Episode 38 - Affiliate Response to Stress and Burnout
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: “The ultimate solution to burnout is not self-care. It’s caring for others and others caring for you.” There’s no denying that self-care is important. Eating healthy, exercising, and taking vacation days can reduce stress on the body. But it’s human connection and the relationships you have with others that make the difference. In this month’s episode, Tony speaks with Dr. Heather Forkey and Dr. Jessica Griffin with UMass Chan Medical School about a different approach to address secondary traumatic stress and burnout. During their conversation, they share with us...
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Episode 37 - Racial Healing Response Team
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: Child Advocacy Centers and Multidisciplinary teams are not immune from the race, power, and privilege that shapes the way we each experience the world. At Safe Horizon, the organization that operates the five CACs throughout New York City, the Racial Healing Response Team (RHRT) program has been implemented to address the racial harm that staff members may experience in the workplace. With the goal of offering staff support and healing, the RHRT responds in a variety of ways that center on respect, relationships, and community care. In this episode, Tony speaks with Dr....
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Episode 36 - Organizational Culture
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: What is organizational culture? Why should you focus on organizational culture? What is the value of investing in organizational culture? How does it relate to Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs)? In this episode, Tony speaks with Gene Klein, LCSW and Caren Dean with Project Harmony. During their conversation, they share how they navigated through periods of growth and change at Project Harmony. As a result, this led the CAC to focus on creating a positive organizational culture. Topics in this episode Project Harmony (3:29) Culture (5:08) Intentional Focus on Culture (7:28)...
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Episode 35 - Grooming
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: 1 in 10 people have been victims of sexual assault. Over 80% of these victims know their attacker. In almost 100% of these cases, the attacker uses a method called "grooming". In this episode, filmmaker and survivor Gwen van de Pas joins Tony to discuss the documentary film titled Groomed. Gwen takes us through her journey of making the movie, what she discovered about the grooming process, and the impact grooming has on survivors. If you haven't already watched the movie Groomed, it can be found on the streaming service discovery+. GUEST: Gwen van de Pas is a...
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Episode 34 - NCA Accreditation Standards Changes
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: The National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Standards of Accreditation help ensure that all children across the U.S. served by Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) receive consistent, evidence-based services that help them heal from abuse. The Standards for Accredited Members are reviewed through a process coordinated by the NCA Accreditation Department every five years, consistent with the five-year period after which reaccreditation is required. This is done to ensure the Standards reflect the latest evidence and practice. In this episode, Tony speaks with Alyson MacKenzie and...
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Episode 33 - CATS Program
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: The Baystate Family Advocacy Center has an exciting new program funded from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) - Child Advocacy Training & Support (CATS) Center. The CATS Center establishes a national training center to provide Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) training, education, and technical assistance on trauma-informed care and evidence-based treatment for children and families. In this episode, Tony speaks with Kerri Bergendahl, LICSW and Jessica Wozniak, Psy.D. with the Baystate Family Advocacy Center on the...
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Episode 32 - Moving Beyond Case Review
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: How do you define the role and responsibilities of Team Facilitator at your CAC? In this episode, Tony speaks with Sue, Vicky, and Brittnee on professionalizing the role of the Team Facilitator. They discuss the importance of the role moving beyond case review to having the role be viewed as more of a leadership position within the CAC. Furthermore, they share what was learned from a recent survey done as a collaborative project by the four Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers. GUESTS: Sue Ascione is a Training Specialist at the Northeast Regional Children’s...
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Episode 31 - Multilevel Shared Leadership Model
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: When examining the multidisciplinary team response to child abuse in communities, there are two principles that I believe to must be considered. The first is that MDT’s are sophisticated and complex systems that are tasked with providing a coordinated and comprehensive response to child abuse. The second is that no single discipline on an MDT can adequately meet the needs of a victim of child abuse. One would think that such a system tasked with such an important mandate would have a clear leadership structure to ensure that the best possible services are being provided....
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Episode 30 - Science of Hope
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: We all see the word hope in the vision statements, mission statements, and even within the name of some of our organizations. But what do we mean when we are using this word? My guest for this episode will help put hope in perspective. As a “Hope Scientist,” Dr. Ashley Cross joins the podcast to speak to us about The Science of Hope. As her website states: “Hope is more than a feeling; it is a science and a healing agent. Hope can heal the brain, restore the soul and give life meaning. Since hope a science, this means it can be taught, learned and restored. Hope is the...
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Episode 29 - Board Diversity
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: Every Child Advocacy Center wants to create a space that is safe and inclusive for all children and families that walk through the door. At times, the process of creating that space and the conversations that need to be had to ensure such a space can be difficult and uncomfortable. In this episode, I speak with Gale Britton, the Board of Trustees President for Wynona's House, the CAC for Essex County, NJ. We intended to speak specifically about creating diversity within the entire organization. Gale speaks about the importance of clarifying the mission and vision of the...
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Have you heard about the role of a Child Life Specialist? Many of us are under the misconception that Child Life Specialists only work in hospital settings and are tasked with playing with children as they await a procedure or treatment. Nothing could be further from the truth. In both healthcare and community settings, Certified Child Life Specialists help infants, children, youth and families cope with the stress and uncertainty of acute and chronic illness, injury, trauma, disability, loss and bereavement. They provide evidence-based, developmentally, and psychologically appropriate interventions including therapeutic play, preparation for procedures, and education to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain. There are several misconceptions about the Child Life Profession (www.childlife.org). In several CAC’s across the United States, Child Life Specialists are playing an important role in the victim advocacy services provided to children and families.
In this episode, I had the opportunity to learn about the Child Life profession and how it can be incorporated into the CAC world from Annie Drehkoff of the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center. Annie has a wealth of experience working with children and families and shows us how adding Child Life Specialists to CAC can have great value to the children and families being served as well as the entire CAC team.
GUEST:
Annie Drehkoff, MS, CCLS is the Child Life Manager at Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center. She has over 10 years of experience working with children and families in a variety of settings, which include early childhood education and child life services at pediatric hospitals and outpatient facilities. At Chicago CAC, she oversees the Child Life Department, which promotes effective coping among children and families impacted by sexual abuse through play, preparation, and other support interventions. She received her MS in Child Development, with the Child Life specialization, from Erikson Institute in 2012 and is a Certified Child Life Specialist.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
- Association of Child Life Professionals
- “Child Life in Action in a Child Advocacy Center with Annie Drehkoff, MS, CCLS.”
- Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center
Have an idea for a future Team Talk guest or topic? We want to hear from you! Email your suggestions to Tony DeVincenzo at [email protected]
Disclaimer: This project was sponsored by NRCAC from Grant Award Number 2019-CI-FX-K005 and CFDA #16.758 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, OJJDP or NRCAC.