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Grainger, Rachel, MSW, LCSW

Rachel Grainger is a licensed clinical social worker currently practicing at Citizens Memorial Healthcare. Rachel attended Missouri State University to receive her BSW and then returned to complete the MSW program. Rachel has spent her eight-year career in healthcare with CMH. She worked in the main hospital assisting with care for Med/Surg, ICU, OB, ER and Geriatric psych patients. Rachel was a part of the Behavioral Assessment Team for CMH ED for 4 years completing acute psychiatric screenings and assisting with inpatient psychiatric care placement or outpatient resources. She worked as a hospice and home health social worker as well as bereavement coordinator for CMH Homecare services for 4 years. Rachel has also been an adjunct instructor for Bolivar Technical College and Southwest Baptist University. Courses taught include Child Abuse & Neglect, Gerontology, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, HBSE I, HBSE II, and Lifespan Development. Rachel is currently a therapist at Butterfield Park Medical Clinic in Bolivar, MO providing outpatient counseling for individuals age nine to adulthood.

Presentation(s): 

Applications of CBT with Kids: Basic Strategies for Making the Move to Child Therapy

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Swopes, Rachael, PhD

Rachael M. Swopes is a licensed clinical psychologist. She earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dr. Swopes completed a child clinical psychology internship at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and a psychology residency at Behavioral Healthcare of Rural Missouri, Inc., Stockton. Dr. Swopes specializes in applying evidence-based practice to the treatment of childhood trauma and behavior disorders. She has advanced training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and is a certified therapist for Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). Other areas of specialty include childhood traumatic grief, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cognitive restructuring for trauma exposed adults, assessment and treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and behavior disorders, sleep management therapy for sleep disorders and trauma, developmental and IQ testing, and risk assessments (such as suicide and cutting). Dr. Swopes is currently in full time practice at CMH Pediatric Clinic in Bolivar, Missouri.

Presentation(s): 

Applications of CBT with Kids: Basic Strategies for Making the Move to Child Therapy

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Applications of CBT with Kids: Basic Strategies for Making the Move to Child Therapy

Speaker(s):

Rachael Swopes, PhD

Rachel Grainger, MSW, LCSW

Presentation: This presentation will focus on applying cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), in therapy work with young children (ages five to adolescence). Presentation is intended to provide basic strategies for how certain CBT skills (e.g., teaching coping skills, teaching thought restructuring) might look in a child setting. This presentation is intended for those who are already somewhat familiar with CBT and with therapy in general, but perhaps are considering expanding their work to include children. Presentation will pull from established techniques from play and behavioral therapies, as well as the clinician’s knowledge and experience as a child psychologist. Presentation will also include perspectives from an LCSW transitioning from adult to child work. This presentation is not intended to provide full training in CBT, but hopes to provide an overview of CBT-based techniques to better inform practice with children.

Objectives:

  1. Define evidence-based practice and cognitive behavioral therapy
  2. Describe at least three specific methods for teaching feelings identification and coping skills to young children
  3. List at least three differences between adults and children to be aware of when working with child clients

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Hanks, Rachel, MSW, LCSW, RPT

Rachel Hanks is a clinical social worker and therapist at the Therapeutic Preschool at FamilyForward. She previously had a career in performing and in writing. However, while living the “gig life”, she ended up doing support work at the St. Louis Arc, working closely with teenagers of all abilities. As Rachel continued on in her first careers, she found that she could not stay away from working directly with people to help navigate personal and system barriers towards success. In 2013, she was accepted to the graduate program at the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. While at UMSL, Rachel was a graduate research assistant with Creating Whole Communities, looking at community-wide initiatives and policies that helped or hindered a neighborhood’s ability to thrive. She did practicums at Casa de Salud and the Children’s Advocacy Services of Greater St. Louis. She also worked as a paraprofessional for Special School District of St. Louis County.

Upon graduating in 2016, Rachel came to work at the Therapeutic Preschool at Family Resource Center (now FamilyForward). The Therapeutic Preschool is an intensive program that provides holistic, non-medicated interventions for children with histories of complex, chronic trauma and aggressive, maladaptive behaviors. Using play therapy and guided by the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, Rachel provides individual and family therapy services. She advocates extensively for children in the foster care system and frequently provides psychoeducation to the children’s teams in order to help provide the best circumstances in which the child may thrive. She has received extensive play therapy training from the St. Louis Play Therapy Institute. She has also trained at the Theraplay Institute. Rachel believes that every child deserves to be understood, supported, and surrounded by unconditional positive regard.

Presentation(s): 

Lessons Learned: Effective Interventions & Support for Young Children with Trauma

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Lessons Learned: Effective Interventions & Support for Young Children with Trauma

Speaker(s):

Rachel Hanks, MSW, LCSW

Presentation: In 2016, the National Survey of Children’s Health reported that 46% of children under the age of 17 have experienced at least one traumatic event. A single traumatic event is understood to be inherently complex in the most stable of children. However, chronic stress and trauma during those crucial early years of brain development may adversely impact a child’s ability to function and self-regulate. Presenting behaviors of developmental trauma may include aggression, intolerable feelings of distress, attachment issues, developmental delays, dissociation, depression, and sensory processing issues. These issues increase a child’s risk factors for mental illness, poor health outcomes, lowered educational attainment, involvement in the criminal justice system, and can even lower their life expectancy.

When working with young children, it is important to understand the pervasiveness and complexities of these presenting issues in a variety of settings. The principles of play therapy, attachment, and brain development can help a child’s team and family better understand a child’s behavior. From the case management team to home to school, developmentally-appropriate interventions and support can help increase a young child’s ability to self-regulate, attach, heal, and even thrive.

Objectives:

  1. Identify the effects of chronic trauma and maltreatment on a young child’s development
  2. Explain the role attachment plays in self-regulation and development
  3. Identify and describe appropriate interventions for young children with high levels of dysregulation
  4. Discuss how to best support young children with trauma and their caregivers in a variety of settings

 

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Darkness to Light; Stewards of Children, Part II

Speaker(s):

Tara Brace, BA

Annie Wilson, BS

Presentation: Stewards of Children is a prevention training that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program is designed for organizations that serve youth and for individuals concerned about the safety of children. It is the only nationally distributed, evidence-informed program proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and change child protective behaviors. The training is typically a 2-hour training; however, for the Spring Training Institute, the training will be broken in to two parts, a Part I, 60-minute Super Session and a Part II, 90-minute Breakout Session. This training will teach participants the five steps in preventing child sexual abuse. Participants also receive a free workbook.

Objectives:

  1. INCREASE AWARENESS of the prevalence, consequences, and circumstances of child sexual abuse
  2. Develop NEW SKILLS to help adults prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse
  3. Discuss POSITIVE CHANGE to organizational policies and procedures
  4. Describe INDIVIDUAL EMPOWERMENT through an understanding of personal responsibility and actionable ways to make a difference
  5. Discuss the Five Steps to Protecting Our Children

Brace_HandoutDownload
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Darkness to Light; Stewards of Children, Part I

Speaker(s):

Tara Brace, BA

Annie Wilson, BS

Presentation: Stewards of Children is a prevention training that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program is designed for organizations that serve youth and for individuals concerned about the safety of children. It is the only nationally distributed, evidence-informed program proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and change child protective behaviors. The training is typically a 2-hour training; however, for the Spring Training Institute, the training will be broken in to two parts, a Part I, 60-minute Super Session and a Part II, 90-minute Breakout Session. This training will teach participants the five steps in preventing child sexual abuse. Participants also receive a free workbook.

Objectives:

  1. INCREASE AWARENESS of the prevalence, consequences, and circumstances of child sexual abuse
  2. Develop NEW SKILLS to help adults prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse
  3. Discuss POSITIVE CHANGE to organizational policies and procedures
  4. Describe INDIVIDUAL EMPOWERMENT through an understanding of personal responsibility and actionable ways to make a difference
  5. Discuss the Five Steps to Protecting Our Children

Brace_HandoutDownload
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Wilson, Annie, BS

Annie Wilson is the Prevention Manager at Missouri KidsFirst, the state chapter for Missouri’s Child Advocacy Centers and the state chapter for Prevent Child Abuse America. Annie is an authorized Darkness to Light Instructor and Facilitator of the Stewards of Children child sexual abuse prevention training, and an experienced trainer on multiple topics related to child abuse and neglect. Annie also chairs the Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children and helps lead multiple state-wide efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect. Annie is a proud wife and Mom to three active boys, so you can most often catch her running from one sports activity to another!

Presentation(s): 

Darkness to Light; Stewards of Children, Part I

Darkness to Light; Stewards of Children, Part II

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Brace, Tara, BA

Tara Brace has worked with children and families for 20 years while teaching preschool in a private daycare and Head Start environment. Brace worked in Senior Management with families who have children with disabilities. She then moved her career to Social Services where she was an investigator that investigated child abuse and neglect hotlines. She also worked case management with Social Services, which included working with families whose children were placed in foster care and helping those families locate services and reach goals so they could be reunited with their children. She has had several successful adoption and guardianships. She currently works for Kids Harbor in Osage Beach. She started there in July 2018 when her and her husband moved to the lake area from Sedalia. Brace is the community outreach coordinator working with schools, churches, daycares and any other organizations that work with children. She promotes the prevention program, which educates adults on how to recognize the signs of child sexual abuse. In January 2019, Brace also started a curriculum that works with children in the classroom on how to keep their bodies safe and when to tell a trusted adult when they do not feel safe.

Presentation(s): 

Darkness to Light; Stewards of Children, Part I

Darkness to Light; Stewards of Children, Part II

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Dieckhaus, Lucas, MA

Lucas Dieckhaus is the Director of Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Therapy at Great Circle, where he develops and oversees treatment for children between the ages of six to twenty-one. This program provides treatment for those who struggle with various emotional disorders, mental health disorders, and substance use disorders. Lucas is a graduate of Webster University with a Master of Arts in Counseling. He has experience working in the outpatient setting for both city and rural clients. During his counseling career he has worked with adults and children. Through his years of service, he has developed specialties in Trauma as well as Substance Use Disorder treatment.

Presentation(s): 

The Current State of Our Children: What We Can Do to Help