The work of supporting children and families asks a lot of the professionals who do it. It asks us to understand trauma, build trust, navigate complex emotions and sometimes look at a familiar situation from an entirely different perspective. It could also mean making a longer-term investment in becoming more confident and competent in the work you do. That’s why Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connections (APAC), a program of Children’s Aid Society of Alabama is bringing you two special training opportunities designed to strengthen your practice and give you practical tools you can use in your work.

Join Allison Davis Maxon, M.S., LMFT, Executive Director of the National Center on Adoption and Permanency and co-author of Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency, for an in-depth look at the needs of parents raising children who have experienced trauma, loss, foster care, kinship care or adoption.

You’ll leave with practical tools to:

• Better understand the impact of trauma, grief and loss

• Recognize the complex emotional needs of parents

• Strengthen your ability to assess and support family systems

• Help parents process difficult emotions

• Put new tools into practice with the families you serve

5.5 NBCC-approved CEUs are available.

We encourage you to join us in person in Birmingham if possible. A virtual option is available for those who cannot attend in person, including professionals joining us from outside Alabama.

Presented by:

Allison Davis Maxon, M.S., LMFT - author of Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency: A Guide to Promoting Understanding and Healing in Adoption, Foster Care, Kinship Families and Third Party Reproduction and more.

REGISTER & Join Us for this Trained Therapist Network (TTN) Event on November 10th. Use the drop-down to select "in-person" or "virtual."

Build specialized adoption competency while earning 60 ABSWE and NBCC contact hours. Children’s Aid Society of Alabama is proud to be the only approved TAC training site in Alabama. Developed by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE), TAC is an evidence-based certificate program for master's-level clinicians seeking to better meet the unique needs of everyone in the adoption constellation. It is also the only adoption competency curriculum accredited by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence.

TAC is an opportunity to build specialized clinical skills while earning recognition as an adoption-competent professional.

• 60 social work or counseling contact hours
• Inclusion in the National Directory of Adoption Competent Professionals
• An electronic TAC badge for your website, directory profiles and marketing materials
• No renewal required once you earn the TAC Certificate
• Ongoing access to research-based materials for use with clients
• Increased confidence working with every member of the adoption constellation

The program is designed to fit around your caseload, with 12 modules delivered over one year. Module 1 is self-study, followed by live Zoom sessions for Modules 2–12.

Total cost: $1,200

This includes the full year of accredited training, clinical and ethics credits. Payment is structured as a $200 initial deposit followed by $100 per month for 10 months.

And before you worry about the cost, ask your agency. The TAC FAQ notes that many employers may supplement the cost because having an adoption-competent clinician on staff expands the services an agency can offer the families it already serves.

Registration will open soon.

👉 COMPLETE THE TAC INTEREST FORM TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN REGISTRATION OPENS

Not sure whether TAC is right for you? Jem Lamb, LICSW/PIP, one of APAC's TAC-certified trainers, is available to talk through the program and share her perspective as both a TAC student and instructor. If you've completed TAC training, please SHARE to help expand adoption competent care for our youth!

Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connections (APAC) is a collaborative effort between

Children's Aid Society of Alabama and the Alabama Department of Human Resources to provide education and support to Alabama's families and child welfare professionals.

Children's Aid Society of Alabama is an approved Continuing Education provider by the

Alabama Board of Social Work Examiners CE Provider #0039

Children's Aid Society of Alabama is an NBCC-Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP) and may offer NBCC-approved clock hours for events that meet NBCC requirements.

The ACEP is responsible solely for all aspects of the program. NBCC Provider #6459