The 2011
November Adoption Conference
in honor of National Adoption Month
presented by
Adoption Community of New England, Inc.
Faculty
Beth Barto, LMHC is a Massachusetts Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a Masters in Counseling Psychology and a concentration in Child and Family Therapy. She is the Project Manager for the SAMHSA funded project, Central Massachusetts Child Trauma Center (CMTCT) a program of LUK, Inc. She is passionate about assisting systems in understanding the impact of trauma in order to promote placement stability for the most vulnerable children. Beth provides a variety of trauma-informed trainings in Central Massachusetts.
Ruth Bodian, MSW received her degree from Boston University. She is the Family Support Services Director at Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange, Inc. Ruth is also an adoptive parent of two teenagers. She is a frequent presenter for prospective adoptive families and provides inspiring and practical advice on successfully adopting and parenting older children/teenagers.
Karen Cheyney, JD, LSWA is Founder and Program Director of Bright Futures Adoption Center, a program of Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps. She is also adoptive mom to two transracially adopted teenagers with open adoptions. An advocate of ethical, open adoption practice, Karen has extensive experience discussing race and adoption with families of all backgrounds and supporting Bright Futures’ birth and adoptive families as they maintain connections for the benefit of their children.
Adele S. Raade, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences at Boston University. In 2010, she established Raade Communication Connections, her private practice, specializing in service to children and families touched by adoption or foster care. Dr. Raade has presented nationally on the communication and cognitive challenges of adopted children. She adopted her son from Russia.
Wendy Schmidt, OTR/L, MPA has over 25 years of assessment, treatment and rehabilitation experiences involving clients who present with multiple and complex medical, behavioral, developmental and/or learning challenges. Her treatment approach is designed for infants and children exposed to institutional settings (orphanages, long-term hospitalization), incorporating years of experience as a researcher and consultant on various international child health projects, as well as a home care and clinic-based, pediatric development and occupational therapist.
