STS Conference

Jennifer Bracken and Jillana Goble have been in relationship for 16 years and counting. They first met at the Multnomah County juvenile court where Jillana was fostering Jennifer's 6 month baby boy. Jennifer grew up in the Oregon foster care system experiencing 63 different homes from the age of 9-18. All of her 4 children have been child-welfare involved at some point. Jillana and her husband, Luke, fostered and adopted Jennifer's 3rd child and became relative providers (via adoption) for her 4th child. After two stints in relative care with the Goble family, Jennifer has been successfully parenting her 4th child for the last 9 years. She has 9.5 years clean, which Jennifer calls the "proudest accomplishment" of her life. Jillana and her husband, Luke, have 5 children, three of whom who first entered their family via foster care. She works for Every Child Oregon, a community partner to ODHS Child Welfare. Jillana is the author of A Love-Stretched Life: Stories on Wrangling Hope, Embracing the Unexpected and Discovering the Meaning of Family, which has given her and Jennifer many opportunities to speak to various audiences all over the county.

My name is Justine Bautista, I am an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, a single mom, a first generation high school graduate,  a college graduate from Mount Hood Community college and former N.I.C.W.A board member. Importantly I am a former indigenous foster youth, where I spent 2,557 days in the system where I faced many challenges, such as abuse, identity confusion and immense sorrow. Yet I am thankful for my experience because I came out a champion and I use my experience in the system to fight for change, children are sacred and our direct future which I want to rise and speak up for the future where our children aren’t separated but their families and selves are supported.

Peveensetowoesta, Mokee'e nahisivih Nahisdonah, navi'sipevidan.
Hello, my name is Gloria Big Back, I am 20 years old, and I am an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe. I spent 17 years as a ward of the state, and am now in school studying social work. My goals are to graduate with my MSW and to continue my advocacy work for BIPOC youth and youth of color in the foster care system, as well as youth in guardianship.

Alecia McConnell is a dedicated foster care youth advocate who draws on her lived experience as a former foster youth to amplify the voices of young people in the system. She is committed to advancing healthy, long-term solutions that support youth as they transition out of care and into adulthood. Alecia brings a unique perspective to her advocacy work, combining personal insight with a passion for systemic change.

Julio – I am 17 years old. I am Blackfeet. I went into foster care when I was 7. I lived in 6 different foster homes. I went into guardianship when I was 12.

Caprice D. Hollins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She received a B.A. in psychology from Seattle University and an M.A. and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Multicultural and Community Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology―LA.

Dr. Hollins has over 25 years of experience working with ethnically diverse populations, facilitating workshops on racism, and teaching graduate courses, including 20 years with The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology as an Associate Professor of Counseling.

After serving as the first Director of Equity and Race Relations for Seattle Public Schools she co-founded Cultures Connecting, LLC in 2008. Her organization provides culturally relevant professional development, keynotes, leadership coaching, and consulting services to organizations seeking to improve their ability to effectively engage in race conversations and dismantle institutional racism www.culturesconnecting.com.

Dr. Hollins wrote Inside Out: The Equity Leader’s Guide to Undoing Institutional Racism and co-authored Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Strategies for Facilitating Conversations on Race. She is a Seattle 2020 TEDx Speaker, on What White People Can Do to Move Race Conversations Forward.

Dr. Hollins works hard to balance her passion and commitment to equity and social justice while at the same time centering the importance of family and community.

Ted specializes in Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), and the director of The Family Clinic at Restore Therapy. Collaborative Problem Solving is an evidenced based practice strongly rooted in the latest neuroscience that has been shown to improve parent-child relationships, develop skills in children when conventional behavior modification models have not, and shown to reduce symptoms of Oppositional Defiant Disorder as well as parenting stress. Ted particularly enjoys assisting parents at feeling more confident and competent in connecting with their children and managing their challenging behaviors. When asked by people what he does for a living his answer is: "I teach adults how to listen to children."

Ted is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and founding clinician at Restore Therapy. He earned his B.A. in Social Work and his Masters of Social Work from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Ted holds certification in the Collaborative Problem Solving from Think:Kids based at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA. From time to time he travels across the country conducting CPS trainings for professionals at mental health organizations and schools.

Ted has been working with at-risk youth and families in a variety of rural and urban clinical settings including juvenile justice, substance abuse, outpatient mental health, violence prevention outreach, foster care, residential, home-based mental health services, primary care behavioral health, and private practice. Ted is a founding clinician at Restore Therapy and is licensed to provide clinical supervision for CSWA's in licensure track in the state of Oregon.

Ted enjoys hiking, backpacking, bicycling, exploring the Portland's neighborhood life, and gardening. He lives

Maria Sanders es Trabajadora Social Licenciada y está certificada en el método de Resolución Colaborativa de Problemas® (CPS) de Think:Kids, un programa del Departamento de Psiquiatría del Hospital General de Massachusetts. Trabaja con padres que enfrentan cualquier desafío en la crianza, desde lograr que sus hijos se duerman hasta abordar conflictos entre padres e hijos adolescentes.

María trabaja individualmente con padres de forma virtual o en su oficina de Montclair, Nueva Jersey. Ofrece programas a escuelas (públicas e independientes), consultorios pediátricos, organizaciones profesionales y reuniones corporativas.

María comenzó su carrera profesional como trabajadora social escolar, trabajando para el Equipo de Estudio Infantil y dirigiendo grupos de habilidades sociales. Además, cuenta con más de 15 años de experiencia como Especialista en Intervención Temprana, trabajando como docente y trabajadora social.

Dr. Aguayo holds a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Ph.D. in Psychology. Her doctoral and post-doctoral studies have all emphasized the impacts of developmental trauma. She is trained in Circle of Security, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) & Theraplay. Her coaching practice emphasizes educating organizations, professionals, and families on the impacts of early trauma on development: cognitive, neurological, relational, and behavioral.

For over ten years, she has worked specifically with this population. She herself is an adoptive parent to two children, now adults, one with significant special needs including complex developmental trauma disorder, extreme mental illness, and substance abuse disorder. She approaches all of her audiences with the expertise of a professional and the endless compassion of a mother. She pursued her doctorate because of her son, and he continues to inspire her to learn and grow professionally and personally.  

She has written articles for Focus on the Family & Fostering Families Today. She is a notable keynote speaker who has spoken nationwide at many notable locations: CAFO, Vanderbilt’s Neuroscience Symposium at CIA, Empowered to Connect, Wyoming Psychological Association Annual conference and many others.

She is bilingual, speaks internationally and offers her services in English and Spanish.

Jessica Sinarski, LPCMH, is an award-winning author, dynamic speaker, and the founder of BraveBrains. She has spent her entire career working with children who have challenging behaviors and the caring adults in their lives. She loves spicy food, Diet Coke, and her sweet, silly family…not in that order.

Jessica has worked with thousands of parents and helping professionals to get to the root of problematic behavior. She translates neuroscience into action steps through comprehensive professional development, diverse books, and kid-friendly resources. Learn more at www.JessicaSinarski.com.

Presentation is in English/ Spanish interpretation is available

interpretación en español disponibles / Presentacion es en íngles