"Don’t just do something. Stand there! Becoming a trauma-informed parent-to-parent/early intervention support system"

A collaborative post-session with Elizabeth Seeliger, Leigh Hardin, and Jess Dallman
Wednesday, March 21, 9:00am-4:00pm, EHDI Denver; Pre-registration required

Early interventionists and parent-to-parent support staff often provide support to families shortly after they receive the news that their child is deaf or hard of hearing. Providers often wonder, “What can I or should I be doing with a baby that is otherwise a typically developing 6 week old?” or “What can I say to a family to make them feel better?” Sometimes, we provide information and resources. Sometimes we provide communication or technology tips or training. Sometimes we “assess and monitor” the child for delay. Often we overlook what the family needs most in those first weeks and months: connection.  The first step to providing intervention of any kind is to intentionally initiate, nurture, and model   relationship.  Sometimes this relationship happens easily and naturally. Other times it does not. 
In this session, we will identify a variety of relational practices and explore the practice of holding space for feelings, healing, acceptance and growth.  We will inform participants about the link between the importance of these relational practices when a family is struggling to apply interventions, make decisions, or follow-through with recommendations.  
The instructional setting, along with the diverse interdisciplinary instructional team (Audiologist, Interventionist/Counselor, and a Parent/Counselor) will enable participants to bridge EHDI services with infant and family mental health, through interactive case studies and hands-on experiential activities.  
The timely introduction to emerging evidence-based relational practices will encourage a more sustainable EHDI system by promoting system-wide self-care practices which have been shown to reduce burnout. By acknowledging and enhancing the role of relationships with families, interventionists can provide more attuned support so that parents/caregivers, in turn, can provide attuned support to their infant. We will share ideas of ways that we can enhance our support of the parent-child relationship and thereby, mitigate the potential long-term effects of unresolved 'diagnostic trauma’. With this information, experience, and collaboration, we hope this workshop will also help providers start to dream big about the potential for "improving and protecting community health and well-being" (HRSA-17-059 grant synopsis).

Horse As Interventionist: An Interactive Relationship-Focused Experience for Parents and Providers

Sunday, March 18, 2018; EHDI Denver; Preregistration required.

Most commonly, equine therapy, or hippotherapy, is used as a term for equine-assisted activities, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. However, equine therapy can include all of these benefits while also exploring psychological, emotional, and relationship development. What can horses teach us about relationships?

Horses are incredible models regarding transformative relationships and parenting. They offer invaluable lessons on how to navigate relationships across our differences, how to establish and maintain harmony, and how to get “unstuck” when facing resistance or obstacles. They highlight and help us deconstruct our assumptions and biases regarding people who are different from us. They rely heavily on the establishment of clear communication, and they do not judge. Due to the poignancy of equine therapy interventions, horses can optimally support self-awareness, emotional regulation, nervous system regulation, emotional availability, and caregiver responsiveness to children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. The therapeutic metaphors and parallels between parenting/early intervention and horsemanship are profound. With horses as our guides, we will integrate theory with practice, enhancing our relational toolbox in the EHDI field.

In this session, Jessica Dallman will facilitate a full-day immersion in the synthesis of early intervention and equine therapy at Happy Dog Ranch Foundation (www.happydogranch.org). In this nature-based setting, participants will learn from horses how to optimize the social-emotional development of deaf/hard of hearing children and their families, and will be empowered to solve for gaps in the EHDI system through a facilitated interspecies relationship. The session does not require prior experience with horses, and will include off-site transportation.