September 11 & 12, 2008: Pre-Conference Location
(September 11, 2008):
Forest Institute
2885 W. Battlefield, Springfield, MO
September 11, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Map & Directions | Conference Location
(September 12, 2008):
First and Calvary Presbyterian Church
820 Cherry Street, Springfield, Missouri
September 12, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Map & Directions |  |
DYNAMIC PLENARY SPEAKERS:
Target participants of the Child Welfare Training Grant may attend the conference at no cost.
Target participants are Child Welfare Workers and Head Start Family Advocates (from Barry, Benton, Christian, Greene, Dallas, Hickory, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Polk, Stone, Taney and Webster), MFT students from Forest Institute and Social Work students at MSU. Contact
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if you are interested in being an exhibitor at this conference. Pre-Conference Schedule: Thursday, September 11, 2008 Forest Institute
(For more information on the presentation, please see the list of abstracts below which are listed alphabetically by title.) | | | Shell | Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | | 8:30- 9:00 | Registration | | 9:00-9:15 | Welcome and Introduction - Jennifer Baker, Kristina Brown & Julie Lee | | 9:15-10:30 | Grantees Panel - Julie Lee of ACF, Forest Institute, Syracuse University, University of Louisville, University of Denver, and University of Albany in New York | 10:45-12:00
First Session | Getting Married in the 21st Century: A Qualitative Study of the Transition to Marriage - Rebecca Adams, Ph.D. and Scott Hall, Ph.D. | Effective Outreach for Head Start Programs in Rural Areas - Penny Sommers, Ed.D. and Alexandria Miller, Ph.D. | Connecting with the Online Generation for Relationship Education
- Derek Gwinn, MA, CFLE | Taking it to the Streets: Implementing a Grant Curriculum - Jennifer Baker, Psy.D. and Kristina S. Brown, Ph.D. | Creating a Stronghold in the Community for Healthy Relationships & Healthy Marriage - Bridget Brennan, MA and Madeline Adams, MSSW | | 12:00-1:15 | Lunch | | 1:15 - 2:30 Second Session | FathersPlace: A Simulation Addressing Fathers’ Involvement in Permanency Planning - Kathleen Holt, MLS and Linda Metsger, MA | In their own words, Child Welfare Workers talk about the need for relationship education - - Keith A. Alford, Ph.D., Carrie Smith, Ph.D., Peg Miller, MSW, and Sharon Alestalo, MS | Child Welfare Training in Healthy Marriage and Family Formation: A Prevention Strategy for Child Maltreatment - Becky F. Antle, MSSW, Ph.D., Bibhuti Sar, Ph.D., Dana Christensen, Ph.D., and Anita Barbee, Ph.D. | About the Child Welfare Training Grant at Forest Institute - Jennifer Baker, PsyD, Kristina S. Brown, PhD, and Melissa Fallone, PhD | Recruitment Challenges in Low-Income Marriage Education Programs: Updates and Findings - Kelly M. Roberts, MS, LMFT and Brandt C. Gardner, Ph.D. | | 2:45-4:00 Third Session | Child Welfare Facilitator Training - Kristina S. Brown, PhD, Deborah Calhoun, MA, PLPC, Dana Anderson, BA and Anthony Larson, MA
| For the Sake of Children: Assessing and Building Healthy Couple Relationships - Keith A. Alford, Ph.D., Carrie Smith, Ph.D., Peg Miller, MSW, and Sharon Alestalo, MS | Research on Healthy Marriage and Family Formation Issues in the Child Welfare Population - Becky F. Antle, MSSW, Ph.D., Bibhuti Sar, Ph.D., Dana Christensen, Ph.D., Anita Barbee, Ph.D., and Catherine Lawrence, Ph.D. | Relationship Skill Tools for Good Ole' Boys - Jennifer Baker, PsyD. | Captivating harmony between the facilitator and the audience - Alicia La Hoz, Psy.D. |
Conference Schedule: Friday, September 12, 2008 First & Calvary
(For more information on the presentation, please see the list of abstracts below which are listed alphabetically by title.) | | | Large Room | Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3 | Room 4 | Room 5 | Room 6 | Room 7 | Room 8 | Room 9 | | 8:30- 9:00 | Registration & Exhibits Open - Posters and Exhibits will be available from 8:30-4:00pm
| | 9:00-9:15 | Welcome and Introduction - Jennifer Baker, Kristina Brown, and Julie Lee
| | 9:15-10:15 Plenary | Maria Kefalas | | 10:30-11:45 First Session | Research on Mother and Father Perspectives on Nonmarital Childbearing - Maria Kefalas, PhD | Grandparents Raising Grand-children: Adding Income to the Family - Ramon Zapata, MS | Relationship Skills 101 - Reaching Teens Before They Make the Marriage Decision - Charlene Kamper, MA, CFLE | The Necessity for Psycho-educational Training in Stepfamily Formation - Brandi Noirfalise, MA | Relationship Education for Good Ol’ Boys - Jennifer Baker, PsyD | Fostering Healthy Parent-Child Relationships by Modeling Effective Problem Solving - Marie Saracino, Ph.D. and Tara Newman, Ed.D. | Child Welfare Training in Healthy Marriage and Family Formation: A Prevention Strategy for Child Maltreatment - Becky F. Antle, MSSW, Ph.D., Bibhuti Sar, Ph.D., Dana Christensen, Ph.D., and Anita Barbee, Ph.D. | With this Ring - Derek Gwinn, MA, CFLE | Within My Reach - Jeane Tappe, BS | Hitched and Happy - Erin Langley, MA, PLPC | | 11:45-1:00 | Lunch | | 1:00 - 2:15 Second Session | The Marriage Garden: An innovative, research-based, extension curriculum - James P. Marshall, PhD, LMFT and H. Wallace Goddard, PhD, CFLE | Reducing Domestic Violence - Identifying Early Patterns in Teen Dating - Charlene Kamper, MA, CFLE | Captivating harmony between the facilitator and the audience - Alicia La Hoz, Psy.D. | Connecting for Children: Honoring Parents by Offering Healthy
Relationship Education - Kim Allen, MA, LMFT, Robyn Larkin Higgins, and
Kelly Warzinik, MS
| Connecting with the Online Generation for Relationship Education -Derek Gwinn, MA, CFLE
| In their own words, Child Welfare Workers talk about the need for
relationship education - - Keith A. Alford, Ph.D., Carrie Smith, Ph.D.,
Peg Miller, MSW, and Sharon Alestalo, MS | PICK a PartnerTM - Jeanne Tappe, BS | Couple Connection - Virginia Datema, BS
| Couple Connection - Virginia Datema, BS | Survival Skills by Kathy Kollmeyer, MS | | 2:30-3:30 Plenary | Jon Morris | | 3:30 - 4:00 | Closing |
| Abstracts: | | Title | Presenters | Abstract |
| About the Child Welfare Training Grant at Forest Institute |
by Jennifer Baker, PsyD, Kristina S. Brown, PhD, and Melissa Fallone, PhD |
The Child Welfare Training Grant is a federally funded grant that has trained over 500 child welfare professionals, Head Start Family Advocates, MFT and SW students, and community participants about the benefits and significance of healthy marriage and family formation to child well-being. The trainings consist of eleven modules that were developed, fine-tuned, and offered across Southwest Missouri. This session will describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of the Child Welfare Training Grant over the last five years. |
| Captivating Harmony Between the Facilitator and the Audience |
Alicia E. La Hoz, PsyD |
This workshop will draw on outcome measures of 4,000 low-income couples completing marriage workshops in a successful HMI program in the Chicagoland community. The facilitator’s ability to connect with the audience is indicative of strong retention rates. Key traits that facilitate group cohesion and individual connection will be shared. |
| Child Welfare Facilitator Training |
Kristina S. Brown, PhD, LMFT, Deborah Calhoun, MA, PLPC, Dana Anderson, BA, & Anthony Larson, MA |
Have you completed all eleven modules provided by the Child Welfare Training Grant? If you have, you are eligible to attend this training on Thursday, September 12th, 2008 from 2:45pm – 4:00pm provided by the Child Welfare Training Grant Staff to become a trained facilitator. You must specifically register for this training. Separate invitations will be specially mailed to all participants who have completed all eleven modules of the Child Welfare Training Grant. |
| Child Welfare Training in Healthy Marriage and Family Formation: A Prevention Strategy for Child Maltreatment |
Becky F. Antle, MSSW, PhD, Bibhuti Sar, PhD, Dana Christensen, PhD, Anita Barbee, PhD |
The Healthy Marriage and Family Formation Training for Child Welfare Workers is an innovative program that will provide front-line public child welfare workers with new knowledge and skills related to marriage and family relationship issues. Healthy marriage/couple relationships have been identified as a strong protective factor for families in the prevention of child maltreatment and promotion of overall child well-being. Another innovative component of this training program is the inclusion of community partners from faith-based and mental health organizations in the training in order to identify available services, gaps in the service delivery system, and a coordinated plan for the community |
| Connecting for Children: Honoring Parents by Offering Healthy Relationship Education |
Kim Allen, MA MFT Robyn Larkin Higgins Kelly Warzinik, MS |
The primary barrier in working with low-income parents is in understanding the unique implications of issues surrounding generational poverty. This workshop will focus on how one program has used the work of the Aha! Process to ensure trainings are sensitive to the needs and interests of its participants. |
| Connecting with the Online Generation for Relationship Education |
Derek Gwinn, MA |
Young adults and teens increasingly seek information and resources online. It's often the first place they look for guidance. Social networking sites, like MySpace or Facebook, occupy the social connection space once held by shopping malls and coffee shops. If successful relationship education takes people where they are and not where we want them to be, successful recruiting meets people where they are and not where we hope they will be. An organization that does not make information about resources and workshops available online will be invisible to a significant portion of the population. |
| Couple Connection |
Virginia Datema, BS |
Couple Connection or PREP® is a comprehensive divorce prevention and marriage-enhancement program focusing on skills based education rather than therapy. Couples, including premarital, step, and expectant, learn communication and conflict resolution skills as well as ways to promote fun and friendship in their relationship. |
| Creating a Stronghold in the Community for Healthy Relationships & Healthy Marriage. |
Bridget Brennan, MA, CFLE Madeline M. Adams, MSW |
Creating a Stronghold in the Community necessitates previous collaboration with existing agencies. It is built one contact at a time gradually forming a viable cohort to add depth and presence. Once a stronghold is established, organizations are better equipped to connect with diverse populations and successfully fulfill their missions. |
| Effective Outreach for Head Start Programs in Rural Areas |
Penny Sommers, EdD. |
The program will provide information about designing effective distance programs for head start directors and teachers. In addition, the use of on-line discussion, small teams and the use of electronic media will be included. Receiving training will enable head start teachers and workers to indentify potential family problems and issues. |
| FathersPlace: A Simulation Addressing Fathers’ Involvement in Permanency Planning |
Kathleen Holt, MLS Linda K. Metsger, MA |
While studies document the benefits of father-involvement, they also cite child welfare’s mother-focus, a preference on the part of some for mothers-only casework, and barriers due to worker attitudes and biases towards fathers in general. Simulations promote self-awareness and understanding of the importance of involving fathers in permanency planning. |
| For the Sake of Children: Assessing and Building Healthy Couple Relationships |
Keith A. Alford, PhD Carrie Jefferson Smith, PhD Peg F. Miller, MSW Sharon W. Alestalo, MS |
Enhancing marriages and couple relationships is an emerging area of prevention in the child welfare system. The research is rolling out faster than it is being trickled down to direct practice workers. Three tools that integrate the literature for direct practice in assessment and planning will be presented. |
| Fostering Healthy Parent-Child Relationships by Modeling Effective Problem Solving |
Marie Saracino, PhD Tara Newman, EdD, CFLE |
This session introduces participants to a guidance approach that promotes respect between adults and children, resulting in more cohesive and healthier families. Rather than resorting to the use of punitive measures to address undesirable behavior, positive problem-solving strategies will be emphasized.
|
| Getting Married in the 21st Century: A Qualitative Study of the Transition to Marriage |
Rebecca A. Adams, PhD Scott S. Hall, PhD |
This qualitative study of 21 newly-weds takes an in-depth look at current transitions to marriage. It describes couples’ premarital expectations and post-marital realities; perceptions of relationship changes; post-marital adjustments; experiences with pre-marital counseling; and, for some, the transition from cohabitation to marriage. Information is helpful to pre-marital couples and counselors. |
| Grand Parents Raising Grandchildren: Adding Income to the Family |
Rick Zapata, MS |
The workshop covers the eligibility requirements for the Earned Income Credit (EIC). EIC is decided based on residency and support. Form W-5 is discussed to provide monthly income. Form 1040X is discussed to help grandparents claim the EIC (possibly) for the past three years. |
| Hitched and Happy |
Jennifer Baker, PsyD and Kristina S. Brown, PhD |
Hitched & Happy provides couples the tools they need for fighting fair, having fun, and making relationships last. This hands-on, interactive workshop, based on the Within Our Reach® program, helps couples learn how to talk without fighting, and keep their love healthy and fun. The presentation of this workshop is intentionally male friendly and is intended to connect with "Good Ol' Boys" and their spouses or girlfriends. |
| In their own words, Child Welfare Workers talk about the need for relationship education |
Keith A. Alford, PhD Carrie Jefferson Smith, PhD Peg F. Miller, MSW Sharon W. Alestalo, MS |
Government policy acts upon research that speaks to the benefits of children being advantaged when raised by both biological/adoptive parents in a non-conflictual marriage. Focus groups with child welfare workers were conducted to find out what they see in their clientele’s couple relationships and what the challenges are present. Results will be discussed. |
| PICK a Partner™ |
Jeanne Tappe, B.S. |
PICK a Partner™ , also known as “How to Avoid Marrying a Jerk(ette) ™ ,” portrays the balance between getting to really know the person you are dating while keeping a healthy balance in the connections of your growing relationship. |
| Recruitment Challenges in Low-Income Marriage Education Programs: Updates and Findings |
Kelly M. Roberts, MS, LMFT |
Multiple barriers exist related to recruiting low-income couples to marriage education programs. An overview of lessons learned, an introduction to new findings and how to apply them, and glimpses of discussions by actual couples over the topic of attending marriage education will be presented. Will include discussion and question time. |
| Reducing Domestic Violence – Identifying Early Patterns in Teen Dating |
Charlene Kamper MA |
This session will help to identify early patterns of domestic violence in teen dating as well as provide skills for teens including self-regulation of intense emotions, identifying abusive behaviors, building positive resiliency skills, and identifying both positive and negative communication and partnership patterns that affect the quality of a relationship.
|
| Relationship Skill Tools for Good Ole' Boys |
Jennifer Baker, PsyD |
Low-income white populations are notably neglected in most marriage curriculum available today. Learn to supplement materials you are already using with film clips, Country Western music, humor, activities and analogies in keeping with the culture of many low income white individuals. |
| Relationship Skills 101 - Reaching Teens Before They Make the Marriage Decision |
Charlene Kamper, MA, CFLE |
This creative, interactive, proven effective skill-based ready-to-teach program helps teens understand how positive relationships grow, which behavior and communication patterns are destructive, and how to self-regulate intense emotions for successful long- term relationships. Research based. Includes PREP concepts.
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| Research on Healthy Marriage and Family Formation Issues in the Child Welfare Population |
Becky F. Antle, MSSW, PhD, Bibhuti Sar, PhD, Dana Christensen, PhD, Anita Barbee, PhD |
This session will describe a series of research studies conducted through a child welfare training grant on healthy marriage and family formation. These five research studies have explored a number of key questions include 1) the relevance of couple issues for the child welfare population; 2) the importance of attitudes in promoting couple casework knowledge and skills of child welfare workers; 3) the impact of different training methods on training transfer; 4) the existence of a continuum of domestic violence in the child welfare caseload; and 5) the impact of training on relationship satisfaction and prevention of placement disruption for foster/adoptive parents. |
| Research on Mother and Father Perspectives on Nonmarital Childbearing |
Maria Kefalas, PhD |
Research on nonmarital childbearing, from the father and mother's perspective, offers important insights for how advocates for children and families can work to help improve the conditions facing fragile families. This session will review some of the latest research in this field and will apply these insights for direct-service practitioners. |
| Survival Skills |
Kathy Kollmeyer, MS |
This workshop is intended for couples in or forming stepfamilies and, in addition to the relationship tools and information, works with couples to understand the additional challenges faced when forming a new family. This demonstration workshop presents information on managing couple and parent-child relationships. |
| Taking it to the Streets: Implementing a Grant Curriculum |
Jennifer Baker, PsyD and Kristina S. Brown, PhD |
Build the foundation for child well-being with healthy relationship education for use with civic and community groups, social service providers and leaders in faith-based organizations. Learn the critical elements in developing a curriculum. A sample of modules will be presented, along with implementation strategies for recruiting and retaining target populations. |
| The Marriage Garden: An innovative, research-based, extension curriculum |
James P. Marshall, PhD, LMFT H. Wallace Goddard, PhD, CFLE |
Cultivating a good marriage is like two people growing a healthy garden. Both require work and neither happens by chance. Come learn how to grow a healthy marriage garden. |
| The Necessity for Psychoeducational Training in Stepfamily Formation |
Brandi Noirfalise, MA |
Stepfamilies are rapidly increasing in our society. Often they are stigmatized in comparison to nuclear families. Stepfamilies may try to emulate a nuclear family at the cost of their own identity. Psychoeducation can normalize the experience of stepfamily formation, while providing information the family can use daily. |
| Why Some Fatherhood Programs Do Not Work |
Jon Morris |
There is a big difference in producing fatherhood “events” and fatherhood “programs.” Many fatherhood programs spend a lot of energy on events that make fathers feel good but do little to bring lasting change to the dads and their families. This interactive session will discuss the characteristics of successful fatherhood programs and pitfalls to avoid in your own program. |
| With this Ring |
Derek Gwinn, MA, CFLE |
This workshop is specifically designed to provide relationship skills education to engaged couples, by framing the information in the context of surviving their weddings. This demonstration workshop introduces concepts intended to help couples "manage the people stress of wedding planning." |
| Within My Reach ® |
Jeanne Tappe, BS |
This workshop is designed for single adults, particularly those who have children, and focuses on how the relationship choices adults make affect their children, their families, and those around them. This demonstration workshop introduces concepts intended to help individuals make healthy relationship decisions. |
| Posters: |
| Title | Presenters | Abstract |
| A Graduate Student Perspective of Working on a Healthy Marriage Grant |
Renae Courtney, MA, Dana Sweatt, BA, Anthony Larson, MA & Rachel Johnson, BA |
Get up-close and personal with the graduate assistants of two healthy marriage grants, Operation Us and the Healthy Marriage and Family Formation Grants. Learn why these students are committed to getting involved in healthy marriage work and the benefits their experience has on both their academic and clinical growth. |
| Bringing Home & Frying the Bacon: Couple Communication on Coordinating Family & Work |
Carolyn Hofstetter, BS |
Two studies were conducted to determine if communicating about coordinating family and work would relate to marital satisfaction. Along with other interesting findings, results revealed that communication about topics such as everyday events, important things, or about their relationship did relate to how couples decided to coordinate family and work. |
| Familial Patterns and Treatments for Eating Disorders |
Michaela Muehlbach, BA |
Certain typical familial interactions have been determined in those families afflicted with eating disorders. Post diagnosis with an eating disorder, the family constellation changes and different patterns emerge, such as focusing on the present more so than the future. Multiple family treatments have been used with this population, and certain paradigms have been found to be successful. |
| Marital Quality in Same-Faith and Interfaith Marriages |
Anthony T. Larson, MA |
Religion and spirituality are an evermore important element in marital quality and may be a common reason for seeking marital therapy. This presentation reviews the most recent research on marital quality in same-faith and interfaith marriages and shows how religious labels may not be enough to predict similar religious beliefs. |
| Relationship of Child with Parental Dyad Following Filial Therapy |
Rachel Johnson, BA, Courtnie Barton, BS & Glenna Weis, PhD |
Literature regarding Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), a filial therapy model, currently does not address potential differences in groups where both parents participate and focus on the same child. The current proposal highlights the need for systematic research of this model with regard to the child’s relationship with both parents. |
| Role of Parental Involvement in Reducing Feelings of Shame in Sexually Abused Children |
Amanda DiMartini, MA, Ashlie Williams, BS & Brian Sandoval, MA |
Feelings of shame are important mediating factors in the recovery of sexually abused children; persistent shame may contribute to residual posttraumatic stress symptoms. Trauma-focused interventions have been effective helping children overcome these feelings. Understanding factors associated with improved recovery is crucial for parents to become part of this healing process. |
Soldiers Returning Home From Combat: The Effects of
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Marital Satisfaction
|
Anna C. Crosby, BA Ja’Cinta M. Mixson, MS, Rhameka R. Shelley, MA, Erin N. McGownd, BS |
With an influx of soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, it is imperative that couples understand and be prepared for the effects that Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can have on marriages. This poster presentation will highlight several characteristics of PTSD that can impact marital satisfaction. |
| The Birds & The Bees: Influences on Adolescent Sexual Opinions and Behaviors |
Christie Nelson, MA & Erin McGownd, BS |
This study examined these different variables linked to teenage sexual behavior. Fifty-four subjects were recruited for the study from a sample of Introduction to Psychology students. A survey was administered to determine subject’s attitudes and beliefs about sex, along with his or her sexual behavior. |
| The Impact of Adult Children’s Divorce on Parental psychological Well-being among Korean Families |
Soohyun Kim, MA |
The effect of adult-children’s divorce on parental psychological well-being (PPW) among Korean were investigated. Significant differences in PPW between groups (divorced vs. non-divorced) were found regardless of child’s gender. Although significant correlations between variables were found, only parental attitude contributed as a unique variance to predict quality of intergenerational relationships. |
| The Impact of Father Involvement on Daughter’s Well-Being |
Dana Sweatt, BA |
Presenter will examine current research on the impact of father involvement on daughter’s well-being such as self-esteem, life satisfaction, cognitive abilities, and mental health throughout the lifespan. In addition, the presenter will examine research on the influence fathers have on their daughter’s expectations of men in relationships and sexual activity. |
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