Description

Caring for a relative’s child or a friend’s child comes with a lot of changes and challenges. From finding new routines to figuring out everyone’s likes and dislikes, bringing another child into the home can cause adjustments from everyone-including how we relate, relationships we develop, and how we discipline.

One of the biggest adjustments for caregivers is learning how to help everyone in the family learn to get along well. Add in the challenges of discipline, and your home can turn into a battleground overnight! As kinship caregivers, we have to learn methods for helping family members learn to relate to one another through positive, relationship-building experiences, and, discipline efforts that can teach kinship children in a way that is effective- especially considering the fears and emotions that many kinship children come with. The goal will be to learn how to improve relationships while making discipline efforts less challenging, exhausting, and frustrating for children and caregivers.

Presented by:

Jennifer Connor Godbey, is an Assistant Professor and outpatient clinician at University of Kentucky, Department of Psychiatry seeing a variety of patients, adults, adolescents and their families.  Over the course of her practice, Jennifer has worked several types of families including biological, adoptive, kinship, and foster families as they adjust to many types of family and life changes.  She is the lead faculty therapist and supervisor for the Functional Family Therapy Clinic, offering family therapy, supervision and consultation in FFT.  She is certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desentization Reprocessing) and uses this in regular practice with patients as well as co-facilitates consultation group for EMDR, having practiced this model for 15 years.

From 2003-2013, Jenn was the Program Director/therapist for Florence Crittenton Home Residential Treatment Program.  Prior to that, she had worked for Bluegrass as an in-home therapist.  As a clinical social work supervisor in KY, she has supervised social work clinicians, students and psychiatry residents.  She has presented in classes and conferences/workshops on topics related to Functional Family Therapy, EMDR, psychotherapy, and clinical supervision to clinicians and providers in multiple settings.  Jenn has been active in Kentucky Society Clinical Social Work for 15 years, serving on the Board in multiple roles, currently as past president.  She has been active in this organization as an advocate for the profession and the people we serve.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this webinar and PowerPoint is current as of April 18, 2023. Please be aware that information can change as needed, directed, or required by law or governing institutions.