Trauma and Feeding: Supporting Families at Mealtimes with a Trauma-Informed Lens

Traumatic experiences can have a significant impact on a child’s development and a parent’s confidence and well-being. Many families who have children with feeding challenges have experienced trauma in the past or are attempting to manage feeding situations that feel chronically stressful.

This interactive webinar will help practitioners who support children with feeding needs identify signs of trauma in children and parents and implement trauma-informed practices in the context of early intervention. This session also highlights specific practices to buffer stress, prevent further trauma from occurring, and maximize a child’s developmental gains. Specifically, participants will be presented with strategies to enhance their ability to build strong relationships between the professionals on the team, with parents, and between parents and their children. A strong focus on identification of individualized areas of strength and need with consideration of a family’s unique experience, as well as empowerment of parents and caregivers throughout the therapeutic process, will be part of this presentation. Short case examples and reflection questions will engage participants in applying concepts.

Please note this event is taking place at 6:30 pm Central Standard Time, and will be held virtually via Zoom. To find out what time this is in your country, look here. Registration will close at 5:00 pm Central Standard Time on Tuesday October 12. The meeting link will be sent to registrants via email that evening after registration closes. Please check your spam folder as our emails occasionally end up there.

This course is being submitted for credit with the Illinois Early Intervention Program. Please check with your local professional organization to determine additional professional education credit. Those who have paid for a professional ticket and are in attendance for the duration of the full event will receive a certificate of attendance for credit. Those who registered for a student ticket will also receive a certificate, however these will not be eligible for CEUs.

Tickets Available:

• Parent/Caregiver
  • For those who are caring for a child who is learning to eat.
• Student
  • For those who are working on degrees in a profession related to pediatric feeding; certificates not for professional development credit.
• Professional*
  • For those who work in an area related to pediatric feeding and are seeking professional development credits (SLP, OT, Dietician, SW, Nurse, etc.)
• Staff
  • For staff members of the Chicago Feeding Group
• Affiliate
  • By invitation only; for official affiliates of the CFG 

*If you are paying for more than one professional, please include their name and email in the allocated spots in registration.

Stephanie Cohen, M.A., CCC-SLP, CLC

Stephanie  is a speech-language pathologist and lactation counselor in private practice who has worked with children with complex medical needs and their families for more than 19 years. Stephanie has advanced training in feeding and swallowing disorders; she specializes in working with the 0-3 population and is passionate about helping families of children with feeding and swallowing disorders find ways to make mealtimes more successful and enjoyable. Stephanie has a bachelor of arts and a master of science degree from Northwestern University. She is a credentialed evaluator and provider in IL Early Intervention. Stephanie speaks about a variety of topics, including typical and atypical feeding development, responsive feeding, and trauma-informed feeding assessment and treatment. She enjoys mentoring, collaborating, and teaching.  Stephanie lives in Northbrook with her husband and three children.

Karen Dilfer, M.S., OTR/L

Karen is an occupational therapist, feeding specialist, and food enthusiast.  She has a strong pediatric background and loves to help children with motor, sensory, and mealtime challenges. A Chicago native, Karen enjoys discovering new restaurants and cooking with friends and family. She is a founding member of the Chicago Feeding Group, a non profit organization that seeks to support parents and professionals who work with children who struggle to eat. Karen was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune. Karen has a bachelor of science degree from Calvin College and a master’s of science degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She is Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) trained and has also completed post-graduate education in Sensory Integration. Karen trained under Marsha Dunn Klein at Mealtime Connections, LLC, in Tucson, Arizona. Karen is a contributing member to the Get Permission team and regularly teaches Get Permission workshops and webinars. She maintains a private practice and actively treats children with feeding challenges.