Fall Ventures Courses to Focus on Trauma Informed Care

The October and November course offerings from the “Ventures in Christian Discipleship” program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be a two-part series focusing on Trauma Informed Care. (Part 1 not required to take Part 2)

Part 1 of the series, “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)”, will be held Saturday, October 13 online at 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. CST. The science of the past 30 years is painting a clear picture–when kids are exposed to overwhelming, unsupported adversity (abuse, neglect, domestic violence, etc.) there is profound effect for them and for all of us. This class will introduce the ACE findings, briefly discuss the neurobiology of stress and propose simple solutions that promote hope and healing. There will also be time at the end of the presentation for a dialogue regarding the implications for Ventures participants.

Part 2 of the series, “Trauma Informed Care (TIC)”, will be held Saturday, November 17 online at 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. CST. We will briefly review and highlight the ACEs findings and dig deeper into the core concepts of TIC. We will focus specifically on the core concepts of regulation, relationship and reason to be as critical components of a connected and healthy world. We will also discuss how response to overwhelming adversity and trauma tends to create dysregulation, relational skepticism and pursuit of purpose that is often superficial and absent of meaning. The strategies discussed that create regulation, relationship and reason to be are also relevant for managing conflict and other relevant challenges of modern life.

Both classes will be taught by Tim Grove, chief clinical officer at SaintA, Milwaukee, Wis., and serves as the senior leader responsible for the trauma informed care initiatives across all agency programs. He was responsible for the implementation of SaintA’s trauma informed care philosophy and practices., is a Mentor with the Child Trauma Academy, and is a Master Trainer in Dr. Rob Anda and Laura Porter’s ACE Interface curriculum. Tim and the training team at SaintA have trained more than 50,000 people from diverse disciplines over the past 10 years.

All classes are donation-based and continuing education credit is available for $10 per course. To learn more about Ventures in Christian Discipleship and to register for courses, visit www.mcpherson.edu/ventures.