Partnership Connections

Mindful Moments with Mimi: Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra/Yogic Sleep.
Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation practice that has been shown to help promote restful sleep. You can use this audio recording at bedtime to support falling asleep, or during the day to experience a sense of restoration and deep relaxation. If you choose to use it mid-day, I recommend setting a timer or alarm, just in case you drift off to sleep.
Please practice in a safe space and never while operating a vehicle or other machinery! 

Mindful Moments with Mimi: Loving Kindness

Loving Kindness Meditation: Loving-kindness meditation is used to cultivate  empathy, compassion, and understanding—toward oneself and others. It can increase a sense of connection to others and emotional well-being.
Please practice in a safe space and never while operating a vehicle or other machinery! 
Thank you to Dr. Mumm for providing these for our podcast! 

Mindful Moments with Mimi: Grounding Meditation/5-4-3-2-1

The following is a meditation provided by Dr. Mimi Mumm, Professor at the School of Social Work at Rhode Island College. Dr. Mumm is also a certified Yoga Instructor. She has been gracious enough to record several sessions, so stay tuned for more!
Please practice this meditation in a safe space and never while operating a vehicle or other machinery!
Description: Grounding Meditation/5-4-3-2-1. (5 minutes). This is a mindfulness exercise that helps bring your attention to the present moment, especially when feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or disconnected. It uses your five senses to gently ground you.

From Misconceptions to Meaningful Support: A Conversation on Autism Spectrum Disorder

Join us as we chat with Ariana DeAngelis, Training Manager at The Autism Project, to explore the complexities of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its implications for child welfare professionals. Ariana shares her deep expertise and lived experiences working with autistic individuals across the lifespan, offering practical strategies for supporting children and families impacted by ASD. From debunking common myths to navigating meltdowns, trauma, and elopement, this conversation provides essential tools and compassionate insights for anyone working in child welfare. Whether you're a caseworker, foster parent, or simply seeking to better understand neurodiversity, this episode is a must-listen.

The Impact of Generational Diversity on the Child Welfare Workforce

Join us as we speak with Tricia Driscoll and Stephanie Manzi. Tricia is the Executive Director of the Center for Mediation and Collaboration of Rhode Island and Stephanie is a professor of criminal justice at Roger Williams University teaching courses in policing and criminology. They provide insight into generational diversity impacting the workforce and how to better understand these differences for better relationships, communication, and an overall work environment, with a particular focus on the child welfare workforce and environment. 

Uncovering Your Growth & Mentoring Mindsets as a Helping Professional

Join us as we speak with Christopher Margadonna, Senior Director of Training and Program Development at MENTOR RI about the concepts of both Growth Mindset and Mentoring Mindset. Christopher will help us define what both of these terms mean, why they are important, and what we can actually do to apply these to not just our professional lives but also in our own personal lives as well.

Trauma in LatinX Communities

Join us as we speak with Jennifer Gaviria, Adjunct Faculty at Rhode Island College and School Social Worker in the Woonsocket Public School District. She is also the co-founder of the Latino Mental Health Network of Rhode Island.
Listeners will learn about current research and culturally responsive practices to effectively support Latinx children and families impacted by trauma. From recognizing cultural nuances to implementing trauma-informed approaches tailored to the Latinx context, participants will emerge with a deeper understanding of how to navigate and address trauma within this community.

Identifying and Combating Secondary Traumatic Stress - A conversation

We welcome back retired full-time Assistant Professor at the Rhode Island College School of Social Work Dan Harvey for an interview examining the effects of secondary traumatic and processes for monitoring and repairing the social workers’ overworked nervous system.
Learning Objectives:
Understand how secondary traumatic stress impacts one’s own neurobiology
Evaluate one’s own response(s) to secondary traumatic stress.
Evaluate their personal needs for appropriate self-care
Provide practical strategies for dealing with anxiety and uncertainty including mindfulness skills and how to apply them in regular self-care practices.
Incorporate into their intervention plan, the social workers’ natural, culture supports which may assist with recovery from secondary traumatic stress reactions.

Are You Asking the Right Questions?: An Approach to Building Client And Professional Agency

Join us as we chat with Naomi Campbell, Director of the Legal Empowerment Program at the Right Question Institute. Naomi helps break down the "Question Formulation Technique and how it can be applied in child welfare, both with families and colleagues. For more on RQI, see their website here: RIGHT QUESTION INSTITUTE

Navigating the Intersection of Substance Use Disorder & Child Welfare

Join us as we speak with Chris Dorval, Executive Director at Ocean State Recovery Center. Chris is a nationally recognized speaker, trainer and clinical consultant in the areas of addiction, trauma, and men’s health, as well as, having worked as a clinician and clinical supervisor in various levels of care in addiction treatment continuum. We discuss how substance use disorder impacts families involved in the child welfare system.