WHSA 2025 Annual Conference

Let’s explore the monumental task of working with kids who have challenging pasts. We’ll balance theory, research and strategies to up the odds that we handle the toughest of situations without breaking a sweat.
You will learn powerful insights into:

1. How trauma affects the brain.
2. Why the intense and extremely upsetting behaviors seen in some kids represent attempts to self-protect and survive.
3. The science behind healthy attachment relationships.
4. How to apply Love and Logic strategies

Please evaluate this session: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R9L7BW3

Have you ever dreaded a phone call or conference because you just weren’t sure how it would turn out? Today, we’ll build the skills and framework to handle the toughest of situations without breaking a sweat and building better relationships at the same time.

1. Explore some ideas and principles that can limit stressful interactions with parents.
2. Develop an understanding of why a parent might be upset.
3. Discover a 5 step generic plan that you can utilize with upset parents

Please evaluate this session: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R93D9YV

Mentoring can be challenging with children, staff, and even at home with families. This break-out session gives you the tools, skills, and ideas to lead and teach others. Learn about positive intentional mentoring. Learn to enjoy and have fun mentoring others and build independence and confidence.

Mitch Factor
mitchfactor@frontier.com
360-420-4194

Please evaluate this session: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/X92Q62P

If you are a teacher, parent, or guardian who struggles with your child throwing fits, battling you at bedtime, not listening, or cleaning up, this is for you. Join Mitch Factor for the presentation on “Positive Redirection of Children.” Attendees will be given the skills and tools to help prevent and redirect negative behavior into positive behavior with children. The presentation will also have several ideas on preventing negative behavior before it happens. Attendees will get ideas on establishing a family foundation built on positive behavior. The Attendees will be given methods to encourage and teach positive behavior to children.

Mitch Factor
mitchfactor@frontier.com
360-420-4194

Please evaluate this session: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XDRGSQC

This session will focus on the core principles of quality child assessment through a relationship based lens. The Portage Guide 3 Assessment tool highlights the parent/child relationship as the core context for child assessment and planning. This session will provide participants a base understand of the tool, and it’s use, how it can support ongoing assessment practices as well as how the tool can serve as a source for curriculum and activity planning across multiple settings.

Please evaluate this session: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XQJDVKS

In this session you will have an opportunity to explore how life experiences, values, and biases ‘come along’ in your interactions with others. We will consider how this impacts your relationships with the children and families you serve. We will dig into the concepts of Ladder of Inference and Ecological Perspective as a way to be more thoughtful and intentional in connecting with and supporting others.  Come learn how the Portage Project Family Service Credential can enhance your work.

Please evaluate this session: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GCV6YY3