Parent Panel: Raising Sibling Groups
Join us for an honest and engaging conversation with families who have welcomed sibling groups through adoption and permanency. This panel is mainly for waiting families who are considering adopting siblings. It is also open to parents who are thinking about growing their family through another adoption The session will follow a Q&A format, with Christina […]
Growing Together, Growing Differently: Parenting Adopted Children from Different Birth Families
Adopting more than one child can bring tremendous joy and connection to a family while also creating unique parenting challenges. When children come from different birth families, they may bring very different experiences of prenatal development, early caregiving, trauma, attachment, culture, identity, loss, and family relationships. This interactive 90-minute workshop will explore the ways each […]
Nurturing Healthy Sibling Relationships in Families Joined Through Permanency
Sibling relationships can be complex, particularly when families are formed through permanency, and children bring different experiences of belonging, attachment, and trauma. For siblings who have experienced relational trauma before joining a family, conflict can feel confusing and intense. Their reactions may seem disproportionate to what is happening in the moment, while differences in developmental […]
Understanding Behaviour in Children with Autism
Over three weekly sessions, parents and caregivers will build their understanding, strengthen connections, and develop practical skills to support children with special needs, including autism. Each session will build on the previous week's learning while reviewing key concepts. Together, the sessions will offer an in-depth perspective and provide tools to help caregivers problem-solve in the […]
Trying Differently Rather Than Harder: Understanding ADHD, FASD, and Other Brain-Based Differences
This workshop explores the spectrum of brain-based differences (BBDs), including ADHD, FASD, and other conditions that may present through a wide range of symptoms. The training provides a research-informed conceptual foundation that connects brain function with behaviour and introduces an evidence-based, best-practice approach to developing appropriate and effective person-specific strategies across a variety of settings. […]
Professional development: Supporting Parents in the First Year of Placement
Participants will strengthen their professional practice in three key areas: Assessment: Identify the unique adjustment, attachment, trauma, and family-system needs that may arise following an adoption placement. Support: Apply trauma- and attachment-informed strategies to promote strong parent-child relationships and build parental confidence. Collaboration: Develop proactive post-adoption support networks and coordinate services for children and families […]
Trauma-Informed Parenting online workshop
Parents will learn about the different types of trauma, how trauma manifests as children develop, and strategies for parenting using a trauma-informed approach. Workshop outline: Session 1 – Trauma and the adopted child Understanding trauma Children in care Child/adolescent development Attachment Trauma storms Core principles of trauma-informed parenting Session 2 – Parenting and self-care Safety […]
Openness and Identity online workshop – WAITLIST
Adoption is not a single conversation; it is a lifelong relationship shaped by identity, connection, loss, belonging, and openness. This workshop offers adoptive applicants and adoptive parents an opportunity to explore these topics in a deeper and more practical way. Together, we will examine the evolving concepts surrounding openness in adoption, including communication with birth […]
Openness and Identity online workshop
Adoption is not a single conversation; it is a lifelong relationship shaped by identity, connection, loss, belonging, and openness. This workshop offers adoptive applicants and adoptive parents an opportunity to explore these topics in a deeper and more practical way. Together, we will examine the evolving concepts surrounding openness in adoption, including communication with birth […]
Attachment, Grief, and Loss online workshop
Attachment, Grief, and Loss is a new three-part attachment workshop designed for waiting adoptive and permanency parents and caregivers who want to better understand how early relationships, loss, and trauma shape a child’s development. It centers on helping caregivers recognize how children communicate needs through behaviour and how responsive caregiving builds secure attachment. Participants will […]
Successful Co-parenting: Staying Connected While Raising Children with Complex Needs with Dr. Vanessa Lapointe
Often, if not always, two parents come to the work of raising children with different perspectives and instincts. One parent may lean more toward structure and routine, while the other leans more toward flexibility and responsiveness. Both are trying to support their child in the best way they know how, yet these differences can sometimes […]
Parenting Teens and Tweens with Developmental Trauma workshop with Andrea Chatwin
This two-hour workshop offers a supportive and informative space for parents raising tweens and teens with developmental trauma. Many young people with trauma histories struggle with asynchronous development, which can leave caring adults feeling baffled by their choices, reactions, or emotional intensity. This workshop helps parents make sense of what they’re seeing and respond from […]