The Sue Fairbanks Psychoanalytic Academy cultivates its study at the intersection of psychoanalysis and social work. The Academy is located within the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing at the University of Texas at Austin. Initially inspired by the Family Minds Project’s Lunch & Learn sessions, the Academy will be expanding its initial research… Read more »
Training & Professional Development
TXICFW believes that professionals who have the proper support and tools are the most successful at helping children and their families thrive. That’s why we are committed to providing opportunities for professionals to expand their skills and create a space where children, parents, families, practitioners, non-profits and organizations can feel supported and are provided with high quality instruction that they can be incorporated into the workplace tomorrow. Our conference and workshops are interactive, skills-based trainings that aim to be accessible and applicable to their intended audience but also larger communities. Check out our Current Training & Professional Development Opportunities:
Current Projects
Mixed-Status Families: Providing culturally responsive & trauma-informed services
This workshop is for all social service providers, lawyers and educators who work with the undocumented community. We discuss trauma, migration, contemporary immigration policies, and available resources to help you provide comprehensive, trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to your clients. Audiences: professionals, lawyers, and educators Interested in this training? Contact Shannon.mann@austin.utexas.edu
Trauma-informed Interviewing: When working with immigrant families
Trauma-informed interviewing is essential for lawyers and law students working with immigrants seeking relief in legal cases. This workshop provides an overview of trauma-informed interviewing and a chance to practice using important techniques and resources. Training Objectives: Participants will learn about trauma and causes of trauma in the immigration context. Participants will discuss methods of… Read more »
Let Kids Be Kids: Normalcy to improve child wellbeing
Normal experiences in childhood are critical to the wellbeing and social development of all children. Children in foster care are no different! This workshop provides information of the importance of normalcy and what caregivers can do to ensure their children are living as normal of a life as possible. Training Objectives Participants will learn how… Read more »
Reflective Parenting: Introduction to Mentalization
This workshop provides an introduction to the concept of “Reflective Parenting” and how it is related to secure attachment and successful parenting via mentalization skills. Mentalization is the skill of being able to see yourself from the outside and your children from the inside, and is one essential component of successful parenting. Training Objectives: Participants… Read more »
Multigenerational Healing: Supporting parents & caregivers that have experienced trauma
Social workers, home visitors and other practitioners may recognize when a parent’s past traumatic experiences are connected to their current behaviors but can feel ill-prepared to work through trauma. In this workshop, we discuss tools that can be used to address this issue. Training Objectives Participants will learn the relationship between trauma and resilience in… Read more »
ACEs & Resilience: How to screen & assess Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
This workshop provides specific tools to screen for ACEs and resilience. These tools can be used for service planning and/or to assess outcomes. Training Objectives Participants will receive a review ACEs screeners. Participants will receive a review resilience screeners. Participants will learn why it’s important to screen for adversity and for resilience. Audience: Professionals Interested in this… Read more »
Addressing Family Violence in Child Maltreatment Prevention Programs
This is a two-part workshop. In the first part, we provide basic domestic violence information for people who have not had that training. The second part provides more in-depth strategies for home visitors to work with clients experiencing domestic violence. Training Objectives Participants will learn the dynamics of family violence. Participants will learn the impact of… Read more »
Beyond The Big Talk: Strategies for engaging children of all ages in discussions about sexual heath
This workshop offers valuable resources and skill-building around talking with children of all ages about sexuality. Building upon psychosocial, moral, cognitive and spiritual development theories, we will explore age-appropriate messaging about topics of sexuality and practice handling questions and scenarios dealing with children. Training Objectives Define healthy sexual development with the context of psychosocial, moral,… Read more »
Empowering Young Parents Through Inclusive Messages
In this workshop, learn about the young parenting myths that are perpetuated by our culture, media, and peers and learn how to work with these parents so that the messages they hear are inclusive and empowering. Training Objectives Participants will learn how prevalent cultural myths about young parents have been perpetuated by politics and teen… Read more »
Girasol
Girasol strives to help Texas immigrant children and families to heal from trauma through support, education, and connection. Girasol is housed in the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing at the University of Texas at Austin and works with community partners to support immigrants by providing services to women and children both during and… Read more »
Annual UT Child Welfare Conference
A person’s definition of home and love comes from their own experiences. As professionals in the Child Welfare field, we recognize that when children enter the foster care system they are often caught between two worlds. As a child welfare practitioner, researcher or advocate, it is essential that we learn more about family experiences and… Read more »
Family Minds: An Attachment-based Mentalizing Psycho-Educational Intervention for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Join us for our Psychoanalytic Lunch & Learns! Introduction David Howe, a world-renowned researcher in attachment and foster children, has stated (2006) that the most effective and impactful way to help foster children is to “work with and through” the foster parents themselves (p.129). One of the ways to significantly impact the mental health and… Read more »
Coaching Young Parents in Care
This workshop helps foster parents coach young parents so they can realize their full potential as adolescents, young adults and parents. In this workshop we will explore three core ideas: understanding the context of young parents in foster care through the lenses of child development, trauma, grief and loss, understanding ourselves and how our unique… Read more »
Coffee Breaks with TXICFW
Introducing “Coffee Breaks with TXICFW!” Coffee Breaks is a professional development series for those who work with children and families. It’s an opportunity to receive FREE Continuing Education Credits while talking with experts and leaders in the field on Facebook Live. Each Coffee Break is 30 minutes and is hosted by one of our staff… Read more »
Clinician’s Corner
Welcome to Clinician’s Corner! This is a learning space where social work researchers and practitioners can exchange resources and knowledge to increase the successful usability of research findings in the social work field. The project culminates in an annual Clinician’s Corner digest that will be published on the TXICFW.socialwork.utexas.edu website. The content for the digest will be… Read more »
Brave Conversations: Utilizing trauma-informed approaches to talk to youth about sex
This workshop will provide guidance to youth-serving professionals so they can have brave conversations with youth. We will discuss the need for trauma-informed sex education, analyze shaming language and discuss how to incorporate trauma-informed practices in daily work. Training Objectives 1. Articulate the importance of trauma-informed sex education for youth who have been maltreated. 2. Identify the… Read more »
Child Welfare Education Collaboration
CWEC is a partnership between the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Child Protective Services (CPS) that links social work education and public child welfare. CWEC is funded by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, federal title IV-E,… Read more »
Completed Projects
OASH Mobilization for Health Award
The Healthy Youth Partnership (“HYP”) is a volunteer-led collaboration working to support youth-serving professionals in the Central Texas community. Through the Mobilization for Health: National Prevention Partnership Award, HYP increased the capacity of the Central Texas community to provide evidence-based sexual health programs to youth through two mechanisms: 1) direct programming to youth to support… Read more »
Mixed-Status Families: Providing culturally responsive & trauma-informed services
This workshop is for all social service providers, lawyers and educators who work with the undocumented community. We discuss trauma, migration, contemporary immigration policies, and available resources to help you provide comprehensive, trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to your clients. Audiences: professionals, lawyers, and educators Interested in this training? Contact Shannon.mann@austin.utexas.edu
Trauma-informed Interviewing: When working with immigrant families
Trauma-informed interviewing is essential for lawyers and law students working with immigrants seeking relief in legal cases. This workshop provides an overview of trauma-informed interviewing and a chance to practice using important techniques and resources. Training Objectives: Participants will learn about trauma and causes of trauma in the immigration context. Participants will discuss methods of… Read more »
Let Kids Be Kids: Normalcy to improve child wellbeing
Normal experiences in childhood are critical to the wellbeing and social development of all children. Children in foster care are no different! This workshop provides information of the importance of normalcy and what caregivers can do to ensure their children are living as normal of a life as possible. Training Objectives Participants will learn how… Read more »
Reflective Parenting: Introduction to Mentalization
This workshop provides an introduction to the concept of “Reflective Parenting” and how it is related to secure attachment and successful parenting via mentalization skills. Mentalization is the skill of being able to see yourself from the outside and your children from the inside, and is one essential component of successful parenting. Training Objectives: Participants… Read more »
Multigenerational Healing: Supporting parents & caregivers that have experienced trauma
Social workers, home visitors and other practitioners may recognize when a parent’s past traumatic experiences are connected to their current behaviors but can feel ill-prepared to work through trauma. In this workshop, we discuss tools that can be used to address this issue. Training Objectives Participants will learn the relationship between trauma and resilience in… Read more »
ACEs & Resilience: How to screen & assess Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
This workshop provides specific tools to screen for ACEs and resilience. These tools can be used for service planning and/or to assess outcomes. Training Objectives Participants will receive a review ACEs screeners. Participants will receive a review resilience screeners. Participants will learn why it’s important to screen for adversity and for resilience. Audience: Professionals Interested in this… Read more »
Addressing Family Violence in Child Maltreatment Prevention Programs
This is a two-part workshop. In the first part, we provide basic domestic violence information for people who have not had that training. The second part provides more in-depth strategies for home visitors to work with clients experiencing domestic violence. Training Objectives Participants will learn the dynamics of family violence. Participants will learn the impact of… Read more »
Beyond The Big Talk: Strategies for engaging children of all ages in discussions about sexual heath
This workshop offers valuable resources and skill-building around talking with children of all ages about sexuality. Building upon psychosocial, moral, cognitive and spiritual development theories, we will explore age-appropriate messaging about topics of sexuality and practice handling questions and scenarios dealing with children. Training Objectives Define healthy sexual development with the context of psychosocial, moral,… Read more »
Empowering Young Parents Through Inclusive Messages
In this workshop, learn about the young parenting myths that are perpetuated by our culture, media, and peers and learn how to work with these parents so that the messages they hear are inclusive and empowering. Training Objectives Participants will learn how prevalent cultural myths about young parents have been perpetuated by politics and teen… Read more »
Girasol
Girasol strives to help Texas immigrant children and families to heal from trauma through support, education, and connection. Girasol is housed in the Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing at the University of Texas at Austin and works with community partners to support immigrants by providing services to women and children both during and… Read more »
Annual UT Child Welfare Conference
A person’s definition of home and love comes from their own experiences. As professionals in the Child Welfare field, we recognize that when children enter the foster care system they are often caught between two worlds. As a child welfare practitioner, researcher or advocate, it is essential that we learn more about family experiences and… Read more »
Family Minds: An Attachment-based Mentalizing Psycho-Educational Intervention for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Join us for our Psychoanalytic Lunch & Learns! Introduction David Howe, a world-renowned researcher in attachment and foster children, has stated (2006) that the most effective and impactful way to help foster children is to “work with and through” the foster parents themselves (p.129). One of the ways to significantly impact the mental health and… Read more »
Coaching Young Parents in Care
This workshop helps foster parents coach young parents so they can realize their full potential as adolescents, young adults and parents. In this workshop we will explore three core ideas: understanding the context of young parents in foster care through the lenses of child development, trauma, grief and loss, understanding ourselves and how our unique… Read more »
Coffee Breaks with TXICFW
Introducing “Coffee Breaks with TXICFW!” Coffee Breaks is a professional development series for those who work with children and families. It’s an opportunity to receive FREE Continuing Education Credits while talking with experts and leaders in the field on Facebook Live. Each Coffee Break is 30 minutes and is hosted by one of our staff… Read more »
Clinician’s Corner
Welcome to Clinician’s Corner! This is a learning space where social work researchers and practitioners can exchange resources and knowledge to increase the successful usability of research findings in the social work field. The project culminates in an annual Clinician’s Corner digest that will be published on the TXICFW.socialwork.utexas.edu website. The content for the digest will be… Read more »
Brave Conversations: Utilizing trauma-informed approaches to talk to youth about sex
This workshop will provide guidance to youth-serving professionals so they can have brave conversations with youth. We will discuss the need for trauma-informed sex education, analyze shaming language and discuss how to incorporate trauma-informed practices in daily work. Training Objectives 1. Articulate the importance of trauma-informed sex education for youth who have been maltreated. 2. Identify the… Read more »
Child Welfare Education Collaboration
CWEC is a partnership between the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Child Protective Services (CPS) that links social work education and public child welfare. CWEC is funded by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, federal title IV-E,… Read more »
OASH Mobilization for Health Award
The Healthy Youth Partnership (“HYP”) is a volunteer-led collaboration working to support youth-serving professionals in the Central Texas community. Through the Mobilization for Health: National Prevention Partnership Award, HYP increased the capacity of the Central Texas community to provide evidence-based sexual health programs to youth through two mechanisms: 1) direct programming to youth to support… Read more »