Join us for an in-person workshop with Kristen McCray, Art Therapist with Midwest Refuah, to explore your grief process by creating ceramic artwork. This workshop will explore how creating art can be a tool in our grief. Art involvement can be cathartic; help you feel less isolated and communicate for you when it’s hard to know what to say.

Materials will be provided, and artwork may be taken home that evening.

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Presenter
Kristen McCray is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Board-Certified Art Therapist at Midwest Refuah. She received her Master of Arts in Counseling: Art Therapy at Adler School of Professional Psychology and has spent her postgraduate focused on developing a broader understanding of mental health and its impact on development, self-advocacy, and healthy identities. Over the years, Kristen has developed her approach through working in a variety of environments; including working with youth in care, cofounding a private practice and working within community mental health. Kristen finds joy in the collaborative work that develops with each of her clients as it fosters opportunities for change, understanding and growth.

The program is generously sponsored by the Lauri S. Bauer Foundation for Sudden Loss.

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Join us for “It’s That Easy: Navigating Sexuality Conversations at Home” presented by JCFS Response for Teens and YWCA Evanston/North Shore. This FREE in-person session is perfect for parents, caregivers, and family members looking to deepen their understanding of healthy sexuality and child development.

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Led by YWCA and Response for Teens professionals, this engaging workshop explores your role in your child’s sexual health education. Share experiences, identify values, learn about healthy sexual development, and connect and collaborate with fellow caregivers.

Adoptees and adoptive parents have individual and unique perspectives and struggles that aren’t usually seen side by side.  Join us to hear from adoptive mother Julie Etter and son Isaac as they share a candid look into their real-life challenges, lessons learned, and moments of joy in navigating identity across different life stages. Rabbi and adoptive parent D'ror Chankin-Gould will also offer insights through a Jewish lens and moderate the Q&A session. This is a virtual event.

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This program is free and open to the community, made possible by a generous donation from the Rubens Family Foundation.

Meet the Panelists

Isaac Etter was adopted at the age of two. He’s a speaker, podcaster, author of A Practical Guide: Transracial Adoption, and founder of Identity, a resource hub for adoptive and foster parents.  Isaac specializes in re-imagining post-placement support for adoptive and foster families and child welfare professionals.

Julie Etter is a mother of five. Her oldest and youngest were transracially adopted, with three biological kids in the middle. Julie is a classroom teacher, and outside of school, her passion lies with educating adoptive parents and adoption professionals.  Her goal is to share tools to equip parents and children throughout their journey.

Rabbi D'ror Chankin-Gould has served as one of the rabbis at the Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago for the past 10 years. He oversees the synagogue partnership with JCFS focusing on mental health and social service resources for the full community. Rabbi Chankin-Gould and his husband are fathers of two adopted black and brown boys and are advocates for adoptive families and multiracial families in the Jewish Community. 

Services for People with Disabilities (SFPD) presents a free Community Education Workshop

Join speaker Attorney Cheryl Lipton from the Center for Disability and Elder Law as she explains what is legal guardianship and how to determine whether it is appropriate for an adult’s individual circumstances. She will provide an explanation of the documents needed for filing and for the hearing in Cook County, requirements for a Physician’s Report, and other important information. An opportunity to ask questions about the process will be provided.

This event is free and open to the public. Continuing education credits are available for QIDP's.
Registration is required. 

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You may also contact Kathryn Dougherty at 773.765.3158 to register.

You will receive a Zoom link to participate via email the day prior to the session.

For help with registration, and for any accommodations, please contact Kathryn Dougherty.

Join speakers Tara Ahern, Operations Director, and Adam Wiser, Project Director, from the Illinois Self Advocacy Alliance to learn more about the importance of sexual education for all people, especially those with disabilities, across the lifespan.

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This workshop will provide helpful information on how to be a better advocate for yourself or your loved ones in receiving critical sexual education information, gain a better understanding of why this type of education is critical for healthy relationships and sexuality and increase our ability to respond to situations in a disability and trauma informed way. An opportunity to ask questions and additional resources will be provided.

This event is free and open to the public.
Continuing education credits are available for QIDP's.
*Session may be recorded

Registration is required via this link or contact Kathryn Dougherty at 773.765.3158 to register.
You will receive a Zoom link to participate via email the day prior to the session.
For help with registration, and for any accommodations, please contact Kathryn Dougherty.

Many children need a boost in their handwriting formation and endurance. We’ll address age-appropriate skills that help enhance letter formation, sentence structure, and endurance for academic tasks like coloring, note taking, and report writing. Let’s help make school time easier and give your child a boost this summer!

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Check listing in the registration form for variety of hours offered based on grade level.

Our camps are open to children of all abilities looking to refine their skills this summer. Formal evaluations will not be completed but a group goal will be defined. 

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Feeding:

Food Explorers: Join us for cooking club with the aim to provide a trusting and supportive environment, with peer support, as new foods are explored. We’ll be prepping, cooking, and finding joy while engaging with foods. With a responsive feeding eye your child will be invited to engage with food at an individual level which encourages autonomy, confidence, and a little stretch. All while having fun socializing with others. This camp is open to all ages 5 and older as we believe older and younger children can model for each other different strengths in this setting.