Registration opens on April 3, 2019
Saturday, May 18, 2019
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Berenson Hall, Hebrew College
160 Herrick Road
Newton Centre, MA 02459
Working with Families with Young Children
Promoting Resiliency in the Face of Trauma, Loss, and Fear
Families have been migrating to the United States for centuries for multiple reasons including seeking a new, safe life for their children. In recent times, and due to the implementation of harsh immigration enforcement practices, the hope for asylum and safety has been shattered at the border as parents are being taken into custody and children are entrusted to large agencies spread across the country. The plight of these separated children has touched the nation’s heart and challenged human service systems to understand how to meet the needs of the bereft and grieving family members, both the children and their parents. Subsequent changes to policy, such as the expiration of Temporary Protective Status (TPS), worsen the outlook for families struggling to make a safe and stable life. This workshop will provide an overview of immigration enforcement policy changes, analyze immigration as a psychosocial event, consider the socio-political and historical context of migration (particularly for families from the Northern Triangle and Mexico), the needs of babies and young migrant children, the short- and long-term impact of traumatic events–including forcible separation or threats of fragmentation–on young children’s and families’ well-being and development. The presenters will discuss developmentally, trauma and diversity- informed tools and therapeutic interventions to promote healing, and factors that influence developing resiliency. Attention will also be given to the impact that this work can have on providers, not only regarding secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue, but also regarding reactions to violations of the social contract.
This conference will engage participants in reflective discussion about US policy enforcement changes since 2017 that have and will continue affecting immigrant families and their young children. It will raise awareness about the historical, socio-economic and political contexts that force families to leave their countries of origin, seek asylum, and the implications of pre-, during and post-immigration traumatic stressors in the lives of these families with a focus on families from Mexico and the Norther Triangle. Forcible immigration-related separations, threats of separation and their long and short-term impact on young children’s and their families’ development and well-being will be analyzed from a trauma and social justice lens. Participants will also engage in an exploration of their values, beliefs and perceptions regarding working with immigrant families and on how these can shape their practice. Diversity, developmentally and trauma-informed tools (e.g. Family Preparedness Plan) and clinical interventions aimed at increasing safety, affect regulation, empowerment and hope in this population will be presented. Participants will explore ways in which they could implement these approaches based on their realm of practice. Lastly, strategies to support providers in addressing the effects of the work will be discussed and the role of reflective practice will be highlighted.
Speakers
Carmen Rosa Noroña, LICSW, MS Ed, CEIS (Presenter) is from Ecuador where she trained and practiced as a clinical psychologist. For more than 25 years, Carmen Rosa has provided clinical services to young children and their families in early intervention, home-based and out-patient programs. She is the child trauma clinical services and training lead at Child Witness to Violence Project and is the associate director of the Boston Site Early Trauma Treatment Network at Boston Medical Center. She is a Child-Parent Psychotherapy National Trainer, a DC: 0-5 faculty member and a co-developer of the Harris Professional Development Network Diversity-Informed Tenets for Infants, Children, and Families Initiative. Her interests include the impact of trauma on attachment; the intersection of culture, immigration, and trauma; diversity-informed reflective supervision; and the implementation of evidence- based practices in real work settings. She is a co-chair of the Culture Consortium of the National Child Traumatic Stress network, and has adapted and translated materials for Spanish-speaking families affected by trauma. Carmen Rosa is also a Board member of the MA Association of Infant Mental Health, a co-author of the Family Preparedness Plan for immigrant families facing detention or deportation due to their immigration status.
Ivys Fernandez-Pastrana, JD (Presenter) is originally from Puerto Rico and is a lawyer by training. She is the Program Manager for the Pediatric Navigations Program at Boston Medical Center where she works alongside a team of Family Navigators and Community Health Advocates in the Department of Pediatrics. She has a background working in special education and with families whose children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. She works with parents and families to help them navigate and access community resources as well as governmental entitlements and benefits.
Kara Hurvitz, JD, MSW (Presenter) is a staff attorney in the Medical Legal Partnership of Boston (MLPB) serving the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. Prior to joining MLPB, Kara worked as a Social Services Advocate at the Committee for Public Counsel Services where she assisted court-involved individuals and families with a broad range of needs at the intersection of civil and criminal law. Kara clerked for the honorable Jon Levy at the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from 2009 to 2010.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Describe what immigration trauma is and what causes it.
- Identify the long- and short-term effects (cognitive, socio-emotional, psychological, relational) of threats of separation or actual forced separation on young children and their parents/caregivers.
- Describe developmentally-, trauma- and diversity-informed tools (Family Preparedness Plan) and interventions aimed at increasing safety, affect regulation, empowerment, and hope.
- Discuss the impact of this work on caregivers and other professionals (secondary traumatic stress, vicarious traumatization) and identify strategies to address it.
References
Schedule
9:00am – 9:10am: Welcoming Remarks; 9:10am – 10:00am: Paper presentation; 10:00am – 10:20am: 1st Discussant; 10:20am – 10:40am: Coffee break; 10:40am – 11:00am: 2nd Discussant; 11:00am – 12:00pm: Audience discussion.
Physicians: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint providership of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Psychologists: The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program fulfills the requirements for 3.5 hours of CE.
| The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6913. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. This program offers 4 NBCC Clock Hours. |  |
Event Cancellation Policies & Procedures
Any program participant requesting their individual program registration be canceled, must submit their request in writing via email to Drew Brydon at dbrydon@bpsi.org. For fee-based events, a request for cancellation (and refund using the original form of payment) must be received no later than 48 hours in advance of the event. Requests received later than 48 hours prior to the event will not be processed or accepted. All approved refunds are subject to a $10.00 administrative fee. If BPSI cancels an event, all registrants will receive a full refund of fees paid (no administration charge) no later than two business days following the scheduled date of the event, using the original form of payment.
Grievance Policy
Please address any questions or concerns about your experience at this or any program or event you have attended at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute to the Program Chair, via the Senior Administrator/Continuing Education Administrator, BPSI, 141 Herrick Road, Newton Centre, MA 02459; office@bpsi.org; 617.266.0953.
The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Inc., 141 Herrick Road, Newton Centre, MA 02459, does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, national origin or handicap in the admissions, administration of its educational programs, scholarship programs or employment.