Center for Adoption Support and Education, 756 Madison Avenue, Suite 100, Albany, NY (2026)

10/01/2026

[S*F Webinar] Punishment vs. Discipline: Why Traditional Parenting Doesn't Work with Kids Who Have Experienced Trauma and What We Can Do Instead

Thursday, October 15, 2026 | 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST

In partnership with The Jockey Being Family Foundation, C.A.S.E. offers 600 FREE registrations to each Strengthening Your Family (S*F) Webinar. Use coupon code TRADITIONAL to receive free registration at checkout.

Join us for the October installment of our 2026 S*F Series, presented by C.A.S.E.'s Permanency and Well-Being Specialist Deb Schugg.

Deb brings more than 30 years of experience supporting children, youth, and families connected to foster care, adoption, and trauma. A nationally recognized trainer and family coach, she also brings lived experience as the parent of eight children, seven of whom were adopted from foster care.

When parenting a child who has experienced trauma, traditional punishment-based approaches are not only ineffective, but can exacerbate behavior. This webinar is designed to help parents, caregivers, and professionals shift their lens from managing behavior to building connections and addressing the underlying needs which drive the behavior. Participants will come away with a foundational understanding of attachment and practical strategies they can put into practice right away.

Learn more about the presenter, session objectives, and registration details today: https://adoptionsupport.org/resource/event/syf-webinar-punishment-vs-discipline-why-traditional-parenting-doesnt-work-with-kids-who-have-experienced-trauma-and-what-we-can-do-instead/

09/29/2026

[Webinar] Building Readiness Together: Lessons from Oklahoma's Decade-Long Adoption Competency Journey

Children and families impacted by adoption, foster, and kinship care deserve access to systems that understand their unique needs. But how do you build readiness for sustainable systems change, and how do you know it's making a difference? Oklahoma spent nearly a decade answering that question.

Oklahoma's approach was never about a single training or initiative. It started with listening to families and individuals with lived experience, then moved through building shared vision, cross-system partnerships, and workforce capability, before embedding the work into lasting infrastructure.

Join Dr. Bonni Goodwin and Oklahoma partner Lacey Sorrels, alongside C.A.S.E. Academy Director Laura Ornelas, LCSW, and National Center Director Mary Wichansky, MSW, LCSW-C, for "Building Readiness Together: Lessons from Oklahoma's Decade-Long Adoption Competency Journey," to learn more and engage in a practical conversation on building and sustaining adoption-competent systems.

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026 | 2-3 p.m. ET | Virtual (Zoom)

Participants will leave with actionable strategies to strengthen workforce capability, improve access to care, and sustain adoption-competent systems change in their communities, plus downloadable guides to help put those lessons into practice.

Register today: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0FoQ1oY3Q0au68BkEFK2tg?_gl=1*akylhv*_ga*NDI3MTE1MDc4LjE3MzE5Mzk2NzU.*_ga_L8TBF28DDX*czE3ODcwNjY3NzMkbzE4NCRnMSR0MTc4NzA2NjgxNCRqMTkkbDAkaDA. #/registration

09/23/2026

[Webinar Series] In*******al Families — Part Three: Advocacy, Accountability, and Lifelong Commitment

In*******al adoption is a complex, lifelong process that requires more than placement stability and good intentions. It calls for thoughtful, informed practice that recognizes the central role of race, identity development, and systemic inequities in shaping adoptee outcomes.

Join C.A.S.E.'s Training and Content Development Specialist, Tony Hynes, Ph.D., for the third session of a four-part series for parents and caregivers (no prior attendance required — join this session on its own or register for the remaining parts). In "Advocacy, Accountability, and Lifelong Commitment," participants will develop skills to advocate for children, address bias and racism within family and community systems, repair harm when necessary, and commit to continued learning over time.

Learn more + register today: https://adoptionsupport.org/resource/event/interracial-families-a-four-part-series-advocacy-accountability-and-lifelong-commitment/

09/22/2026

Have you registered for this year's Kids' Adoption Network (KAN) Conference? Spots are filling up fast!

KAN is a fun day of learning with engaging activities for children, teens, parents, caregivers, and prospective adoptive parents, including opportunities to connect with other adoptees and adoptive families. 💚🦉

This year's Parent Program, "Adoption Through the Eyes Of Children: Seen. Heard. Supported.," will be facilitated by C.A.S.E. co-founder and CEO Debbie Riley, LCMFT. Read a description of the program below:

For children, adoption is not only something that happened in the past. It is part of who they are and something they continue to understand in new ways as they grow. A young child may wonder, "Why was I adopted?" An older child may ask, "Who do I look like?" or "Where do I belong?" A teenager may quietly wrestle with identity, loyalty, loss, self-worth, or questions they are not sure how to say out loud.

This parent program invites you to step into your children's world and consider what your children may think, feel, and wonder about from the preschool years through adolescence.

Learn more about this year's KAN Parent Program and how to attend on our KAN website:

https://adoptionsupport.org/kids-adoption-network-kan-2026-conference/

09/21/2026

Michaela Battle spent her childhood dreading questions about her family. Today, she helps guide the organization that prepared her to answer them.

In her letter, Michaela writes that she often felt isolated and uncertain growing up, struggling to find confidence while navigating questions about her family and her identity.

Support from C.A.S.E. through programs like W.I.S.E. Up!® helped her discover that her experiences did not define her. They helped her find her voice, and became part of a larger story of resilience, healing, and hope.

And that confidence didn't stay in childhood. Michaela became a founding member of the Emerging Leaders Advisory Council, and today she sits on C.A.S.E.'s Board of Directors, helping set the direction of the organization that supported her as a child.

No child should have to face life's hardest questions alone. Your gift today helps another child connected to adoption, foster, and kinship care find their voice, the way Michaela found hers.

Read Michaela's letter and make a gift today: adoptionsupport.org/mystory

09/17/2026

Adoption competence strengthens clinical practice.

A client's history with adoption, foster care, or kinship care is often present in the room long before it comes up in session. Specialized, adoption-competent training helps clinicians recognize what they are seeing and respond in ways that help clients heal and thrive.

Join us Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m. ET for "Building Better Care: The Role of Adoption Competency in Mental Health Systems." Hear real examples of adoption-competent practice in action, and learn how to bring it into your own work.

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Tng9JjcISvKzjjxBvMV5rw #/registration

09/16/2026

As the temperature begins to drop and the leaves start to change this September, we're sharing three new blogs on our website all about transitions and support!

C.A.S.E.'s Policy Advisor Ashley Garcia-Rivera recently attended a congressional briefing where the 2026 cohort of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute's (CCAI) Foster Youth Internship (FYI) Program® shared their report, "Anchored in Permanency: Policies to Strengthen Belonging, Stability, and Family Connection." Recapping two of the interns' recommendations, Ashley draws a clear line to C.A.S.E.'s mission: the interns' report confirms that resources for well-being are essential to both achieving and maintaining permanency.

As educators welcome new students into their classrooms, C.A.S.E. Educational Implementation Specialist Cortney Jordan, MA, LGPC, asks educational professionals to pause and reflect on one question while building their learning environment: "Does every student experience their school as a place where they are seen, valued, and understood?" Cortney shares tips for building an intentional classroom where all students feel connected, respected, and truly included.

Lastly, adoptive mom and C.A.S.E. Training Coordinator Lauren Lynch gives an overview of our signature empowerment program, W.I.S.E. Up!®. More than just a training or framework, W.I.S.E. Up!® helps children and youth in adopted, foster, and kinship families respond to intrusive questions and insensitive remarks. Providing children with the knowledge and language to respond helps them feel confident and self-assured that THEY get to decide if, how, and when to tell their story.

Explore these and more blogs on our website today: https://adoptionsupport.org/resources/blog/

09/10/2026

Too often, individuals and families connected to adoption, foster, and kinship care wait an extended time to find a clinician who understands their experience.

Children, youth, and adults in these communities navigate complex trauma, grief and loss, identity questions, and attachment disruptions, often across a lifetime. Adoption competence gives clinicians the specialized skills necessary to meet those needs.

Join C.A.S.E. for a free webinar on Sept. 23 at 1:00 p.m. ET, "Building Better Care: The Role of Adoption Competency in Mental Health Systems." Mental health leaders and clinicians will share how organizations are embedding adoption competence into their systems of care, what it has meant for providers and families, and where to start.

The session highlights the National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI), covers implementation support, and explores C.A.S.E. resources available to organizations.

Register today: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Tng9JjcISvKzjjxBvMV5rw #/registration

09/10/2026

Registration for the Kids' Adoption Network (KAN) 2026 Conference is Now Open!

The Kids' Adoption Network (KAN) Conference is a full day of fun and learning with engaging activities for children, teens, parents, caregivers, and prospective adoptive parents, including opportunities to connect with other adoptees and adoptive families!

This year's theme, W.I.S.E. Up!® Empowered Voices. Brighter Futures., takes C.A.S.E.'s signature W.I.S.E. Up!® program to the next level. Kids and teens will explore the different people who may ask questions or make comments about adoption, the emotions these interactions can bring up, and how those factors can shape the way they choose to respond.

📅 Saturday, November 7, 2026, 9:00-4:30 p.m.

📍 McLean School (Middle-Upper School Campus), 8224 Lochinver Lane, Potomac, MD 20854

Early Bird Pricing - $60 per participant now through October 9.

Regular price registration is $65 per participant. Registration fee waived for those who adopted through a local Department of Social Services.

Register today! https://adoptionsupport.org/kids-adoption-network-kan-2026-conference/

09/10/2026

Imagine you're 10 years old.

You're sitting in class when someone asks a difficult or deeply personal question about your family that catches you completely off guard: “Why don’t you look like your parents?” or “Why didn’t your ‘real’ parents keep you?”

For children connected to adoption, foster, and kinship care, these aren't imaginary questions. They may come from classmates, neighbors, teammates, or even well-meaning adults, often while a child is still making sense of their own story.

Thanks to our generous C.A.S.E. community, the W.I.S.E. Up!® empowerment program has helped children prepare for those moments for 25 years. It's more than a framework – it gives children the skills and confidence to know they are in control of their own story.

W.I.S.E. Up! is just one example of how your support creates lasting impact. Your gift today brings this program and other resources to more children as they find their voice.

Over the next month, we're privileged to share the story of Michaela Battle, a founding member of C.A.S.E.'s Emerging Leaders Advisory Council and a current member of our Board of Directors. Michaela participated in W.I.S.E. Up! as a child, and she carries those lessons with her still.

Read Michaela's reflections and make a gift today: https://adoptionsupport.org/donate/?utm_source=social+media&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Mid-Year+2026+Appeal

Center for Adoption Support and Education

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