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A MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS, NOW WHAT? ADVOCATING FOR YOUR CHILD

Andrea Marinelli, Family Support Specialist

Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York

8:45-10:15 a.m.

 In this workshop we will examine the brain science behind your children’s behavior and discuss getting the right mental health evaluation and understanding symptoms of diagnoses. We will also explore advocating for hidden resources for home based programs to improve family relationships.

Enough Abuse: Strategies for Your Family and Community

Stephanie Sacco and Ting Lee   

Best Self WNY 

10:30-12:00 p.m.  

The Enough Abuse Campaign offers educational information regarding child sexual abuse to prevent people from victimizing children and youth prevent children from developing abusive behaviors in the future. The module that will help you understand child sexual abuse as a public health problem, the conditions that exist in our society today that support child sexual abuse, who the abusers are and what their tactics are, what the possible physical and behavioral signs of child sexual abuse are and how to prevent child sexual abuse by communicating to our children about healthy body boundaries and how to advocate for the children when a disclosure is made. The campaign feels very strongly that it is the responsibility of adults to protect our children!

THIS IS US: ADOPTION IN THE REAL WORLD

Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition Staff and Guest Panelists

12:30-2-30 p.m.

 This is Us has captured the attention of millions with its candid portrayal of families today, the intricacies of who and what constitutes family and how these relationships shape our identities as individuals and as a family unit.

Please join the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York in collaboration with The Western New York Foster Adoptive Families Association for a real life discussion with our panel of characters including birth parents, adoptive parents, adoption professionals and, adopted persons. Through a moderated panel presentation, we will explore how we construct family today, the meaning this has for us, and how to create a social context in which today’s families are embraced and celebrated for the rich diversity this brings to all of our lives.

Television programming such as This is Us allows us to use a culturally relevant and timely media hit to have a deeper discussion about the complexities of families today, the realities of these experiences, and the need to educate our communities in order that all families have access to what they need to be strong.