Trainings Offered Through ASAP

ASAP provides education, information, and trainings to professionals, resource families, and communities across the state of Tennessee. ASAP is committed to increasing the capacity of Tennessee's communities to meet the needs of their adoptive families. As with ASAP, the trainings are delivered at no cost to its recipients. For more information, contact Caroleigh Heaton at clheaton@harmonyadoptions.org or 865.982.5225. Please view the list of trainings offered, as well as their descriptions below.

Stress: Friend & Foe

A light hearted look at how employees deal with stress at home and in the work environment. Learn the difference between good stress and bad stress. Module includes a personal stress inventory, humorous videos, and group activity "The Magical Stress Box". Come prepared to relax a little, eat some chocolate, and have some fun.

Making Time for R & R: Recruitment & Retention

Do you treat your resource parents as the most important asset to your foster and adoptive program? In this training you'll learn successful strategies in the recruitment, training, and retention of resource families. So don't delay, learn more about how to start a meaningful partnership with your families today.

Synergy: The Importance of Partnership Development

What is synergy and why is it important in the work environment? Do you communicate well with others? Can you survive a plane crash in the desert and get your team back to safety? In this training, we'll "synergize to survive" and in the process learn to communicate and solve problems more effectively.

Alcohol and Drug Use… Prevention, signs to look for, what to do

Current national stats indicate that drug use among teenagers is actually falling but both the variety and intensity of substances they use is actually increasing. In this training, the participant is given a brief presentation on the neuron-biology of substance abuse and then taken through a picture by picture look at all the different substances teenagers are at risk of being exposed to and using. Discussion will follow re: prevention and treatment options.

Transition Items

What are they? Why are they significant to a child's story of loss, transitions, and attachment? As a part of the presentation, video demonstrations will enhance an understanding of the universal human need for transition object and open the door to better understand a child's behavior through these objects.

Processing grief and loss with children who suffer multiple transitions

The impact of grief and loss is often underestimated when it pertains to children. This training will begin with a general overview of grief and some of the common myths associated with it. The specifics of grief and loss regarding foster and adopted children will then be explored, beginning with the concept that loss is at the very core of adoption. Elements that impact a foster or adopted child's grief will be discussed, as well as, suggestions and advice for parents and caregivers to assist their child in the grieving process.

Attachment 1: Looking Through a Different Lens

Come experience a workshop that is intended to help the participant look at the "Attachment Cycle" with a different point of view. Traditionally, caregivers have been taught that people fall into two categories: the attached and the unattached. This workshop utilizes several teaching metaphors to better understand that attachment is a continuum, and we are all on it. Looking at the attachment cycle differently equips the participant to better understand the myriad of coping mechanisms exhibited by children with a history of abuse or neglect. We will also take the first steps toward addressing the caregiver's question: "So, what do I do now?"

Attachment 2: The Tie That Binds

Attachment 2 picks up and can be a natural progression of training from Attachment 1, though Attachment 1 is not necessarily a required precursor to this module. How do you help the profoundly wounded child heal the traumatic scars of abuse and neglect? This module utilizes pieces of the movie Good Will Hunting to compliment the training's look at the depth of mistrust and anger that resides just beneath the surface of the profoundly wounded. Insecurity, mistrust, and anger are the rippling-wake of ruptured attachment for youth of the child welfare system. Come learn through the use of multi-media what is "the tie that binds" and provides youth a foundation upon which developmental permanency can be built.

Object Relations Theory

Have you ever wondered why the "permanency" outcome established through a legal proceeding may not always correlate to a child's sense of permanency? Borrowing from the work of Holly van Gulden and Claude Riedel, this workshop introduces the concepts of Object Relations theory. In this module we will delve into the origins of "permanency" and "constancy" and how they are key developmental building blocks of self development.

Building Successful Parent Support Groups

The culture of secrecy that once shrouded adoption is lifting and every day it seems we are finding new and innovative ways to support families. Support groups play a vital role in connecting families to resources and keeping families and ultimately our communities healthier. Learn how to develop topics and curriculums relevant to your audience, manage mailing lists, facilitate your group, and nurture those personal connections that help grow strong support networks. Specialized content is available for the following support group programs: Grief and loss, understanding attachment, identifying and understanding triggers, understanding and building respite, protecting families from false allegations and understanding the investigative process, parenting children who may never leave home, and advocating locally and legislatively.

Parent A Child is an on-line resource service connecting potential and/or active adoptive families to links on how to become an adoptive parent, dates and locations of current trainings and support groups in their area. You may also meet some of the children waiting for their forever family by viewing their In My Own Words video.