Service Coordination CoP

Webinars & Events 

Touched by the Trauma of Others 

A two-part series addressing the challenges service coordinators face when working with families and children experiencing traumatic situations. Attendance at part 1 is not required for participation in part 2. Presented by Rebecca S. Molitor, LCPC. 

​

Touched by the Trauma of Others: Preparing for the first contact and attending to our needs (Part 1)

March 27th, 2024 11:00 AM —12:00 PM Eastern Time  Download the recording and handouts.

Do you start to feel anxiety rising when you read a referral? Maybe you shake your head in deep sorrow or sympathy. Maybe the words on the referral take you to your own story or that of someone you love or know. Maybe your thoughts start to wonder how this family gets through a day or how this young child has endured. 
 

Service coordinators are the first. The first in the Early Intervention system to contact and interact with families in need of services. Many of those families have struggles and experiences beyond the developmental delays which bring them to our attention. Some of these experiences are known to us, some are unknown. How do we prepare ourselves? How can we be in our best mindset to provide understanding, compassionate services, while also safeguarding ourselves from secondary trauma experiences. In this session, we will address how to care for ourselves, prepare before that first interaction, and why it is imperative we treat ourselves with as much care as we give to those we serve.
 

Intended Objectives: 

1. Participants will be able to define secondary trauma and specific situations for them which they may need to be most aware.

2. Participants will be able to identify methods they can utilize prior to interacting with families, as well as other times, to care and reregulate themselves while hearing stories of traumatic experiences of those served.

​

Touched by the Trauma of Others: Building trust and communicating with compassion 

Friday, October 18th, 2024, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Eastern Time  Register here. 
 

Working with families who have experienced traumatic events can be challenging. Is it okay to ask about what happened? How do you gather information that might be important for service provision, yet be respectful of the families’ experience and privacy? It gets complicated.

 

In this session, we will explore how to build trust with families with openness, kindness and our conscientiousness to their lived experiences. Sometimes this process is slower than the deadlines and timelines we have to meet for service provision, often times the complexities of a family’s life unfold over time as they feel we are more of an ally in their development versus judgmental of what has happened. Further, discussion will include the importance of meeting families where they are on that particular day. Communicating within the parameters a family feels safest, physically and emotionally. Sometimes what is best for them, might not match our own style of communication. Yet, it is our professional responsibility to adjust to their needs, while also meeting the program requirements. Not an easy task! But it can be done, perhaps not quickly, perhaps not easily all the time. Families who have experienced multiple traumas often can need more of us. Balancing our needs and those of the families is imperative for successful communication and service provision to the best of our abilities (on any particular day).

​

Presenter Bio: 

Rebecca S. Molitor, LCPC, considers herself fortunate to do what she is most passionate about. . . partnering with individuals and families. Her career started with family preservation programs before starting Compassionate Growth Counseling in 2000. With over 25 years of experience as a counselor in infant mental health, early intervention, attachment, trauma, and mindfulness, Rebecca frequently is a presenter and provides consultation services within Illinois, nationally and internationally. More recently, Rebecca became the first certified Prenatal Bonding (BA) Trainer in the United States. In quieter moments, Rebecca enjoys walks in the park with her dog, spending time with the children in her life, as well as deepening her meditation practice and writing haiku. Rebecca holds a master’s degree in Community Psychology, emphasis on Child Psychology. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois and New Mexico.

​

A Closer Look at Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators (KSSC): Scenarios and Reflection

Monday, June 5th, 1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern Time.   Download the recording and webinar summary. 

Join us for a web conversation to take a closer look at each KSSC, focus on real-life scenarios of each KSSC and pose reflective questions. The new tools can assist in individual professional growth and be used when training on service coordination. Be one of the first to explore these new tools. NOTE: If you are not familiar with the KSSC, review the web conversation from December 2020, which provides an overview of the KSSC. 

Presenters: Roxane Romanick, Adriana Gallego, Cori Hill 

​

A Closer Look at Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators (KSSC): Scenarios and Reflection

Monday, June 5th, 1:00 - 2:00 PM Eastern Time.   Download the recording and webinar summary. 

Join us for a web conversation to take a closer look at each KSSC, focus on real-life scenarios of each KSSC and pose reflective questions. The new tools can assist in individual professional growth and be used when training on service coordination. Be one of the first to explore these new tools. NOTE: If you are not familiar with the KSSC, review the web conversation from December 2020, which provides an overview of the KSSC. 

Presenters: Roxane Romanick, Adriana Gallego, Cori Hill 

​

Writing Functional Outcomes on the IFSP - A Joint Webinar from Division for Early Childhood's Early Intervention, Service Coordination, and Family Partnership Communities of Practice

Download the recording. Access the handouts.

Monday, November 7th, 2022, 3:00 - 4:30 PM Eastern Time

The DEC EICoP is joining with the DEC Service Coordination CoP and the DEC Family Partnership CoP to bring to our members a 90 minute webinar on writing functional IFSP Outcomes (both family and child). We will have an overview of what it means to have a functional outcome and then hear from a family member, a provider and a service coordinator on how they approach writing functional outcomes from their perspective. 

Presenters: Kimberly Travers, Demetres Thomas, Melanie Batista, and Kimberly Morse 

​

Two Part Series on Time Management and Organizational Strategies for Service Coordinators 

Part 1 - Wednesday, March 9th, 2022, 2:00 PM Eastern Time 

Download the webinar recording and handouts.

Introduction of Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss and reflect on how/where service coordination activities fall within the four quadrants in relation to importance and urgency. Participants will be encouraged to explore additional resources, apply strategies and activities in between sessions.
 

Part 2 - Thursday, April 28th, 2022 1:00 PM Eastern Time 

Download the webinar recording and handouts.

Facilitators will provide practical tools and strategies to help service coordinator refine their time management and organizational skills.

Facilitated by: Shawna Gurney, Maine; Heather Waters, Utah; Melissa Hardison, Kentucky; Sarah Nichols, Illinois; Beth Friedman, Pennsylvania

 

National Service Coordination Resources: What’s new and where are we going?

Thursday, December 9th, 2021, 10:30 - 11:30 AM Eastern Time

Download the recording and handouts.

Curious to learn about resources, tools and activities to support states and programs using the DEC/ITCA Joint Position Statement on Service Coordination in Early Intervention and the Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators? Join us for an encore presentation of our 2021 DEC session to learn what's new, how resources are being used to support high quality service coordination, and where we hope to go next! 

Presented by: Melissa Schnurr, Dana Childress, Sarah Nichols, Cori Hill, Christina Commons, Melissa Hardison

​

DEC/ITCA Joint Position Statement: Service Coordination in Early Intervention

Tuesday, April 20th, 2021, 2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern Time 

Download the webinar recording.

Join members of the writing team to learn about the new Joint Position Statement on Service Coordination from DEC and the Infant Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA). The team will share how the Position Statement was developed, provide opportunities to explore the contents of the statement, and discuss how it can be used by states and local programs.

Presenters: Melissa Schnurr, Dana Childress, Maria Kastanis, Roxane Romanick, and Sharon Loza 

​

The Foundation for Excellence - Understanding the Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators

Thursday, December 3rd, 2020 at 3:00 - 4:00 PM Eastern Time

Download the webinar recording and resources.

The Workgroup on Recommended Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators (RKSSC) Team Members will provide an overview of the Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators (KSSC), including how they were developed.  Participants will gain an understanding of the six KSSC and be encouraged to reflect on current practices, strengths and areas where they may seek growth. 

​Facilitators: Sarah Nichols, IL; Cori Hill, VA; Melissa Hardison, KY

Outcomes/ Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn about the 6 overarching Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators working in early intervention.

2. Participants will determine which Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators they feel most and least confident with in their practices.

3. Participants will gain access to a KSSC self-assessment tool and have the opportunity to reflect and develop action steps for improvement upon completion of the session.

​

Partnering with Families in Their Times of Need 

Thursday, May 14th, 2020 at 2:00 - 3:00 PM EST 

Download the recording and materials. 

​Every family is unique and some families have more needs than others. Time and resources service coordinators put forth to successfully implement family practices may fluctuate according to family strengths, abilities and needs.  This web-conversation will explore strategies service coordinators use to engage in family-centered practices, build family capacity and foster opportunities for family and professional collaboration with families who have high needs. 

Facilitators: Sarah Nichols and Maria Kastanis, Illinois

​

Coaching during Service Coordination: What Does It Look Like?

Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 2:00-3:00pm EST

​Download the recording and materials.

​Instructional Practice 13 (DEC Recommended Practices, 2014) encourages practitioners to use coaching when interacting with primary caregivers - and that includes service coordinators! Join us for a web conversation to discuss nine coaching practices that you can use to help families participate in the EI process, share information, access resources, and solve problems.

​

Service Coordination Matters – A Web Conversation To Recognize What You Bring to the EI Team 

Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 2:00 - 3:00 pm ET 

​Download the recording and materials.

​Be sure to check out the National Service Coordination Training Workgroup Webinar Resources page! You’ll find two archived webinars, activity guides, and lots of resources that address the following topics:

• How Do You Do It? Juggling and Overcoming Service Coordination Challenges

• The Role of the Service Coordinator in Building Relationships in Early Intervention​