Speakers & Presentations

 

We're excited to announce the speakers for our 24th Annual Shoulder to Shoulder Conference.

Join us for an IN-PERSON Shoulder to Shoulder Pre-Conference Event on Sunday, October 15, 2023. We will be meeting at the Oregon DHS East Branch in Portland, Oregon. Come to connect with others, enjoy some light refreshments and appetizers and hear an inspiring speaker.

On Monday, October 16, 2023 we will be hosting an all-day Virtual Conference from 8:45 AM - 3:45 PM (PST).

*Everyone who attends either Sunday and/or Monday's conference will receive a link to the recording of Yshai Boussi's presentation, "Staying Connected with Traumatized Adolescents."

Scroll down to view the schedule of speakers and presentations available.

Select '+' next to the title to view the description and speaker bio. Handouts will also be available a few weeks before and following the conference date. To view the handout, scroll to the specific presentation and select 'View Handout.'

To download a one page flyer of the conference schedule, select 'View Printable Agenda.'

Previous year's conference information can be found on the About Us/History page.

Pre-Conference: Sun, Oct 15, 20234:00 PM - 6:30 PM (PDT)

expandPre-Conference Reception

4:00 PM - 6:30 PM

Join us for an IN-PERSON Shoulder to Shoulder Pre-Conference Event, held at the Oregon DHS East Branch in Portland, Oregon. Come to connect with others, enjoy some light refreshments and appetizers and hear an inspiring speaker.

*Everyone who attends either Sunday and/or Monday's conference will receive a link to the recording of Yshai Boussi's presentation, "Staying Connected with Traumatized Adolescents."

Speaker(s): None

expandStaying Connected with Traumatized Adolescents

4:45 PM (PDT)
View Handout

Under the best of circumstances, maintaining connection and influence with adolescents is a tricky task for any parent or caregiver. When it comes to kids mired with trauma, multiple placements, and other adversity, this important task can be daunting. Layered on that, is the aftermath of a pandemic that many kids are still reeling from, along with a complex technology and social media landscape that preys on the most vulnerable. But it's not all bad; adolescence is also a unique time of hope and possibility.

In this practical, fun, and dynamic presentation you'll learn the stages of adolescent development and how childhood trauma often impacts that process. More importantly, you’ll learn practical strategies to help these wonderful young people develop more effective coping strategies, resilience, and healthy attachment.

 

Speaker(s): Yshai Boussi, MA, LPC

Yshai Boussi, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor who has helped teens, young adults, and families for more than twenty years. He's worked extensively in residential treatment programs, community mental health agencies, with the juvenile justice system, and has navigated the foster care system as a parent. Yshai is the author of the forthcoming book, Staying Connected With Your Teen, to be released early 2024. He currently runs a private practice in Portland OR, called Portland Family Counseling. Yshai offers workshops and classes for parents, educators, and teens and writes a parenting blog. He and his wife Mariah (also a therapist) are proud parents of a 14 year-old daughter, 11 year-old son, and adult foster son.

You can learn more about Yshai through his website portlandfamilycounseling.com, Instagram @yourteentherapist, or Facebook @portlandfamilycounseling

 

All Day Virtual: Mon, Oct 16, 20238:45 AM - 3:45 PM (PDT)

expandSupporting and Affirming LGBTQ+ Youth and Young Adults

9:00 AM (PDT)
View Handout

This session will help participants in increasing their understanding and capacity to support and affirm LGBTQ+ youth and young adults that may come into their care be that for a day, a season, or a lifetime. Youth in this population deserve to experience care systems that respect and affirm who they are, but to do so, parents, caregivers, and providers must be proactive in learning what they can do to best support this population as well as considerations to keep in mind to not cause harm and further childhood trauma. This session aims to do just that, considering ways to provide supportive care that builds wellness, resilience, and increases protective factors while working with them. This will also offer space for questions.

 

Speaker(s): Elliott Orrin Hinkle, BS, PSS

Elliott Orrin Hinkle, BS, PSS (they/them), Principal and Founder of Unicorn Solutions LLC, is a skilled speaker, facilitator, trainer, advisor, and national expert focused on elevating lived expertise in systems that serve children, youth, and families particularly in support of LGBTQIA2S+ community members. They bring 12+ years lived and professional experience on topics such as child welfare, youth mental health, and the LGBTQIA2S+ community. Elliott graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelors of Science in Women, Gender, Sexuality, and Queer studies. Elliott has lived experience in the Wyoming Foster Care System as a young person but calls Oregon home. They currently serve as a Federal Lived Experience Expert Partner for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) - Equity Technical Assistance Center (ETAC). Elliott has worked on the Children's Bureau Capacity Building Center for States Project and Division X TA Project at ICF, the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Reviews via JBS International, and Oregon Healthy Transitions Project at Portland State University, a SAMHSA grant. To learn more about and reach Elliott visit www.unicornsolutions.org.

 

expandFoundation for Preventing and Overcoming Blocked Care

10:30 AM (PDT)
View Handout

If you’re a parent or caregiver, are you ashamed and bewildered by your lack of compassion? If you’re a professional, are you confused by parents who seem resistant to your suggestions? There is neuroscience behind why parents may feel ineffective and may experience a sense of apathy called blocked care. Blocked care is a self-protective mechanism in a parent’s nervous system activated by excessive stress. This suppresses the higher brain functions needed for caregiving, causing their nervous system to develop a defensive stance toward their child. In this session, we'll use neuroscience to explain how parents can shed their shame and make powerful changes, so they can reclaim the compassionate parent they want to be. 

Speaker(s): Melissa Corkum & Lisa Qualls

Melissa Corkum (adoptee and adoptive mom)

As an adoptee and adoptive mom, Melissa Corkum provides insight and resources to parents and professionals through her speaking, coaching, and writing. She is a TED Speaker, Safe and Sound Protocol Practitioner, Cultivate Connection Facilitator, Certified Enneagram Coach, and co-founder of Adoption Wise. Additionally, she co-authored Reclaim Compassion: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Overcoming Blocked Care with Neuroscience and Faith and Foundations for Overcoming and Preventing Blocked Care: The eight-session program for helping parents reclaim compassion. Melissa and Patrick live in Maryland and have six kids and two grandchildren.

Lisa Qualls (birth mom and adoptive mom)

Lisa C. Qualls serves the adoption community from her unique perspective as a birth mom, former foster youth, foster mom, and adoptive mom. Lisa is a TBRI Practitioner, co-founder of Adoption Wise, Trauma Competent Caregiving trainer, and spiritual director. She is also the author of The Connected Parent: Real-Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attachment (with Dr. Karyn Purvis), and co-author of Reclaim Compassion: The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Overcoming Blocked Care with Neuroscience and Faith, and Foundations for Overcoming and Preventing Blocked Care: The eight-session program for helping parents reclaim compassion. Lisa lives in Idaho with her husband Russ. They have twelve children by birth and adoption and two beautiful granddaughters.

 

expandLunch Break

11:45 AM - 1:00 PM (PDT)

Lunch on your own

Speaker(s):

expandEssential FASD Supports: Understanding and Supporting People with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

1:00 PM (PDT)
View Handout

People with FASDs Can Be Successful—with Support! The question is, how do we support them? Despite being one of the most common developmental disabilities in the world, there is little understanding (and even fewer services) for people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) and their families. Parents and supporters of children, teens, and adults with FASDs are often perplexed by their behaviors and daily struggles. Traditional responses and approaches often make things worse. We might know that they need different types of support, but struggle with knowing how to do so. 


That’s where Essential FASD Supports comes in! This presentation offers a reinterpretation of “challenging behaviors” and other common struggles that people with FASDs experience while living in a world that does not understand them. It helps parents and professionals think about practical supports for everyday life and long-term progress. This presentation provides a proactive framework to support people with FASDs so they can use their strengths to make progress and thrive. It will benefit parents, caregivers, foster providers, therapists, teachers, and anyone else who supports someone with an FASD. 

Speaker(s): Nate Sheets

Nate Sheets is an international behavior consultant and trainer who specializes in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Nate helps parents, foster providers, therapists, teachers, and anyone else working with the FASD population to understand their brain differences and the supports that they need. Additionally, Nate consults with larger organizations and systems to help make change in policy and procedures that impede the success of people with FASDs and other developmental disabilities. You can learn more about Nate through his website at Cognitive Supports: https://cognitivesupports.com/

expandBorn in June, Raised in April: Reclaiming the calendar to better understand ourselves and our collective humanity

2:30 PM (PDT)

With the calendar as a guide, transracially adopted person and host of the popular podcast 'Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World', April Dinwoodie will candidly explore the importance of healthy identity development, the power of building strong relationships, and the urgency of facing differences of race, culture, and class. 

 

Speaker(s): April Dinwoodie

Motivated by her experiences as a transracially adopted person, April Dinwoodie is an accomplished corporate marketing executive turned nationally recognized voice on adoption, foster care, and multicultural families.  From creating a mentoring program for youth in foster care to becoming the CEO of the Donaldson Adoption Institute, April is a fiercely dedicated leader helping individuals, systems, and corporations as they navigate the foundational elements of identity, relationships, and differences of race, culture, and class. April works on several adoption-focused federal grants, leads Transracial Journeys, a camp for families experiencing transracial adoption, facilitates adoption affinity groups in schools, and is a sought after speaker and trainer.  Dinwoodie hosts the popular podcast “Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World!” and most recently, received the Adoption Excellence Award from the Children’s Bureau as well as Adoption Rhode Island’s Advocate of the Year Award. 

https://aprildinwoodie.com/