32nd Annual Parenting Awareness Michigan Conference

Is this normal? All parents have thought this about their teen’s behaviors, emotions, and actions. This session will dig into development - social, emotional, physical, and cognitive changes in children between 9-19 years. Enhance your understanding and equip yourself with strategies to help parents respond to common “normal” behaviors.

Join us for an engaging presentation on creative ways to improve community health through
the implementation of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Hubs and innovative programs
like Good Housing = Good Health (GH2). We’ll discuss how addressing key factors that
affect health can help reduce inequalities and foster a healthier, more equitable society.

Learn ways to help fathers and male caregivers pay attention to stress triggers during times of
conflict, frustration and disagreement; especially in times of receiving overwhelming news. We
will discuss mindful activities, which can help male caregivers understand their own individual
feelings and emotions. We will explore research about mindfulness for fathers, supportive
mindful practices and the importance of helping male caregivers move out of “auto-pilot”

This workshop will clarify who works at the poison center, their role in public health and safety,
research, legislation, and statewide education and prevention efforts. Workshop participants
will be updated on substance use trends reported to the MiPDC and the session will be
concluded with a Q & A session.

The autonomic nervous system sends messages of safety or danger. Dysregulation happens
when a person doesn’t feel safe. Our brain searches for safety four times every second and is
always alert for safety cues. What if we implemented the word “experiences” instead of
consequences through this new lens of discipline? What experiences does this child/adult
need to develop a sense of “felt safety?”

This presentation will highlight the specific key elements of a Parent café, share parts of the
harvests that occurred at the various cafes, and relate to how actionable steps will aid in the
reduction of ACEs through strengthening families and subsequent cafes being offered.

Michigan’s prenatal through postsecondary family engagement framework released in 2020
provided a launching point for equitable family engagement practices and supports.
Attendees will be introduced to MiFamily, gain understanding of the MiFamily Engagement
Centers, and leave with equitable, family engagement practices that support improved
outcomes for children and families.

Current Drug Trends: What Parents Need To Know will teach participants about the current
drug trends identified by youth and the impact that substances have on youth and the
community. Participants will be able to identify potential risks for substance misuse and ways
to talk to youth regarding substances. Participants will be provided with resources for Parents
and Caregivers whose youth might be using substances.

Military culture and trauma exposure can impact veterans’ ability and willingness to attach and
bond with their infants and young children, yet many helping professionals have never been
trained on how to work with this population. In this workshop, participants will explore how
military culture and common mental health challenges veterans face can impact family
functioning and child outcomes. Through a review of current research, veteran testimonials,
and IMH case presentations, participants will learn how to best support and intervene with
military-connected families.

What is foundational is that we cannot change a person’s ACE score, but we can mitigate the
effects of ACEs with the PCEs. The HOPE framework is a strengths-based flexible approach,
not a curriculum, that supports children and families by prioritizing equitable access to PCEs
through identification and promotion.

The Pajama Program continues the critical discussion on sleep, defining healthy sleep and
how it affects growth and development, sharing parents’ common sleep problems - including
data from foster care parents, providing evidence-based tools and strategies, and sharing
Pajama Program’s resources and impact data.

This workshop will demonstrate the importance of a comprehensive, earlier, and broader
approach to healthy child development and building youth resilience – foundational elements
for helping to prevent or reduce the risk of youth substance use and mental health, social, and
behavioral problems.