase in suicides, the largest increase among racial groups. This webinar will highlight the efforts of SAMHSA's Black Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative and focus on actions to support youth in their communities. Don’t miss the opportunity to gain valuable insights from experts and young people about addressing Black youth suicide and learn how to embed equity in suicide prevention efforts.

The youngest among us are no strangers to digital technology. Yet families and educators are inundated with conflicting advice about screen time. On one hand, companies promise that media can boost children’s intelligence while on the other, pediatricians urge screen time limits in the early years. In this workshop, Erin Walsh will cut through conflicting information and translate the latest research into easy-to-understand language for parents and early childhood educators. Using stories, warmth, and humor Erin will share ways that technology can both help and hurt children’s learning and development and explore practical strategies for helping young children thrive in a world dominated by screens.

This event is free, but please register.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, children's mental health has emerged as a critical concern worldwide. In this FREE virtual training session scheduled for September 24th, we offer a comprehensive exploration of the multifaceted dimensions of children's mental health, with a particular focus on navigating the unique challenges posed by the post-COVID era.

When faced with challenges like homework, screen time, food choices, and bedtime, it is helpful for parents to have a plan to address them with consistency. Children who have experienced trauma often respond with reactivity instead of receptivity. Nevertheless, caregivers can foster their children’s ability to be open and curious about the world despite its frustrations and challenges. This is done by specific strategies that initiate the thinking part of the brain, inviting exploration and chance-taking. This class outlines practical parenting strategies to help navigate common situations in the home.

Mental health clinicians, psychologists and medical professionals are invited to attend two Zoom webinars focusing on the assessment and intervention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). The webinars will provide training to elevate knowledge and expand resources. Attendees do not have to attend the first webinar to attend the second; however, the first webinar will provide foundational information regarding FASD. CEUs will be provided for attendance at each webinar. The Minnesota Department of Human Services’ Early Childhood Mental Health (ECMH) system of care is partnering with Fraser, Proof Alliance, University of Minnesota and The Village for Families & Children to provide the training sessions.

This is a webinar held on Zoom. Please register before training session(s).

Challenging behaviors are a form of communication. Children tend to relay their feelings and needs by acting out rather than explaining. Hospital workers can inadvertently reinforce this pattern by paying close attention to disruptive behaviors while ignoring more desirable ones like playing quietly. While this makes sense for the worker, it can incentivize the creation of drama and angst to get attention. This class describes ways to promote and reinforce calm and pro-social behaviors while setting effective and practical limits when necessary.

A new home can be a threatening and frightening place for a child. Caregivers and guardians can contribute to an aura of calm and wellbeing by understanding and practicing trauma-informed care. Providing care that is trauma-informed means adapting household practices, communication strategies, physical spaces, and more to make the home less anxiety-inducing and consequently less likely to re-traumatize the children and adolescents receiving care. This class seeks to help learners conceptualize the nature of this problem and offers practices that reduce the risk of re-traumatization for the young people in their care.

Our goal this year is to educate, prepare, and give tools to those who may encounter a sex trafficking victim.

Our goal this year is to educate, prepare, and give tools to those who may encounter a sex trafficking victim.

For children with lived experiences of trauma and adversity, the household must be a safe space, both physically and emotionally. Caregivers who proactively plan to create a safe and nurturing environment will be more successful in settling their child into their new home. In addition, research shows that unsafe situations and violence are relatively predictable and that increased awareness of these factors empowers caregivers and children to stay safe as they navigate their day. This class covers practical strategies to promote physical and emotional safety in the home and other common environments.

Learn about various brain-based differences and how to effectively provide care to children who are neurodiverse.

De-escalating a crisis is a very difficult skill set and starts with the caregiver calming themselves and maintaining their composure as they approach the situation. Fear elicits a threat response in both the child and the person providing care. This means that without specific strategies it is common for people like parents and guardians to inadvertently worsen the situation as they react to the “noise” of the situation. This class presents a three-step model of intervention to help guide the upset child back into their rational brain.

On any given day, an estimated 16,000 Minnesota children have a parent in prison; thousands more have a parent incarcerated in a local jail. Parental incarceration is a powerful adverse childhood experience. Evidence suggests that one in six Minnesota youth reports a history of parental incarceration. Parent incarceration dramatically increases risks of poor school attendance, school discipline problems, lower grades, school disconnection, substance use, and mental health problems. Supporting the parent-child relationship is a key strategy for fostering resilience in children affected by incarceration.

Thanks to the Minnesota Legislature, and continued funding through the Department of Justice, the Minnesota Department of Health and the University of Minnesota have expanded a pilot program to 14 counties across Minnesota to help children impacted by parent incarceration. The model jail practices learning community brings together local jails and community partners to learn best practices, share resources, and reflect on how parental incarceration impacts children in their counties. With the support of the Minnesota Sherriff’s Association, work continues with county jails in Carlton, Olmsted, Ramsey, Renville, Stearns, and Sherburne, and has launched in Brown, McLeod, Nicollet, Todd, Hennepin, St. Louis, Crow Wing, and Scott County facilities.

Learn about a range of strategies underway within the model jail practices learning community which are critical for healthy child development, including some zero-cost changes and long-term policy changes such as child-preferred visiting hours that counties can make to help strengthen and maintain the parent-child relationship.

Learn about brain development and what happens between your nervous system and your child's during times of stress and regulation.

Learn about brain development and what happens between your nervous system and your child's during times of stress and regulation.

The AAP, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will hold a live virtual event on early identification and diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome and discuss opportunities for clinicians to reduce disparities in early identification and access to care. Learners will be able to differentiate between tics and other tic related conditions. Clinicians will also receive supports to share with families and caregivers to better understand the clinical course progression of Tourette Syndrome. Register now for this live event on Tuesday, June 18 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm CDT. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Learn how to heal your inner child and become the parent you needed while raising your own kids at Healing Generations event.

This course will support pediatricians and other health care providers with practical knowledge and resources to better identify and manage ADHD that co-occur with other conditions. Through this course, pediatric health care providers will learn about common conditions that co-occur with or have similar symptoms with ADHD and consideration for ADHD treatment and management in the context of these conditions. This course is a follow-up to a current PediaLink course, Identifying and Caring for Children and Adolescents with ADHD, focused on description of ADHD, prevalence, identification, treatment, and collaborative management.

• Increase knowledge of strategies that can create time and distance between a young person experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviors and use of lethal means, such as firearms and over-the-counter medications.

• Understand the role of lethal means counseling as an effective part of a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy for youth.

• Demonstrate approaches to partner with families about ways to reduce youth access to lethal means as an effective strategy to support a young person who may be at risk for suicide.

Connection with a child is built on bonding experiences that build trust. In order to understand how to forge these experiences it is necessary to deconstruct how trust is built up, and why it can be difficult for children with trauma, including insecure attachment experiences, to offer parents the quick reassurance that they feel safe, loved, and secure. For children who feel insecure and afraid, the rejection of caregivers and authority figures is often a coping mechanism to avoid the pain of rejection. This habit needs to be unwound very slowly and carefully in order to change the identity of the child from one who feels unloved to one who feels and identified as loved. This class outlines how attachments are formed, what they look like when they are insecure, and outlines practical strategies for connection.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental health refers to how we think, feel and behave. Mental Health is

something that everyone has – just like physical health. In this presentation,

we will discuss how to improve your own mental well-being. As well as some

ways to support others.

Our presenter, Greg Bockrath, from Isanti County Public Health is a Health

Educator. He's a husband, a father of three, and has been in the health

promotion field for over 15 years.

No registration necessary.

Event will be in the Opportunity Room at the Cambridge Public Library.

This event is made possible with partnerships with Isanti County Public

Health and The Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.

This class uncovers how children’s cultural identities and experiences shape the way they make meaning of the world and relate to others. Medical systems are usually more effective when they are adapted to the child’s cultural needs and preferences. As such, effective service providers can skillfully navigate cultural conversations, and form a caring relationship with the child. This training looks at practical strategies for learning about the child’s perspective and tips for conducting such conversations.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental health refers to how we think, feel and behave. Mental Health is

something that everyone has – just like physical health. In this presentation,

we will discuss how to improve your own mental well-being. As well as some

ways to support others.

Our presenter, Greg Bockrath, from Isanti County Public Health is a Health

Educator. He's a husband, a father of three, and has been in the health

promotion field for over 15 years.

No registration necessary.

Event will be in the Opportunity Room at the Cambridge Public Library.

This event is made possible with partnerships with Isanti County Public

Health and The Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.

When faced with challenges like homework, screen time, food choices, and bedtime, it is helpful for parents to have a plan to address them with consistency. Children who have experienced trauma often respond with reactivity instead of receptivity. Nevertheless, caregivers can foster their children’s ability to be open and curious about the world despite its frustrations and challenges. This is done by specific strategies that initiate the thinking part of the brain, inviting exploration and chance-taking. This class outlines practical parenting strategies to help navigate common situations in the home.