AFFM conferences provide training designed specifically for families looking for unique and advanced learning opportunities. It is also an opportunity to network with families and other providers from across the state. This year’s conference focuses on Building Empathy, Compassion, and Trust.
Kinship Providers
Foster Parents
Adoptive Parents
Social Workers
Child Welfare Workers
Clinicians
CASA Volunteers
Judges
Attorneys
Educators
Child & Family Advocates
We all want to feel seen, heard and validated, and when we feel that, we feel stronger to be ourselves, experience resiliency and overcome challenges. When we don’t feel seen, heard or validated, it becomes easier to be disconnected from others, feeling as if no one “gets us” making it harder to experience trust in relationships. At the root of a mindfulness practice is the ability to be aware and acknowledge what is arising in the present moment - your thoughts, emotions, sensations in your body, as well as what is occurring in the environment around you. This will help you to allow whatever it is you are experiencing with greater acceptance and compassion, rather than with judgment or resistance. This self-awareness makes it more possible to attune to the experiences of others, which is the core of empathy. When you can practice the foundational tools of mindfulness you’ll increase your ability to not only role model this self-awareness and self-acceptance to others, but to actually respond to those around you with a greater level of validation, strengthening your connections. In this workshop, you’ll be guided to through a deeper understanding, as well as the practical application of mindfulness, along with tangible ways to deepen your empathic skills to cultivate stronger relationships.
Mindful parenting is a twofold practice; it’s cultivating a mindfulness practice for yourself, so you can be more present, less reactive and more compassionate to others, and then being able to role model these tools to those you love. Being a parent is very difficult and we all can easily get stuck in patterns or cycles of reactivity due to relational challenges, triggers, extraneous circumstances, behavior issues, traumas and more! Practicing mindfulness will not necessarily remove your difficulties, though it will help you to respond, rather than react to them, in a way that can actually deepen the relationship between parent and child. When you can learn to increase your awareness of the areas in which you most get stuck, as well as have the ability to offer yourself compassion and patience during a difficult moment, you are more able to shift towards a more calm and present response to your kids, shifting the culture in your home to be more accepting and compassionate, and less judgmental and reactive. In this workshop you will be guided in practical tools of mindfulness, how to role model and teach these tools to your kids, as well as effective parenting tactics for discipline and behavior, so your home can feel more peaceful, calm and connected
This workshop will invite participants to look inwards to examine the way they show up on both their best, and most challenging days. Honoring each person’s unique experiences and perspective, attendees will walk away with tools to create deeper and more empathic connections with youth, while also developing practices of self-reflection and awareness to become empathetic communicators in challenging circumstances. A panel of experts will incorporate key pieces of information around adolescent brain development and typical teenage behaviors that may cause conflict in relationships. Hear from young people about the positive adult relationships that have fostered clear and open communication, and from professional staff regarding engagement strategies. This workshop will help participants establish reasonable expectations for the young people they engage with, and equip the audience with tools for facing adverse interactions with young people.
This workshop will provide participants with an overview of the rights of students with disabilities in schools. Specific topics will be discussed in more detail, including: addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 educational disruptions; exclusionary discipline; restraint and seclusion, and transition. Questions and discussion will be encouraged.
How do we restore our relationships with each other? Restorative practices models can be effective and appropriate responses to unacceptable or unexpected behavior by building empathy and maintaining relationships. Importantly, restorative practices are an equally useful approach in advance of potential conflicts or unacceptable behaviors. This workshop will explore the need to listen, reflect, be curious and respond to each other and young people.
In today's discussion, we will examine the beauty of diversity, the need for equity, and the importance of inclusion. We will focus on the 4 A's approach: Awareness, Acknowledgement, Action, and Accountability. Participants will be asked to reflect, re-evaluate, and reimagine ways they can enhance services for the children and families they support. This virtual presentation is intended for audience participation and peer interaction.
This workshop has an emphasis on finding commonalities that will encourage care providers to be strength-based in their approach. This workshop will also provide the opportunity to explore many options for being creative and positive about your children‘s contact and visitation and how all resource families can be a mentor and an important part in the success of these relationships.
Derived from Developing Empathy with Grammy, Bette will present a guided imagery to assist and enhance participant’s involvement in the presentation. Bette will help participants realize each person in their lives can bring something positive to the table.
Whether adopted at birth or at an older age, whether adopted internationally or domestically, our children have a history that precedes our welcoming them in our family. In some form or another, at some time, our children will have questions regarding their past and the circumstances of their adoption. How do we handle these questions? What to respond? What if we don’t have the answers? This session will discuss the various thoughts and questions adopted children may have and how to address them as adoptive parents along with supports available to adoptive parents.
AFFM 24th Annual Conference; 'Building Empathy, Compassion, and Trust'
Managing Attorney, Disability Rights Maine
Atlee Reilly manages the education law practice at Disability Rights Maine, Maine's protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities. First in legal services, then in private practice, and now at DRM, Atlee has represented students and their families on a wide range of education-related issues for the last twelve years. He received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, his M.Ed. from Arizona State University, and his B.A. from Bowdoin College. Prior to becoming an attorney, Atlee was an elementary school teacher.
Kinship Supervisor, Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine Inc., & The Kinship Program
150 foster children since becoming licensed in 1972. Bette laughs when she thinks about how she imagined retirement and the reality at 71. She is now a caregiver, through Probate Guardianship, to a super active toddler who happens to be diagnosed as autistic as well as a licensed foster parent to a 3-year-old grandchild.
Bette has worked in the child welfare field as an advocate for adoptive, foster and birth parents of special needs children since 1980 and has been providing an array of training since 1984. Bette specializes in providing training to individuals caring for children who have had prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs. She is the former Executive Director of Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine Inc. & The Kinship Program, and currently the Kinship Supervisor.
Director, Good Shepard God Parent Home
Barbara Ford is the Adoptive Parent to 7 children and one birth child. She is "Glamma" to 6 very special grandchildren. She and her husband Ed have been licensed Resource Parents from1989 to 2019 caring for over 100 children in that time. They also hosted International Students from Asia for Bangor Christian Schools for 8 years. The Ford's provided services through adult shared living. Barbara has worked in a variety of capacities in the child welfare system over the past 30 years. Barbara is the President of Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine's Board of Directors. She loves traveling throughout the United States presenting at Child Welfare conferences. Barbara is the Executive Director of "The Shepherd's Godparent Home" a residential maternity shelter for women in crisis. She is the founder of "Nikki's Hope" a transition parenting program of the shelter as well as "Barb's Dwelling Place" shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. As a breast cancer survivor, Barbara has become an advocate and mentor for others facing their cancer diagnosis. Barbara is the founder of "The Image Project" a wig service at Cancercare of Maine.
Youth Engagement Coordinator, Healthy Acadia
Corrie has been working with youth and families for her whole career. Her work and knowledge has been shaped by the communities and people she has had the privilege of working with. These experiences range from taking incarcerated youth on river trips to case management, from a family reunification worker, to a school social worker and from coaching sports to her current role as a Youth Engagement Coordinator for Healthy Acadia and Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN).
Mindfulness and Therapy Center
Joree Rose , MA, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, mindfulness and meditation teacher, coach, author, speaker, and she also leads mindfulness retreats around the world. Joree has helped thousands of people to live happier and more fulfilling lives through living with greater awareness and compassion, allowing them to decrease their stress, anxiety and shed unhealthy habits, patterns and mindsets. Joree is host of the podcast ‘Journey Forward® with Joree Rose’ and has authored the newly released A Year of Gratitude, Daily Moments of Reflection, Grace and Thanks as well as 2 mindfulness books, Squirmy Learns to be Mindful and Mindfulness, It’s Elementary. Joree has been featured in prominent media outlets such as Oprahmag.com, NBCnews.com, Business Insider, KTLA News, and so many more!
LMSW, Child Welfare League of America
Marcus Stallworth, LMSW, has spearheaded several initiatives to promote the engagement of Fathers, the prevention of abuse and neglect, and the dangers of Social Media. He has direct experience educating and supporting Human Trafficking and Sexually Exploited victims, training staff on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, and advocating for youth in Foster Care. Marcus is the Director of Training and Implementation at the Child Welfare League of America, and is also co-owner of Welcome 2 Reality, LLC which focuses on providing media literacy and education for students and parents regarding media literacy and technology.
Program Manager, North American Council on Adoptable Children
Kim is a program manager at North American Council on Adoptable Children, where she works on a number of projects that support foster, adoptive, guardianship, and kinship children and families. With 29 years in child welfare work, she has provided training and consultation on foster care, adoption, trauma and recovery, and youth permanency issues both nationally and internationally. She and her husband, Buddy have six children, four of whom were adopted as older children from the public foster care system.
Chief Procurement Officer at Aceto US, LLC
VarunVarun is the Chief Procurement Officer at Aceto based out of India. He is responsible for driving the procurement and sourcing process globally including India & China.
Varun has extensive experience in varied areas including strategy, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, business development, operations, general management, creating technology and shared services centres, as well as supply chains.
Varun has been with global firms such as Cummins, ArvinMeritor and Actuant both in USA and India. He also co-founded Radeo Engineered Components, prior to joining Aceto.
Varun’s accolades also are:
A Motivational Leader by mind and a Chefpreneur by heart, Varun also hosts a YouTube channel expressing his hidden interests in culinary skills.
Varun holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics & Physics from Elon University and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
President & Executive Director, EisaiPharmaceuticals India Pvt Ltd
Dr. Girish Dixit was appointed President of Eisai Pharmaceuticals India Visakhapatnam operations in November 2019 and Executive Director of board of Eisai pharmaceuticals India Pvt Ltd, subsidiary of Eisai co Ltd, a Japan based leading healthcare company with global presence in the area of neurology and oncology
Dr. Girish joined Eisai India in 2009 as Head Research and Development and supported in Multi fold growth of API operations. Over the last 4 years, he has led the strategic lead in supporting API solution Division team of Generic API manufacturing and supply strategy for Japan Generic market.
Dr. Girish started his career with Dabur and actively involved in process development and intellectual property generations for several organizations during his vast experience of over 27 years
Dr. Girish is Doctorate in organic chemistry and MBA from ICFAI.
Editor-Publisher, Chemical Weekly
Ravi obtained his M.S. in Polymer Chemistry from Drexel University (USA), after his B.Sc. (Tech) (Plastics) from UDCT.
In 1986, he joined Chemical Weekly, where he is presently Editor/Publisher.
Ravi is also responsible for strategic planning for the group, which is also into exhibitions/conferences and in strategic market research and consultancy.
He has written extensively on the chemical industry and presented papers at numerous business conferences in India and abroad.
Ravi is
Chief Executive Office, Innovassynth
Dr. Hardik Joshipura is the Chief Executive Officer of Innovassynth, a Custom Development & Manufacturing organization in India.
Prior to joining Innovassynth in May 2020, Dr. Hardik had spent several years at Leadership roles at Merck KGaA/Sigma Aldrich across different functions. His last assignment with Merck was as Head of Global Strategic Marketing for Pharm Materials, focusing on driving Global franchise strategies for process Chemicals & custom manufacturing services. Prior to which he was General Manager-SAFC (Sigma Aldrich India, later acquired by Merck KGaA) and responsible for Sales & Marketing of Custom Chemicals Business in India. Dr. Hardik joined Sigma Aldrich in 2006 as “Principal Scientist” & led Catalogue Chemicals manufacturing operations for few years before moving to a business role.
He started his career as Project Leader-R&D in Fine chemical business of Zydus Cadila, Ahmedabad & was responsible for driving R&D for CRAMS unit.
Dr. Hardik Joshipura is a Ph.D in Organic Chemistry & an Alumnus of Harvard Business School, Boston, MA, USA.