This Pre-Institute is designed for people involved in direct service with families and those that supervise staff who provide direct services to children and families. Participants who engage in the full offering will receive a certificate for FAN Level 1 Training, making them eligible for FAN Level 2 supervision and certification.

The FAN (Facilitating Attuned Interactions) model, developed out of the Erikson Institute, is a conceptual model and practical tool for building relationships and reflective practice. Developed in 2005 as an approach to working with parents of fussy babies, FAN is a meta-framework that is not model specific and is generalizable to helping relationships in many settings.

The theory of change guiding FAN is based on the concept of attunement, defined as an individual's sense of feeling connected and understood. FAN is both a conceptual framework and a practical tool for achieving attunement in relationships and reflective practice.

FAN is more than a typical training. Rather, it is an approach to building better relationships between professionals and families, and ultimately between families and their children, because it helps providers adapt to clients’ needs in the moment and stay emotionally in tune. It also helps professionals reflect on the meaning of a client’s behavior and find more compassion for themselves through self-regulation. As a result, professionals feel more effective in their work and parents are ready to read their children’s cues and know how to respond to their needs.

This training is recommended for family members with lived experience as a caregiver who are considering entering the peer workforce; family peer specialists wishing to expand their field of knowledge to include family lifespan support; individuals who may have some training and wish to have a deeper understanding; family peer supervisors; and family support community members. 

As the definition of family peer support evolves, the skills needed for family peer specialists (FPSs) to effectively support families and caregivers are expanding. Family-run organizations, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), Wraparound teams, and other community organizations employing FPSs must grow their peer workforce to include staff with lived experience who are capable of supporting families from birth through adulthood. 

As a child grows into young adulthood, the needed services, systems, and legal frameworks that support families with minor children change significantly. Parents and caregivers supporting their now-adult children must navigate adult systems, and the support provided by an FPS must be broad and adaptable to support all age groups. 

Based on the National Family Support Technical Assistance Center’s self-paced virtual curriculum, "Family Peer Specialist Through the Lifespan" (FPS 101), this hands-on, in-person 1.5-day training will equip FPSs and the family peer workforce with the skills and tools they need to support families who are navigating child- and family-serving systems in their communities. This training incorporates best practice competencies to enhance the skills of family peers, enabling them to better serve families supporting loved ones experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges. 

Participants in this Pre-Institute have the unique opportunity to receive in-person training from seasoned family experts in five topic areas. This interactive training includes breakouts, roleplays, videos, and games to evaluate knowledge. Participants will acquire cutting-edge skills that reflect the evolving demands on FPS in 2025 and beyond. 

This Pre-Institute is for individuals who have a role within their organization that positions them to train colleagues in the AFFIRM PRO approach. Participants should have experience delivering therapeutic interventions and running group sessions, advanced facilitation skills, and comfort with coaching others through complex topics related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.  

Does your agency or organization want to create a more affirming culture to better serve LGBTQ+ youth, young adults, and their families? In this Pre-Institute, participants are trained in AFFIRM Pro. AFFIRM Pro is an evidence-informed, multi-session, manualized group coaching intervention aimed at enhancing professional capacity to affirm and support the positive mental health and well-being among LGBTQ+ individuals. The AFFIRM Pro Training is an experiential training that provides the conceptual and educational foundation for evidence-based professional competence in work with LGBTQ+ youth, adults, and their families who experience the behavioral health, child welfare, and justice systems.  

Presenters will introduce important concepts for becoming an affirmative professional: LGBTQ+ identities and minority stress. They will discuss the impact of anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes and behaviors and supporting LGBTQ+ youth and young adults during the “coming-out process.” Participants will learn about being an affirming ally and fostering supportive and affirming social networks for LGBTQ+ youth, young adults, and their parents and caregivers.. 

This Pre-Institute will promote the creation of safe, affirming, and collaborative relationships, interactions, and services for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults. AFFIRM Pro is especially valuable to organizations that serve youth and families as they expand their ability to provide an affirming experience for all. Participants who complete the Pre-Institute requirements will be able to implement AFFIRM Pro in their organizations and will receive a certificate of completion. AFFIRM Pro participants will receive the AFFIRM Pro manual and workbook. 

This Pre-Institute is designed for people involved in or responsible for implementing new practices and interventions in their organizations. Participants should come with a practice or intervention that they will be part of implementing in their organization. 

We have all been part of launching a great idea that didn’t quite stick or a program that didn’t deliver anticipated outcomes. Adopting and integrating new evidence-based and emerging best practices and interventions into direct service settings can be challenging. One strategy to address the challenges we encounter is to set up effective implementation strategies that can ensure sustainable and meaningful change. This Pre-Institute will equip participants with essential skills and tools needed for successful implementation. Participants will learn practical strategies, explore real-world case studies, and engage in interactive activities designed to enhance their implementation capabilities. Presenters will explore key principles and frameworks of implementation science as well as step-by-step approaches for planning and executing implementation efforts. The group will participate in practical exercises using real-world examples with time for participants to apply what they learn in developing their own implementation plans.  

A critical companion to any implementation is an evaluation plan. Presenters will highlight different types of evaluation and continuous quality improvement efforts. Discussions and activities will focus on usability testing, rapid cycle improvement strategies including plan-do-study/check-act cycles, and fidelity. Participants will learn how to use these data to make improvements in process, practice, coaching, and supervision. Presenters will guide participants to think through sustainability plans as part of their implementation planning.  There will be opportunities to practice using different tools and resources as well as opportunities for peer learning and collaboration to solve implementation challenges and share insights throughout the session.  

This Pre-Institute is designed for individuals or teams seeking to understand marketing for programs, services, or initiatives for children, youth, young adults, and their families. The training program will help individuals or teams raise awareness and build audiences for their programs. Attendees do not need to have prior marketing experience.  

Marketing is, at its core, the work of engaging with the people you are trying to reach through your programs or initiatives. Often our work across organizations to support the needs of youth and their families is done by a dedicated, skilled team that may or may not include trained marketing professionals. Whether you and your team have extensive marketing experience or are just beginning the work of engaging your key audiences, this workshop is for you.  

Presenters will introduce a model for impactful marketing whereby participants will learn the steps involved in planning and executing a marketing strategy to successfully reach an audience. Learn to raise awareness of your program, increase participation and attendance, and evaluate your efforts to ensure success. Discover how to research your audience, identify where they get information, develop short-form and long-form communications that speak to your audience, and create engaging graphics and imagery that grab attention and speak to the audience. Understand how to execute your plan in the places where your audience is most likely to encounter your messages including events, social media, websites, partner communications, and much more. 

Marketing is most successful when the team developing the plan includes youth and family members; their insights on messaging, graphics, and how to reach your audience are critical. This inclusive approach ensures your marketing efforts will speak to the needs of your audience. Hear case studies of marketing efforts and learn how to evaluate your own efforts. Bring your team to this two-day hands-on workshop and collaboratively develop your plan and messages with input from the instructors and other attendees. Leave with the skills and knowledge to build and engage your audience.