The Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress at Kennedy Krieger Institute's 5th Biennial Trauma Conference, Addressing Trauma Across the Lifespan: Intervention, Culture, and Policy on October 1-2, 2015 was a resounding success.
Attendees participated in two days of experiential, thought provoking, evidence supported and relevant information to assist them in service delivery for those impacted by trauma across the lifespan. Day one offered half-day workshops that were exceptionally popular this year and featured experts in the field of Law, Mindfulness, Traumatic Loss and Engagement Strategies for Families. In the morning, Jonathon Rapping provided a captivating workshop through the use of interactive videos and discussion on Representing the Forgotten: Restoring Humanity to an Unjust System While Maintaining a Passion for Justice. Tawanna Kane engaged the audience of her morning workshop with experiential practice and creativity with the power of Mindfullness Practice in the Treatment of Traumatic Stress. Dr. Therese Rando provided a thoughtful and impactful workshop on The Trauma-Loss Combination as Found in Injury, Illness, and After Death: Implications for Intervention.
The afternoon workshop on day one included Sarah Gardner, LCSW-C, leading a powerful presentation on Engagement Strategies for Building Partnerships with Families Affected by Intergenerational Trauma. Participants of this workshop were overwhelmingly impressed with the content of the strength based strategies discussed.
Day two of the conference opened with Keynote Speaker, Dr. Thema Bryant-Davis, setting the stage for deep and meaningful thinking about the role and impact of trauma across the lifespan. Dr. Bryant-Davis' focus on the needs and strengths of trauma survivors was poignant and impactful for participants. Day Two continued with breakout sessions from expert presenters across the field of trauma work. Participants were widely impressed with the content and wide range of options in all 18 interactive, creative and informative workshop sessions this year.
A highlight of this year was the featured speaker, Judith Sloan, who performed a segment of her show YO MISS! Sloan's lunch time show was an innovated mix of music, acting, culture, generational differences, tragedy and resilience. Sloan's featured performance was a resounding success. Participants throughout the remainder of the day were talking about various facets of her powerful performance. A participant stated "Wow! Amazing and powerful- Very Relevant to our Work"
We wish to thank everyone who attended, including our exhibitors and sponsors, who helped make this conference a huge success.
2015 Biennial Trauma Conference Workshops
Participant Comments:
"Great to have something so Unique!"
"Great Speaker & Presentation! I could have listened to her all day!" "THIS WAS WONDERFUL!!!"
"INCREDIBLE!!! I LOVED THIS!" "Great Activities, Very Effective!"
"Dynamic and Engaging Speaker!" "Very Interesting and Unique"
"So Engaging" "Powerful and Compelling" "Loved this! Very engaging and informative!"
"Great! Interactive and Hands on - Loved this!"
"Speakers were well spoken, positive and knowledgeable" "Great Performance!"
"Wow! Unique and Exciting"